Chocolate gypsy arm

How to make a classic chocolate gypsy arm I love the gypsy arm ! You already know my weakness for classic dessert recipes , such as the  gypsy arm and tiramisu , which brings together 2 of my favorite desserts. Today I wanted to prepare something a little more special for the son of a friend who is already pointing out the ways of a great chef, a chocolate gypsy arm filled with strawberries . This little chef is a crack, with only 7 years old and in a totally intuitive way, he begins to take small steps in the world of cooking.

Before you ask me by email, I will tell you the question that my little one asked me, “Why is it called gypsy arm?” Difficult to answer this question, because there are actually three versions that define the origin of the gypsy arm . There are those who say that they defend that its aspect elongated like that of an arm and the dark color like that of the gypsy skin. Others say that it comes from the leftover biscuits (rolled) that the pastry chefs gave to the boilermakers (mostly gypsies). But there is still a last version, in which they attribute the merit to a Spanish monk who discovered this sweet in Egypt and called it ” Egyptian Arm ” and, well, the modifications of the passage of time, have left us the name with which today this succulent dessert is known.

By the way, my little friend loved this recipe and we have already arranged to prepare it one day together. The new generations are stomping. That’s how nice! For those who still do not dare with this recipe, I guarantee that it has no difficulties. However, if it requires time and tranquility in the kitchen, to correctly take all the steps of the preparation. The filling that I give you is an alternative that I love, but I always say that “for tastes there are colors” and, in this case, fruits, so if strawberries do not convince you, try plum, peach, or any fruit that you like.

Preparation of the chocolate gypsy arm and strawberries

1. We prepare the cake. We separate the yolks from the white and reserve the latter. We beat the egg yolks with the sugar. When they are well mixed, sift the flour and add it to the previous mixture. On the other hand we beat the whites (with a pinch of salt or a few drops of lemon) until stiff. Once ready, we add them to the previous mixture and, with a spatula and slowly, mix all the ingredients.
2. Finally, add two tablespoons of cocoa to the resulting mixture and finish mixing with the spatula.
3. We preheat the oven to 180 ° C, with heat up and down. Spread the baking sheet with butter and put vegetable paper until covered. We pour the resulting cream on the paper and spread it well so that it is homogeneous.
4. We put it in the oven and leave it for about 20 minutes. We take it out of the oven and, without letting it cool, we remove it from the mold on another sheet of vegetable paper (or on a large kitchen cloth). We remove the sheet of paper that was in the oven (slowly so that the cake does not break) and roll up the cake using the new vegetable paper. It is important to roll it up before it cools to avoid losing its elasticity. We reserve covered by the vegetal paper or the kitchen cloth.
5. We prepare the syrup and strawberries. In a saucepan we pour a shot of rum, the three tablespoons of water and sugar. We leave it on medium heat until it is a little thicker.
6. We wash and cut the strawberries into very thin sheets. When the syrup is ready, add the strawberries to the syrup so that they release their liquid and soak in the syrup flavor. We reserve
7. We prepare the pastry cream. We put a small saucepan with a little more than half of the indicated milk (250 or 300 ml), the rest we reserve. Add the cinnamon stick and put it to heat over medium heat.
8. In a deep container we put the sugar, the corn flour and pour the reserved milk. Mix well with the rods.
9. Next we pour the rum, add the 3 egg yolks, the whole egg and, with a saucepan, take a little of the hot milk and add it too. We mix. Add the mixture to the hot milk casserole and stir vigorously until it thickens. We do not stop stirring to avoid lumps.
10. When it is ready, remove it from the heat and reserve.
11. We assemble the gypsy arm. We unscrew the cake. We paint the inside with the syrup. Next we add a layer of pastry cream (the thickness goes to the cook’s taste). Finally we place the strawberries that we have soaked in the syrup. Carefully screw again and decorate with icing sugar or, if you have too much pastry cream you can use the excess to decorate with the help of a pastry bag.

An ideal dessert to enjoy on a holiday or on your child’s birthday. Although remember that if the little ones at home are going to drink it, it is not necessary to add the rum. A gypsy arm with a multitude of combinations, as many as your imagination wants, you can vary the ingredients of the filling, always obtaining new and great flavors. Take advantage!

Be sure to enjoy all the yummy sweets in our dessert recipes , I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier. You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.