Kokuszos Keksztekercs

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbplain biscuitsfinely ground, base of the dough
• 3½ tbspcocoa powderunsweetened, for the dough
• 6 ozpowdered sugarfor the dough
• 4 tbspjamfor the dough, amount depending on consistency
• ⅓ ozvanilla sugarfor the dough
• 1 cupmilkadd gradually to the dough until it holds together
• 1 tbsprumor rum extract, for the dough
• 7 ozbutteror margarine, at room temperature, for the filling
• 5¼ ozsugargranulated or powdered, for the filling
• 7 ozdesiccated coconutfor the filling, for dusting the work surface and coating the roll

Method

1. Knead the biscuit doughMix the finely ground plain biscuits with the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, rum (or rum extract) and jam. Add the milk a little at a time and knead everything into a slightly sticky dough that holds its shape well. Only use as much milk as the dough actually needs.
2. Whip the buttercreamFor the buttercream, beat the room-temperature butter or margarine with the sugar until light and fluffy. If you like, work some of the desiccated coconut straight into the buttercream at this point.
3. Prepare the work surfaceScatter a generous layer of desiccated coconut over a sheet of baking paper or your work surface so the dough doesn't stick.
4. Roll out the doughRoll the dough out on top into a rectangle about 0.5 cm thick. With a big batch, it's easier to divide it into 2 or 3 portions and roll each one out separately. If the dough starts to crumble, knead in a small splash of milk and try again.
5. Spread on the buttercreamSpread the buttercream evenly over the sheet of dough. If you didn't stir the coconut into the buttercream, sprinkle it over the top now.
6. Roll up and coat in coconutStarting from a long side, roll the sheet up carefully but firmly, using the baking paper to help you along. Then coat the finished roll all over in desiccated coconut.
7. Chill the rollWrap the roll tightly in foil or cling film and chill it for at least 1 to 2 hours, until the dough and the buttercream have firmed up nicely.
8. Slice and serveUnwrap the roll, cut it into slices with a sharp knife and serve well chilled.

Tips and variations

You can bind the dough however you like: with plenty of jam instead of milk, with milk alone and no jam at all, or with coffee in place of the milk, which gives the roll a slightly more grown-up, bitter edge. Instead of one big roll, you can also split the mixture into two or three smaller ones and pop one in the freezer for later. When it's time to serve, cut the roll straight from the fridge so the slices stay neat and the spiral really shows.