My neighbour's kitchen: Dulce de leche roulade

You prepare it by baking a simple, light sponge cake, then rolling and filling it with doce de leite (dulce de leche).

I learnt to make it by watching my mum. Just like the dessert, nothing is very sophisticated or elegant about my mum, but her sweetness embraces and makes everyone around her feel warm. In Brazil, no special occasion was necessary for Mum to prepare this dessert. It could have been a Sunday afternoon with coffee and tea, a breakfast treat or after a robust dinner, but the rocambole was always welcome and never lasted very long after it was served. Sometimes I add coconut cream to the filling, but otherwise I make it just as Mum did. It is modest and sweet, just like Mum, just like home.

Interview by Louisa Suzanne Allan

Photography Olga Bennett

As seen in Feast magazine, July 2014, Issue 33.