Roll Cakes
Back in the day, whenever I leafed through cookbooks looking for new dessert ideas, pictures of roll cakes (also called Swiss rolls or jelly rolls) always caught my eye. They looked so artful and yummy and I really wanted to make one, but I let myself be discouraged by the words, "jelly roll pan," in every recipe. I had never seen such a thing, and the requirement of special equipment made roll cakes seem impossibly far out of my league. After a couple of years as a housewife, though, I was a much more experienced and confident baker and I decided to finally give roll cakes a go, jelly roll pans be damned!
I was a little apprehensive that first time, but it didn't take me long to discover that making roll cakes is a snap! As it turns out, a jelly roll pan is just a high-sided cookie sheet (think about one inch deep), and--what's better--you don't even need one to make great roll cakes. A big cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil works just as well as long as you're careful when you spread the batter.
So, without further ado, let's get to the recipes! These three cakes are standards in my dessert repertoire and I bet they'll soon be in yours, too.
Chocolate Roll with Buttercream Filling
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup corn starch or potato starch
- 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
Filling
- ½ cup butter
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat oven to 450°F (250°C). Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Brush the paper or foil well with melted butter or vegetable oil.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until very thick. Combine the dry ingredients and fold them carefully into the egg mixture. Spread the batter carefully in an even layer on the prepared pan (if not using a pan with high sides, pour the batter slowly and spread it evenly into a rectangle in the middle of the pan).
Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched very lightly with a fingertip.
Turn the cake out onto a clean dishtowel or parchment paper that has been sprinkled liberally with granulated sugar. Remove the paper or foil from the back of the cake and roll the cake up, with the towel or parchment paper in place. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Beat the butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract together to a smooth, creamy consistency. Unroll the cooled cake and remove the towel or parchment paper. Spread the filling evenly over the top. Re-roll the cake and wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Let chill for at least one hour before slicing to serve. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin purée (canned or cooked from fresh)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Filling
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
- 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat oven to 375°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Brush the paper or foil well with melted butter or vegetable oil.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients and stir carefully into egg mixture. Spread the batter carefully in an even layer on the prepared pan (if not using a pan with high sides, pour the batter slowly and spread it evenly into a rectangle in the middle of the pan).
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until top of cake springs back when touched lightly. Turn cake onto a clean dishtowel sprinkled liberally with confectioner's sugar. Remove the paper or foil from the back of the cake. Starting with narrow end, roll up cake, with towel in place, and set to cool completely on a wire rack.
Beat cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Carefully unroll cake and remove towel. Spread filling over cake and re-roll. Wrap cake in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired, before slicing and serving. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Spice Roll with Lingonberry Filling
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 7/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk or plain yogurt
Filling
- 3/4-1 cup whipping cream
- ½ cup lingonberry jam or whole-berry cranberry sauce
Heat oven to 450°F (250°C). Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Brush the paper or foil well with melted butter or vegetable oil.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Combine dry ingredients and stir carefully, along with buttermilk or yourt, into egg mixture. Spread the batter carefully in an even layer on the prepared pan (if not using a pan with high sides, pour the batter slowly and spread it evenly into a rectangle in the middle of the pan).
Bake in center of oven for approximately 5 minutes, until top of cake springs back when touched lightly. Sprinkle cake lightly with granulated sugar and turn onto a clean piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pull off the paper from the back of the cake and, starting with narrow end, roll up cake and set to cool completely on a wire rack.
Beat whipping cream stiff and fold in lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce. Spread filling evenly over cake and re-roll. If not serving immediately, wrap cake in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and freeze. The cake can be sliced frozen and served directly from the freezer, or left to thaw an hour in the refrigerator. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.