Foolproof Jelly Roll Cake

Posted: October 6th, 2010 | Jessie | | Tags: cake, jelly, Red Ribbon | No Comments »

Ages ago I read an article about Red Ribbon Bakery on Serious Eats and I finally made it there this weekend.  Red Ribbon is Filipino bakery chain that opened it’s first location in New York last winter.  I was intrigued by the description of the cakes as “soft and moist”.  I’m a sucker for light and airy cakes like angel food, chiffon, and sponge.  The cakes I got from the bakery didn’t disappoint: the mango roll was moist and only subtly sweet and the coffee walnut bavarian was the rare layer cake that you can eat an entire slice of without feeling disgustingly full afterward.  As I was eating these cakes I realized that I should make more of this style of cake that I actually enjoy eating at home.

About half of the cakes at Red Ribbon were roll cakes.  Roll cakes are my kitchen Everest.  I’ve attempted roll cakes three times and every time I’ve ended up with a delicious, but mangled, cake.  One time it feel apart so badly I just had to put it in a bowl.  I called it a trifle.  I was disappointed, but my guests could probably care less.  Last week I set aside an afternoon and resolved to make as many cakes as needed to end up with a beautiful, un-cracked cake.  I used a recipe from my beloved The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book and guess what?  It worked on the first try.  When I successfully rolled this cake I was so excited that I jumped up and down in my kitchen.

Foolproof Jelly Roll Cake

from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup jam
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle portion and heat oven to 350°.  Grease an 18 x 13 rimmed baking sheet.  Line sheet with parchment paper and grease parchment.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. In a large bowl, whip the eggs with an electric mixer on medium high speed and gradually add the granulated sugar and then the vanilla, about 1 minute.  Continue to whip the mixture until very thick and voluminous, 4 to 8 minutes.

4. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.  Note: Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well.  I thought my mixture was incorporated and when I dumped it into the pan there was a ton of flour left on the bottom.

5. Scape the batter into the prepared baking sheet and spread out to an even layer.  bake the cake until it feel firm and springs back when touched, 12 to 17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

6. Remove cake from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, then flip the hot cake out onto a sheet of greased parchment paper.  Peel off and discard the parchment paper that has baked onto the bottom of the cake.

7. Starting from the short end of the cake, roll the cake and parchment snugly into a log and let cool seam side down, for 15 minutes.

8. Gently unroll the cake.  Spread the jam over the cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges.

9. Reroll the cake gently but snugly around the jam, leaving the parchment behind as you roll.

10. Trim the ends of the cake, transfer the cake to a platter, and let the cake cool completely, about 30 minutes.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

---