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Easy Does It: Cake Roll

One more sweet treat for your Valentine

by Judy Feagin

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Photographer: Howard L. Puckett

Dust a clean kitchen towel with cocoa, then turn cake unto towel and roll cake and towel together. Cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down.

Gently unroll cake after it has cooled.

Spread frosting over cake, leaving 1 inch of space at one end. Roll cake into a log shape, starting with frosting-covered end.

Cut a piece of cardboard into a 4x10-inch rectangle, then cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place frosted cake on cardboard; freeze until firm. Line a shoe box with foil or plastic wrap; place cake in box and cover, making sure lid does not touch cake. Place shoebox in a large plastic bag. Remove excess air from bag and seal tightly. Freeze up to 1 month.

I once worked in a test kitchen. The minute the kids were back in school, the telephones started ringing -- everyone wanted recipes that could be frozen for a special day ahead. A cake roll is elegant and whimsical, yet it couldn't be easier to make.

There's only one thin layer, so the cake doesn't take long to bake, and you can pop it in the freezer, frosting and all. If time really isn't on your side and if frosting is a hurdle, fill the cake roll with whipped cream and dust with cocoa or powdered sugar.

Either way, the cake can be prepared up to a month in advance. Transfer the cake from freezer to refrigerator 12 hours before serving, then just plate it, add a garnish, and accept the accolades.

Almond-Chocolate Cake Roll with Rich Chocolate Frosting

Cakes and Frostings Recipes

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Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Start to Finish Time: 150 minutes

Yield: 10-12 servings

• 5 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1⁄4 cup cocoa, plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted and finely chopped
• Rich Chocolate Frosting
• Garnish: fruit and nuts of your choosing

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan with shortening and line with waxed paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang at each end. Lightly grease waxed paper and dust with flour. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks at high speed until thick; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating well. Add almond extract and beat until blended. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, and salt; fold into egg yolk mixture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and corn syrup, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-fourth of the egg whites into yolk mixture. Gradually fold in remaining whites, then fold in almonds. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Sift dusting cocoa onto a clean kitchen towel. When cake is done, immediately loosen it from sides of pan and turn it out onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Starting at one end, gently -- but with confidence -- roll cake and towel together. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down.

Unroll cake and spread it with half of the Rich Chocolate Frosting recipe, stopping 1 inch from one of the ends. Carefully re-roll cake without towel, beginning with the frosting-covered end. Place cake on a serving plate (or a piece of foil-covered cardboard), seam side down. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake. Chill until firm.

Rich Chocolate Frosting

• 2 4-ounce packages bittersweet chocolate, chopped (we used Ghirardelli)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine chocolate, cream, and butter, stirring often until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and mix well.

Set pan in a shallow bowl of ice. Using an electric mixer, beat chocolate mixture at low speed until frosting holds its shape. If needed, add additional whipping cream for spreading consistency.

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How to Make Cakes as Easy as Pie

Separate eggs as soon as you remove them from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature 30 minutes before beating.

If a trace of yolk gets into the whites, the whites will not expand to their fullest volume. To ensure a clean separation, crack each egg over an empty bowl, then transfer the yolk to a "yolks" bowl and the white to a "whites" bowl.

Use a spotlessly clean bowl for beating egg whites. Any trace of fat will prevent whites from obtaining full volume.

Soft peaks fall over; stiff peaks stand up straight. Do not overbeat egg whites.

For this recipe, spoon about one-fourth of the stiffly beaten egg whites on top of the heavier chocolate batter. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, cut through the mixture to the bottom of the bowl with a gentle over and under movement. This allows the remaining egg whites to be folded in more easily without deflating them.

A sponge cake is done when the cake springs back when gently pressed with your fingertips.

If the cake cracks, just patch the crack with some of the frosting. If you overbake the cake, brush with an almond-flavored liqueur to avoid a dry consistency.

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