Here’s how we Roll!

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I use the same sponge cake recipe every Christmas to make my Bûche de Noël, the traditional French Yule log. And every Christmas, I think, why not use that cake recipe the rest of the year, with an easy seasonal filling, instead? A simple jelly roll?

Just bake the cake, spread with jelly or jam and dust with powdered sugar. Easy peasy.

But then I forget all about it, until Christmas comes around again. Except last week, I finally pulled out that cake recipe, baked it, spread it with a jar of lemon curd, and rolled it up. It was a hit with my family so I thought I’d share.

Lemon Cake Roll

¼ cup egg yolks (about 3 to 4 large eggs)
½ cup whole eggs (about 2 to 3 large eggs)
½ cup sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
About 2/3 cup prepared lemon curd or favorite jam or jelly

Heat oven to 375°F.

In bowl of an electric mixer, add yolks and whole eggs and beat until thick and lemon-colored; gradually beat in the sugar until mixture is very thick. With a rubber spatula, fold in flour, baking powder and salt. Next, fold in water, oil and vanilla.

Spread batter evenly on a foil-lined, greased, 15- by 10- by 1-inch jell roll pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch it in the center.

Meanwhile, coat a clean dish towel with an even layer of powdered sugar. When the cake is done, turn it out on the dish towel, lining up the short edge of the cake with the short edge of the dish towel. Gently peel off the foil.

Using a sharp knife, trim off crisp edges on the long sides of the cake. Starting on the short side, while the cake is still warn, roll up the cake, dish towel and all, and set it on a rack to cool. This will enable the cake to be able to roll up later.

When the cake is cool, gently unroll the cake, removing the dish towel. Spread the lemon curd on the cake and reroll. Wrap the roll firmly in plastic wrap and chill.

When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap and set cake on a serving platter; sift powdered sugar over the top.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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