March 5, 2015 - My Island Bistro Kitchen

I grew up with jelly rolls being regularly made in my home. They’re a quick dessert, best eaten on the day they are made. This is because a jelly roll is really a sponge-type cake and, when the jam or jelly is spread on it, it tends to seep into the cake and after several hours can become somewhat soggy. Jelly rolls don’t take a lot of ingredients. So long as you have basic baking supplies and some jam or jelly, you can make a jelly roll.

Here are my tips for making jelly rolls:

1. Use cake and pastry flour as it gives a finer texture than all-purpose flour.

2. Don’t let the cake cool for too long before spreading it with jam or jelly as it may crack as you try to roll the jelly roll up. About 15-20 minutes cooling time is about right. If you put the jam or jelly on the cake when it is still too warm, though, it will cause it to seep into the cake too quickly, creating a soggy jelly roll.

3. Use a good quality jam or jelly. If using jam, choose one that does not have big chunks of fruit in it; otherwise, it will make it more difficult to slice and plate presentation will not be optimal. I prefer colorful red jams and ones that are seedless – for example, seedless raspberry jam.

4. The jelly roll may be dusted with either granulated sugar or icing sugar. However, icing sugar stands up better than granulated sugar which tends to dissolve into the cake more quickly.

Jelly Roll

Ingredients:

1 cup + 3 tbsp cake and pastry flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond flavouring
2 tbsp cold water

¾ – 1 cup jam or jelly
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Grease, or spray cooking oil on 10”x15” rimmed baking sheet, ensuring sides are well-greased. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking oil.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Beat eggs until frothy.

Slowly and steadily add the sugar and beat until light-colored and slightly thickened.

Beat in vanilla, almond flavouring, and water.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg-sugar mixture. Stir just until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 9-12 minutes or until cake tester inserted into cake comes out clean and cake springs back to a light touch. Do not overbake.

While cake is baking, lay a clean tea towel on counter and generously sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.

Remove cake from oven and run knife around all four edges to loosen cake from pan sides. Invert baked cake on sugar-dusted tea towel.

Peel off parchment paper, being careful not to tear cake.

Trim off outside edges of cake.

Rolling from the narrow end of the cake, roll up cake and tea towel together.

Transfer to wire rack and cool for about 15-20 minutes.

Carefully unroll the cake.

Spread cake with jam or jelly, leaving about ½” on sides of cake free of jam or jelly.

Using the tea towel as a guide, re-roll the filled cake.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar, cut, and serve.

Yield: Apx. 10-12 servings

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Jelly Roll

A Jelly Roll is an impressive dessert made with a thin sponge cake spread with a favorite jam or jelly and then rolled up, dusted with icing sugar, and sliced.

Course Dessert

Keyword jelly roll

Servings 10

My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup + 3 tbsp cake flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond flavouring
2 tbsp cold water
¾ - 1 cup jam or jelly
Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Grease, or spray cooking oil on 10”x15” rimmed baking sheet, ensuring sides are well-greased. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking oil.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Beat eggs until frothy. Slowly and steadily add the sugar and beat until light-colored and slightly thickened. Beat in vanilla, almond flavouring, and water.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg-sugar mixture. Stir just until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 9-12 minutes or until cake tester inserted into cake comes out clean and cake springs back from a light touch. Do not overbake.
While cake is baking, lay a clean tea towel on counter and generously sprinkle with sifted icing sugar. Remove cake from oven and run knife around all four edges to loosen cake from pan sides. Invert baked cake on sugar-dusted tea towel. Peel off parchment paper being careful not to tear cake.
Trim off outside edges of cake. Rolling from the narrow end of the cake, roll up cake and tea towel together. Transfer to wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes. Carefully unroll the cake and spread with jam or jelly, leaving about ½” on sides of cake free of jam or jelly. Re-roll. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar, cut, and serve.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 10-11 servings

NOTE: Be sure to read the accompanying blog post to this recipe as it contains tips for making the jelly roll successfully as well as step-by-step photos of the method used to make the jelly roll.

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