Roll cakes are thin sponge cakes that can be filled with anything and then rolled. All types of roll cakes start with a basic sponge cake. You will need 4 large eggs, separate the yolks from the whites then into the egg whites, you will add a pinch of salt then beat the whites adding two tablespoons of sugar in the process. Beat the whites for a few minutes just until they achieve a medium peak where the curves of the whites just curl a little bit.

Set the whites aside. For the yolks, sift in icing sugar then whip them until thick and creamy and doubled in volume, add a teaspoon of vanilla then whisk that in. Sift in a little cake and pastry flour and fold in the flour then add half of the egg whites and fold them in until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour and the whites in two stages so you can keep the air in both the whites and the yolks.

Make sure everything is fully incorporated then you will line a sheet pan with parchment pepper and pour the batter in the pan then level it as much as possible. Bake, it in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, check the doneness of the cake by giving it a little press, if it springs back, the cake is ready.

Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar then take a clean tea towel and place it over the cake then flip it upside down, remove the parchment paper then dust it with icing sugar. Take the tea, tuck it in and start rolling, let the cake cool as it is then unroll and apply any filling of your choice, it can be any kind of jam or buttercream then roll it again.

Ingredients;

  • 4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
  • ¼ cup icing sugar (32 g), sifted, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
  • ⅒ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (96 g) cake and pastry flour
  • Any jam or filling of your choice

Instructions;

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 15-x-10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
  2. Place the egg yolks and icing sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip until the yolks have doubled in volume and hold a ribbon when the whip is lifted for about 4 minutes. Whip in the vanilla.
  3. In a separate, or cleaned bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt first on low speed until foamy, then increase the speed to high and pour in the granulated sugar, whipping until the whites hold a medium peak.
  4. Sift half of the flour into the yolk mixture and fold in using a whisk, then fold in half of the whipped egg whites.
  5. Repeat with the remaining flour, and then change to a spatula to fold in the last of the whites until evenly incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, taking the time to ensure the batter is level.
  6. Bake the cake for about 12 minutes, until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the centre.
  7. Let the cake cool for about 2 minutes on a cooling rack, then loosen the sides with a spatula. Sift a layer of icing sugar over the surface of the cake and cover it with a clean tea towel.
  8. Place a second cake pan over the towel and quickly invert the cake, removing the pan it was baked in. Peel off the parchment paper and dust this surface with icing sugar.
  9. Roll the cake up from the 10-inch side with the towel and let it cool completely before you apply any filling.