So here’s the deal: my family has a lot of birthdays in the month of May (mine, my uncle’s, and my Grampy’s) so rather than try to celebrate them individually, we just roll them into one big party on Mother’s Day.
Since my Grampy passed away earlier this year, we all knew that Mother’s Day was going to be a little bittersweet, but we were going to be OK. Then the universe decided to give us the ol’ one-two punch and have Mother’s Day fall on May 12…Grampy’s birthday.
Since this is the man who taught me how to drink Kahlua and swear in Yiddish, trust me when I say he would have appreciated this:
In the spirit of that, I made something delicious because life has to go on. So let me tell you about my strawberry cake roll.
I got pretty good at making cake rolls last year when I wanted to make a Buche De Noel for Christmas last year.
But Stacey, aren’t you Jewish? Yes, but my brother-in-law isn’t and we celebrate Christmas with his family. Meaning I get to make Christmas themed desserts I wouldn’t otherwise have a reason to make. So there.
Anyways…because I wanted to make Buche De Noel, I experimented with a bunch of different sponge recipes trying to find one that would work well. This is when I discovered that sponge cake is disgusting. Seriously disgusting. No matter what I did, or how much flavoring I added it would still taste like an egg-y, dense…sponge. That is when I truly discovered the magic that is box cake.
Play with the measurements a bit, follow the basic outline of how to make sponge cake, and you’re left with a sponge cake that actually tastes like cake. And you can use any flavor you like!
The main ingredient in sponge cake is air…lots and lots of air. You whip air into the egg yolks, you whip air into the egg whites, and you don’t mix more than you need to in order to keep the batter from deflating.
Pre-Air 
Thick, lemon colored, and full of air
To make the meringue, you want to start with room temperature egg whites and then whip them on medium speed until it looks like foamy bath water. That’s when you crank up the speed on the mixer until you have stiff peaks. If you are feeling brave, you can double confirm they are ready by turning the bowl over; if the egg whites don’t fall, they are done.
Room temp egg whites 
Turn up the speed 
Hard peak achieved! 
Told you they were ready!
After that, you have to carefully fold the egg whites into your batter as not to deflate that light and airy meringue. The batter will be a little stiff to start, but it will loosen up after the first mix in of egg white.
After the first mix in 
Halfway through 
Light, airy, ready for the pan 
Ready to bake!
This cake only takes about 12-15 minutes in the oven. During that time you need to prep your towel with powdered sugar. As soon as that bad boy is out of the oven, carefully flip onto the prepared towel and roll into the towel while still warm. Allow to cool for about an hour in the fridge before carefully unrolling and filling.
I used store-bought strawberry jam for this, but I made some really delicious (if I do say so myself) mascarpone whipped cream frosting to go with the jam and fresh strawberries.
Mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla 
Ready for the next step 
Add AAAALLL the whipping cream! 
Ready to use 
Sliced and delicious
The filling stage is messy. There’s just no way around it. Cracks in the sponge are normal! Don’t be sad if the cake cracks on you. You’re going to cover it with more yummy frosting anyway, and as I have said before: no one cares as long as it tastes good!
We all have some cracks 
Doesn’t mean we aren’t amazing
Doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy
And it is all worth it later when you cut into the glory that is your cake roll and see this beautiful swirl:
Stuffed to the gills…with flavor!
Like I said, you can make this using any flavor cake you want, but here is how I made this.
Strawberry Cake Roll
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker White Cake
3 egg yolks, room temperature
6 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, separated
1/4 cup water
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1/4 cup for dusting
1 pint heavy whipping cream
3 cups sliced strawberries
15 oz jar reduced sugar strawberry jam
Directions
- Separate 6 eggs, placing 3 egg yolks in one large bowl, and 6 egg whites into another. Save remaining egg yolks for later use. Cover bowls and allow to come to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes. Line 18x13in rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray liberally with cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Using an electric mixer (or by hand if looking for a work out), beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add cake mix, oil, water, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the egg yolks. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute, then on high for two minutes. At this point, the batter will be very thick.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer or using clean, dry beaters, whisk egg whites on medium until foamy. Increase speed to high until stiff peaks form.
- 1/3 at a time, gently fold egg whites into cake mixture. Once egg whites are fully incorporated, pour batter into prepared baking pan and gently spread in an even layer being sure to get all the way to the corners. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched.
- While cake is baking, sprinkle a clean and dry kitchen towel with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Once cake is done baking, carefully flip the cake onto the prepared towel. You want approximately 1 1/2in overhand on each side. Immediately roll the cake into the towel to form the classic roll shape. Allow the cake to cool in the fridge for 1 hour before attempting to unroll and fill.
- While your cake is cooling, start prepping your fillings. Place large bowl and beaters in the freezer until ready to use. Slice the strawberries to approximately 1/4in thickness and set aside. Pour your jam into a bowl and stir to loosen. This will make it easier to spread.
- Remove your bowl and beaters from the freezer. Add the mascarpone, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth. Add the full pint bottle of heavy whipping cream to the bowl. Whisk on medium speed until mascarpone is incorporated. Switch to high speed until stiff peaks form.
- (Note: I highly recommend doing this on the large platter you are using for serving. It will make the rest of this easier rather than trying to transfer the cake later.) Remove cake roll from the refrigerator and carefully unroll. The cake will crack, but don’t worry about it. Carefully spread your jam over the cake, gently pushing the jam under the curl to ensure the center of the cake is filled, leaving about a 1in border along the sides. Using approximately 1 cup of frosting, gently spread over the jam layer. Add a layer of sliced strawberries on top of the frosting layer. Very carefully, re-roll your cake. It is going to be messy. It is going to crack. That’s OK. Use your towel to help guide the cake if you need to.
- Once cake is re-rolled, carefully remove the towel from your board. Use your remaining frosting to cover the outside of the cake. Decorate using any leftover strawberry slices and fresh strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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