DIY Network

Swiss Roll on Acrylic Give the traditional jelly roll a new twist or two. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-136

Roll up this decadent cake filled with ice cream and berries.

Michele Beschen and brother Rory Brown take the opportunity to B. Original and give the traditional jelly roll cake a couple of new twists with this dish: Instead of the traditional jelly or jam, they filled their roll cake with rich vanilla ice cream mixed with fresh strawberries. And, instead of serving their creation on "plain vanilla" plates, they used acrylic picture frames.

Rory also gave Michele and B. Original viewers a primer on how to roll a jelly roll cake and his philosophy of garnish. Scroll down for the recipe and details.

advertisement

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Swiss Roll

Swiss Roll Cake 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/3 cut sugar 4 egg whites 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

Cake Filling 4 cups vanilla ice cream 1-2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

• Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

• Place egg yolks and vanilla in another mixing bowl and beat with a mixer on high until the mixture has a thick texture and a vibrant lemon color.

• Gradually mix 1/3 cup sugar into the egg yolk mixture and beat on high until the sugar has almost dissolved.

• Place the egg whites in yet another mixing bowl and beat on medium speed soft peaks begin to form. Continue beating while adding 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

• Gently fold the yolk batter into the egg white mixture. Do not over-fold: Over-folding may cause the egg whites to collapse.

• Fold in the remaining dry ingredients.

• Pour the batter into a generously greased and floured 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.

• Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for approximately 12-15 minutes, depending on over variations. The cake should spring back when touched in the center when the cake is ready.
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B
  	Figure C

• Loosen the edges of the cake immediately after removing from the oven (figure A).

• Lay a kitchen towel down on the counter and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Use a towel make of flour sack cloth; terrycloth will stick to the cake. Smooth out the sugar and make sure the entire towel is covered, again to prevent the cake sticking.

• Turn out the cake on the towel and fold part of the towel over the cake (figure B). Begin gently rolling up the cake in a traditional jelly roll style (figure C). Place the rolled cake on a rack and allow to cool at room temperature. Do not refrigerate—it will make the cake tough.
  
  
• While the cake cools, begin work on the filling. You can fill the cake with store-bought frosting or jams, However, for this cake, Michele Beschen and Rory Brown chose to use vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries.

• Combine strawberries and ice cream in a mixer until well mixed. This step must be done quickly to keep the ice cream from softening too much. If the ice cream gets too soft, simply place it back I the freezer until it firms up. It should be the consistency of a thick frosting.

• After the cake has cooled, gently unroll it until it lays almost completely flat. Spread a generous layer of the ice cream filling on the cake (figure D) and gently roll it back up (figure E). Don't be too concerned if the cake cracks: The frosting will hide everything.
  

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

  Figure F

• Once the cake is completely rolled (figure F), place it in the freezer until the ice cream sets.

• Once the ice cream has set firm, remove the cake from the freezer, place on a serving tray and frost. This is where you can cover up any cracks or other imperfections and make the whole cake look uniform and perfect. Michele Beschen and Rory Brown used store-bought vanilla frosting for the cake they made on B. Original.

• A cake this creative demands creative presentation, too. Rory Brown used acrylic picture frames (figure G). The large frame worked beautifully as his serving tray (figure H), and several smaller acrylic frames as plates (figure I).
  

  Figure G

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  
  

• Rory also believes in garnishing with some of the flavors found in the dish, to give guests a preview of the flavors they'll encounter. For the cake they made on B. Original, he used whipped cream (echoing the vanilla) and fresh strawberries. Rory's hint for garnishing with strawberries: Leave them whole, and slice them partway from the tip toward the top with an egg slicer. This lets you fan them perfectly.