JAM ROLL

Some of our best tastes stem from our childhood memories. This and puffs were my favorite things from the bakery as a kid. When I taste this, it reminds me of my childhood and summer vacations at my grandparents' house in Kerala, India.


The recipe for the cake is the same as my chiffon cake recipe.

Recipe

• 1 cup cake flour (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 plus 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, whites, and yolks separated.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp jam plus 1 Tbsp. water

Method

• Line a 9 by 13-inch pan with parchment paper at the bottom.

• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside.
  

  
• Pour vanilla essence into the separated yolks and keep aside. Remember this step.

• Take the separated egg whites into a bowl big enough because it is in that bowl that the rest of the ingredients will be combined. 

• Preheat the oven to 325°F for 15 minutes, arranging a rack in the second from the bottom level.
• Beat the egg white using a cake mixer on high speed until frothy and the volume has increased, about a minute.

• Now, at maximum speed, beat the egg whites, and while beating, gradually add the sugar, maybe 2 Tbsp at a time. Continue beating until you have put in all the sugar. The egg whites should be whipped till stiff peaks are formed.

• Put in the egg yolks and essence and beat on high speed for about 5 seconds.

• Add the oil and beat again for 5 seconds.

• Add the flour mixture all at once and beat at the lowest speed for 5 seconds, then gradually increase the speed to maximum. Beat until the flour is just incorporated. Then pour in the 1/3 cup water and beat on high speed for about 2 seconds or until combined. Don't over-mix.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Gently even out the batter with a spatula.

•  Bake until the surface of the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

• Cover the cake and keep it aside until the cake cools down completely.

ROLLING 

NOTE: I have become an expert in rolling, so I skip the training part, wait 10 minutes for the cake to cool, and then apply jam directly and roll it right away. 

• Usually, all the rolling methods require the cake to be inverted to a towel and unrolled. I didn't want all those hassles. I wanted an easier way.
• I roll it along with the parchment paper and without inverting. So here goes...
• Run a knife around the edges of the cake.
• We need to get a grip on the ends of the cake, so using a spoon, elevate a corner of the cake and lift it up. Now you get a hold of the cake.
  
  

          

          

          

• Make the cake flexible by lifting it and folding it towards the end. (kind of a warm-up before exercise).
  
• Now, roll it into a big roll.  
  
• Unroll and re-roll again into a smaller, tighter roll.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• Don't force it into a smaller roll in the beginning. We have to train the cake for the smaller and tighter roll, starting from the big one and gradually reducing it to a smaller one.  
• Roll it again, very gently, this time into a smaller and tighter roll than the initial one. Unroll it back again.
• Continue doing this until you get a tight roll and there are no gaps in between. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Take 2-3 Tbsp of jam in a bowl. Microwave the jam in a bowl for 10 seconds to become a spreadable consistency. Add 1 Tbsp of water if necessary to make it into a spreadable consistency.
  
  
  
  
•  Slightly whip up the jam with the spoon. Now, unroll the cake and apply the jam to the unrolled cake. Don't put too much around the edges; leave a 1/2-inch margin around the outside edges.
  
• Now roll it back again. The cake has already been trained, so rolling is easy. But this time, leave the paper out. 

                                

• Keep it aside covered for at least 2 hours so that the jam and crumbs settle down. Cut into slices using a serrated knife.
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NOTES

• To make cake flour, combine 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. All-purpose flour with 2 Tbsp. corn flour
• Tighter rolls keep the cake from cracking.
• It is okay if the outer part of the cake cracks slightly during rolling. 
• I use Kissan Jam for the filling.
• If you are out of baking powder, use 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice. Reduce the water by 1 Tbsp. Also, reduce a pinch of salt to balance the tartness of the lemon juice. 
• Can use buttercream instead of jam. I have used buttercream mixed with blackberry puree.

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