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 cake recipe is the same as my chiffon cake recipe.

Recipe

• 1 cup cake flour (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour, if using whole wheat)
• 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
• 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 large enough bowl, 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 on the second-from-the-bottom level.
• Beat the egg white on high speed with a cake mixer until frothy, and the volume has increased, about a minute.

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

• Add the egg yolks and essence, then 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 of 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 set it aside until it cools completely.

ROLLING 

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

• Usually, all the rolling methods require the cake to be inverted onto a towel and unrolled. I didn't want all those hassles. I wanted an easier way.
• I roll it with the parchment paper, 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 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 a smaller, tighter roll, starting with the big one and gradually rolling 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 with no gaps. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Take 4 Tbsp of jam in a bowl. Microwave the jam in a bowl for 10 seconds to achieve 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 it. 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 covered and aside for at least 2 hours so that the jam and crumbs settle. Cut into slices using a serrated knife. Jam rolls taste better the next day. 
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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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