Halloween Jelly Roll Cake
I made this cake four times before I was happy with it. That is commitment. I could see the result in my mind and came very close the last three times, but it wasn't quite right. I kept saying I would do it again the next day, but my husband kept coming into the kitchen with me at the mixer again, confused as to why I was still baking. Some things need to be done before you can sleep.
So, here is a brief tutorial on how I finally got it to work just right.
You will need the following:
A design in mind. I bought these cute clip art pictures on Etsy for a few dollars and then used canva to make a template for myself. Remember that you don't need to make the pattern on the whole cake, just the upper half of the cake.
One batch of this paste recipe below: (based on the recipe and tutorial here)
Parchment paper (optional clean kitchen towel).
Baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bottom lined with parchment paper.
One batch of jelly roll batter. I used this recipe and added some activated charcoal to make it a darker color.
Filling of choice. I used 2 cups of heavy whipping cream mixed with 1 tsp of vanilla extract and ⅓ cup powdered sugar.
Paste Recipe
2 tbsp butter, very soft
2 ½ tbsp sugar
1 egg white
⅓ cup flour
Food coloring
Directions:
Mix the butter and sugar until smooth in a small bowl.
Add in the egg and mix until it comes together.
Add in the flour and mix until no streaks of flour are left.
Divide the batter into as many colors as you need, add the food coloring, and put them into individual piping bags. You will only need small amounts of each color.
I was able to attempt two cakes with my design with one batch of the paste.
How to put it together:
Put your template on your cookie sheet below your parchment paper so you can see the design through the parchment. You want your design closer to the cookie sheet's top.
Using the paste you colored and pipe your design. If there are details (like eyes and mouths), pipe those first.
Once you are done piping your design, pop your pan into the freezer for 15 minutes, or if you are like me and your freezer won't fit a cookie sheet in it, pop it into the fridge until you are ready to bake.
Preheat your oven for your jelly roll cake and make your cake batter.
Take your baking sheet out of the fridge and carefully spread the cake batter on top.
Bake your cake.
Once your cake is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 2 minutes. Put a piece of parchment paper on top of your cake, and using a cooling rack (or another baking sheet), invert your cake out of the pan onto it.
Peel back the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake with your design that is now the top. Your design is now on top for you to admire.
Lightly spray another piece of parchment with non-stick spray and put the sprayed part directly on top of your design. Option to do the traditional powdered icing-covered dish towel, but I found that the powder made the design hard to see and kept sticking to the towel.
Flip your cake over one more time, so the design is back on the bottom again on top of the sheet of parchment.
Roll the cake up with the parchment paper so that none of the cake touches itself. Start at the bottom so that your design shows when you reach the end of rolling the cake.
You can wrap the rolled cake in a dish towel or leave it and let it cool completely.
Make your choice of filling while the cake is cooling.
Gently unroll your cake.
Spread the filling on top of completely cooled cake.
Gently roll the cake and filling back up.
You can pop the cake into the fridge to firm up a bit, and it is best served chilled.
Enjoy in the next 2-3 days.
