Softest Cake Roll

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED

Cake Base

• 86g egg yolks (6 eggs)
• 20g granulated sugar
• 45g cake flour
• 270g milk
• 45g unsalted butter
• 1.5g salt
• 135g egg white (6 eggs)
• 40g granulated sugar
• 5g lemon juice
• 5g vanilla extract (you can add more to reduce the egg smell)

Notes: By cake flour, I mean low protein flour, which normally contains 7-9% protein (Mine is around 8%). Not self-rising flour.

Cream Filling

• 15g softened cream cheese
• 20g softened mascarpone cheese
• 150g heavy cream
• 2g vanilla extract
• 8g granulated sugar

HOW TO MAKE SOFT ROLL CAKE

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 338℉(170℃). Separate the eggs. Keep the egg white bowl cool in the fridge.

Notes:

• The bowl to hold the egg white should be dry and clean. Make sure there is no water drops left or any signs of grease.
• There should be no egg yolk segments mix in the egg white, however small the segment may be. You can separate eggs one at a time over a small bowl, make sure the egg yolk is not broken and not mix with the egg white, then pour the egg white into the final egg white bowl and then continues with next egg.
• Once done separating the eggs, keep the egg white bowl cold in the fridge, which will help you whip up the egg white.
• Wait until you done making the batter, then you whip up the egg white.

2. In a bowl, mix well egg yolks and granulated sugar until sugar dissolved and well combined.

Notes:

• This process could take 1 minutes or even longer. Make sure you mix them until well combined.
• The right final texture should be like:

3. Add in flour, mix well and set aside.

Notes:

• You can sift the flour to gain a finer texture.
• Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom a little to see if there is some dry flour not mixed in.

4. In a non-stick pot (or a milk pan), add in milk, salt, and butter, heat until boil. Pour the milk mixture into the egg yolks mixture bowl, mix well and pour back into the pot.

Notes:

• Heat until boil. Not bring it to a simmer.

• Gradually mix the milk mixture with the egg yolks mixture: Pour some milk mixture into the egg yolks mixture, mix well; then pour in more milk mixture, mix well; pour in rest of the milk mixture, mix until well combined.

• Pour back into the pot.

5. Keep stirring and mixing quickly over low/medium heat until the batter thickened. Do not overcook the batter. Sift once and set aside to cool down.

Notes:

• A very important yet tricky step. Check tutorial video for more clear details.
• Keep the heat low and do not overcook the batter.
• Keep stirring and whisking quickly while heating the batter.
• The final batter texture should be slightly thicker than/as heavy cream. When you can see some slight trace in the batter when the whisk moving around, it means the batter is ready. Quickly turn off the heat (or you may overcook the batter) and sift the batter. The batter should go through the sifter quickly and smoothly if you do not overcook it.

The trace in the batter when the whisk moving around:

The texture after sifting:

6. In another bowl, add granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into the egg white. Use a hand mixer to beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks.

Notes: 

• This recipe contains eggs. If you don’t like the smell of eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract can help reduce the egg smell. The granulated sugar is to help whip up the egg white.
• Use a hand mixer to beat egg white on medium-high speed, until soft peaks form. This process should take several minutes. The right meringue texture should be shiny and smooth. And you will find it quite thick and feel resistance inside the whipped egg white when you move the mixer around.

Soft peaks:

7. Take a scoop of whipped egg white to gently fold into the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into the whipped egg white bowl, and gently fold the whipped egg white into the batter.

Notes:

• Gently fold the whipped egg white in. Not whisking nor stirring. Use a spatula to gently “cut” in the whipped egg white until just combined.
• Do not stir in the egg white and do not over mix them. Or you may deflate the egg white, and then the cake will shrink.
• Gently fold the first scoop of whipped egg white into the batter until just combined. Do not overmix them. The right texture should be like:

The final batter should be like:

8. Line the cake pan (28*28*2.6cm) with parchment paper or baking mat. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spread the batter, smooth the surface, and give the pan a few taps before send into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.

Notes:

• Line the cake pan with parchment paper or baking mat, your choice.
• The size of the cake pan is 28*28*2.6 cm.
• Gently smooth the surface.
• The taps are to get rid of the big bubbles for a finer inner texture. A few, not too much. If you are afraid of losing too many bubbles, just neglect this step.
• I prick the big bubbles on the surface using a scraper. You can use a butter knife to do that.

9. Take the cake out of the oven and let the cake cool down on the cooling rack. When the cake is cool to touch, release the sides of the cake with an icing spatula, turn the whole cake pan upside down on the parchment paper. Take off the pan, and peel off the baking mat.

Notes:

• Since I used baking mat in this recipe, I wait until the cake cool to touch then release it from the cake pan. If you use parchment paper with overhang, you can take the cake out of the cake pan, and then let it cool down on the cooling rack.

• How to release the cake out of the cake pan using an icing spatula; don’t forget to place parchment paper underneath:

*pictures took from my soft cake base recipe, just for example.

10. In a clean bowl, put in softened cream cheese, softened mascarpone cheese and sugar, use a hand mixer to beat until smooth. Add in vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat until thickened.

Notes:

• You can adjust the amount of sugar to the sweetness you like.
• If the cake has not cooled down yet when you done making the cream filling, keep the cream filling bowl cool in the fridge, so the whipped cream can maintain its texture and will not melt.
• The right texture should be like:

11. When the cake is completely cool down, spread the cream filling on it and roll it up into a cake roll.

Notes:

• About this step, you can check the tutorial video for more details.
• You can add some fruits to the cream filling:

• How to roll up the cake roll:

• When you are shaping the cake roll, you may squeeze out more extra cream; just use an icing spatula to clear the sides:

12. Wrap the cake roll with parchment paper; put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Slice and serve.

Notes:

• When done shaping the cake roll, wrap it with the parchment paper, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes, which will help the cake roll keep its shape and for easy slicing.

 Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 338℉(170℃). Separate the eggs. Keep the egg white bowl cool in the fridge.
2. In a bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar until sugar dissolved. Add in flour, mix well and set aside.
3. In a non-stick pot (or a milk pan), add in milk, salt, and butter, heat until boil. Pour the milk mixture into the egg yolks bowl, mix well and pour back into the pot. Stir and mix in low and medium heat until the batter thickened. Do not overcook the batter. Sift once and set aside to cool down.
4. In another bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into the egg white. Use a hand mixer to beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks. Take a scoop of whipped egg white to fold into the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into the whipped egg white bowl, and fold the whipped egg white into the batter.
5. Line the cake pan (28*28cm) with parchment paper or baking mat. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spread the batter, smooth the surface, and give the pan a few taps before send into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. After that, take the cake pan out of the oven and let it cool down on the cooling rack.
6. Beat softened cream cheese and mascarpone cheese together. Add vanilla extract and sugar into the heavy cream, use a hand mixer to beat until thickened. Mix them all together.
7. When the cake is completely cool down, spread the cream filling on it and roll it up into a cake roll.
8. Put the cake roll in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Slice and serve.