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Jelly Roll


lynsval

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I decided to make the libby's cake today since I had some mascarpone I had to use up. First, I was curious about the lack of fat in the cake. Next, I was too nervous not to use a towel( sorry wendy).

I rolled the cake up as directed and then unrolled to spread the filling. The cake cracked( as you can see). What did I do wrong?

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Edited by Wendy DeBord (log)
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Randi--

Great first try! It looks like you may have slightly overcooked the cake. It is a very thin cake so you need to watch it carefully. Wendy's advice up thread about testing is good.

Bet it tasted good, though! What did you put with the mascarpone? Did you just use it like cream cheese in the recipe?

Val

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Randi--

Great first try!  It looks like you may have slightly overcooked the cake. It is a very thin cake so you need to watch it carefully. Wendy's advice up thread about testing is good.

Bet it tasted good, though!  What did you put with the mascarpone?  Did you just use it like cream cheese in the recipe?

Val

I think I overbaked it too. I used the mascarpone in place of the cream cheese. I made a second one and I underbaked it slightly. It was perfect except that it still cracked when I rolled it.

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I've made 3 pumpkin rolls since reading this thread. The first was too thick and cracked. The next two were thinner and I took Wendy's advice about only rolling when assembling it. I also put the chopped nuts on the outside layer of the roll which helped keep a buffer between the parchment and the cake when I was ready to unpeel the paper. I filled them with a rum cream cheese frosting. Excellent!

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Your cake doesn't look over baked to me CaliPoutine. Your edges aren't over baked........ The cross section of your cake shows it's light, it doesn't look dry at all. I don't think you did anything wrong at all.

I know from experience that the cracking is because the cake is too thick and that's what happens when you roll a cake. That's just the way that recipe from Libbys turns out.

Theres really only a few cakes that won't crack when you roll them up and that's because their very thin and or very flexiable.

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Do any of you fill your pumpkin rolls with anything besides cream cheese frosting?  It's too sweet and too sour for me.  Whipped cream sounds like a natural, but perhaps this cake is not sweet enough to contrast with the cream.  How about filled with whipped cream and served with a caramel sauce?

I fill pumpkin or pecan rolls with a pumpkin pastry cream with a bit of bourbon or rum mixed in. I used to cook the pumpkin puree into the custard, but someone on the P/B forum (probably Wendy!) suggested simply stirring in canned pumpkin to pre-cooked custard. Lot easier. You should strain the pumpkin custard before using, though.

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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Your cake doesn't look over baked to me CaliPoutine. Your edges aren't over baked........ The cross section of your cake shows it's light, it doesn't look dry at all. I don't think you did anything wrong at all.

I know from experience that the cracking is because the cake is too thick and that's what happens when you roll a cake. That's just the way that recipe from Libbys turns out.

Theres really only a few cakes that won't crack when you roll them up and that's because their very thin and or very flexiable.

I just baked the Libby's cake and I can see that it's going to crack. I don't mind since it's my first attempt.

Wendy, you say that there's really on a few cakes that won't crack. Can you point me to one such recipe? Pretty please with sugar on top? :raz:

- kim

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan

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I just baked the Libby's cake and I can see that it's going to crack. I don't mind since it's my first attempt.

Wendy, you say that there's really on a few cakes that won't crack. Can you point me to one such recipe? Pretty please with sugar on top?  :raz:

- kim

Kim,

I too used the Libby's recipe. I didn't use all of the batter called for on my second attempt. With a thinner cake it rolled up without cracking at all.

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I just looked up the Libby's recipe. They instruct you to roll up "starting with the narrow end." If I interpret this right, they intend you to have a roll that's 10" long and pretty thick around. I always roll up my roulades from the long end--getting a 15" roll. What do the rest of you do?

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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Those pumpkin rolls look wonderful to me, even with the cracks. Just sift a little more powdered sugar over the top.

I roll my cake rolls from the long end, and cut diagonal slices from each end so it looks pretty. Servings are fat slices also cut on the diagonal. The main problem with the 15 inch roll is thart it's too long to fit on anything, until last year when I finally found some nice long and narrow serving platters. Gave one to my daughter also, as this is her favorite dessert.

Edited by ruthcooks (log)

Ruth Dondanville aka "ruthcooks"

“Are you making a statement, or are you making dinner?” Mario Batali

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I always roll up my roulades from the long end--getting a 15" roll. What do the rest of you do?

Long end. That way I have the option of cutting the roulade cake in half and making two rolls with different fillings. Also, much easier to store in my fridge this way.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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I just baked the Libby's cake and I can see that it's going to crack. I don't mind since it's my first attempt.

Wendy, you say that there's really on a few cakes that won't crack. Can you point me to one such recipe? Pretty please with sugar on top?  :raz:

- kim

Kim,

I too used the Libby's recipe. I didn't use all of the batter called for on my second attempt. With a thinner cake it rolled up without cracking at all.

I'm one of those people who scrape out every last drop of batter. I hate wasting. Maybe I'll look for a slightly bigger pan. I don't hate buying more stuff. :wink:

I just looked up the Libby's recipe. They instruct you to roll up "starting with the narrow end." If I interpret this right, they intend you to have a roll that's 10" long and pretty thick around. I always roll up my roulades from the long end--getting a 15" roll. What do the rest of you do?

I followed the directions. I was thinking that rolling from the long end wouldn't give me enough rolls. And I thought that rolling from the narrow end would give me more opportunity to improve my technique and hopefully end up without a crack. :rolleyes: It doesn't look too bad.

- kim

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan

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Wendy, you say that there's really on a few cakes that won't crack. Can you point me to one such recipe? Pretty please with sugar on top?  :raz:

- kim

Joconde cake won't crack, to find the recipe look at the dirrectory of demonstration threads pinned to the top of this forum. Flo Braker has a couple jelly roll cakes in her book that roll very nicely.

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Try rolling the cake with the baked top inside. I think cake rolls crack because the top dries out when it bakes, and then is stretched by the rolling. Putting the filling onto the dry top may moisten it enough, but even then, any compression cracks won't show. The bottom of the cake becomes the outside, and I think it's soft enough not to crack. It also looks nicer.

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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  • 9 months later...

I made a genoise today with a lot of melted butter. Then I put some really good jam and some whipped cream cheese/sugar/vanilla on it and rolled it up.

It cracked -- although it still looks and tastes wonderful.

Do you hae any tips on rolling up a genoise so it doesn't crack?

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Did you roll it warm or wait until it cooled? I don't use genoise for jelly roll, but when I make them, I roll the cake on a towel (dusted) while warm. Let cool, unroll, fill, re-roll.

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it shouldnt make a difference whether the cake is warm or cold, that is if you made the appropriate sponge correctly.

Use a seperation foaming spong for a better result over the genoise. Make sure you bake it at a high temperature very quickly. Also only grease a tiny bit on an inside border to keep the parchment down. Immediately after you pull the sponge out of the oven transfer it to a cool sheet pan.

Also while rolling, try to use a piece of parchment to roll the sponge for you. By rolling the parchment instead of the sponge itself, you ensure and even fold/roll.

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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In addition, most cakes used for jelly rolls have no butter or fat in them. The butter, as it cools, will make the cake less flexible and prone to cracking. By using a separated sponge designed for rolling, you should have no cracking.

Then, also follow what chiantiglace and PamR said about the rolling techniques....

Cheryl, The Sweet Side
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I made a genoise today with a lot of melted butter. Then I put some really good jam and some whipped cream cheese/sugar/vanilla on it and rolled it up.

It cracked -- although it still looks and tastes wonderful.

Do you hae any tips on rolling up a genoise so it doesn't crack?

Check out Wendy's recommendations in post 11. click

She maintains that most cracking results because the dough is too dry, overbaked or too thick.

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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  • 1 year later...

I only make pumpkin rolls once a year, and it usually takes the first two or three to get back into the swing of it.

I use a scaled up version of the Libby's recipe, but I find it heavy and dense. What I'd like is a pumpkin version of a joconde or biscuit that's light. Anyone got any ideas?

I know that pumpkin is going to weigh it down, but at Whole Foods last week, I saw something that looked like a pumpkin roll where the cake was an inch thick, filled with a cream and rolled short side (I roll from the long side so I can get two rolls, and then use the end to make a knot in the log...). I also make enough of the cream cheese/whipped cream filling to use for the outside as well as the inside.

I've toyed with the idea of adding another egg into the recipe (when I scale it up for a full sheet, it's just doubling the recipe but there's not enough batter to really go out to the edges. Same thing when I double it again for two full sheets.) but I don't know whether that would be sufficient in getting a lighter result.

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