A roulade cake; the holiday connection may be through the bouche de Noel.
With anything in cooking, you should expect some failures in the learning process, but that is more true of roulade cakes than almost anything else. I’d urge you to try this recipe, but I’d also urge you to have melting chocolate and lollipop sticks nearby, so that if the cake crumbles and you end up with a mass of cake crumbs and filling, you can crumble the cake further, form it into balls and make cake pops. This makes it safe to try to technique while wasting nothing.
A family recipe provided by Jennifer Kiel of Washington, DC, from her mother-in-law’s collection, started in Kent, Ohio.
Walnut Cream Roll
Wonderful to give–or serve during holidays at home or community suppers.
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs, separated
2/3 c. confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. walnuts, chopped med. fine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. sugar
Add salt to egg whites; beat at high speed until stiff; beat in 2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar.
Beat yolks until thick and light, then beat in rest of confectioners sugar; fold into egg white mixture. Sprinkle flour and walnuts over surface, then fold in; add vanilla.
Grease 10-1/2″ x 15-1/2″ x 1″ baking pan; line with waxed paper and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sugar. Spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees 20 minutes. Turn out at once onto a damp clean towel heavily coated with confectioners sugar. Roll cake up gently inside towel. Cool. Unroll to fill. Spread 3/4 of cream filling over surface of cake. Reroll. Spread remaining filling over outside of cake. Decorate with walnut halves, candied cherries or slivers of citron. Makes 8 servings.
Cream filling:
Blend 1-1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped with 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Variation: substitute few drops peppermint extract for vanilla. Tint with green food coloring.