Friday, August 08, 2008

Make a Perfect Sponge Roll

I do think this is the most enchanting cake--it's all about technique, not luscious ingredients. Versatile, too. Fill it with anything you like, and serve it with a scoop of sorbet or a dollop of cream.

First, prep your pan by lining a shallow 12 x 18 baking pan with waxed paper, and preheat the oven to 375.

Now, sift:
1 cup cake flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
together *three times*. You are not in a hurry when you are in the vintage kitchen.

Beat together:
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
until thick and yellow.

Whisk until stiff:
4 egg whites

Now fold the yolk mixture into the whites, then add the dry ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

But wait! Your work isn't finished! As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it out onto a tea towel liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully pull the wax paper off the cake, and quickly trim off the very edges where the cake is crisp. Now quickly lay a fresh sheet of waxed paper on the cake layer, and roll it up tightly working on a long side, still in the towel. Lift it onto a cooling rack and leave until it's thoroughly cool. When ready to fill, unroll and discard wax paper, and ditch the towel. Spread filling, re-roll, and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

from The Modern Family Cookbook. Meta Given, 1942

10 comments:

YayaOrchid said...

Thank you Anna! I simply must try this!

YayaOrchid said...

Is this the recipe for the blanc mange roll? I forgot to ask!

Anonymous said...

We make this all of the time. It is heavenly and simple.

The kids love to fill and roll.

Wenonah4th said...

Anna,
I'm glad you post so much about the vintage recipes. I do something quasi-similar on Thursdays, as you can see at my blog. We have my mother's Junior Cookbook (and mine, a newer edition but already thirty years since it was published) and we work from it once a week. Just for fun for me right now because my daughter's still too little to have much to do with even the easiest, but it will evolve to more hands-on for her.

Do you have any of the vintage children's books for your children? The Betty Crocker one is available in a reprint of the old one!

Anonymous said...

We call this sort of cake a "swiss roll" ... and I have always been afraid to make it, it looks so complicated! Until now - I really feel like I could manage it from your instructions. So, thank you! :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the recipe! I made a pumpkin roll this weekend and thought of you :)

Kimmie said...

Thanks Anna, simple and yummy!

Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted

Heather Anne said...

I have my Nanny's jelly roll pan and have only used it for it's intended purpose once or twice - usually at Christmas for a Yule log. I'll have to try this! I'm surprises there is no lemon zest in it - Nanny's always was lemony! Thanks for sharing!

Emma Pearl said...

I still haven't managed to make this come out right. I suppose I shall have to try again! I can't help it! It sounds so yummy!!!

Emma

(crimsonbanner from S&S)

Martha A. said...

Mine still taste good, but break usually! I do not know if it was because the pan was too small or too large or what, but I have tried and tried and no success!

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