This jelly roll was quite a success for a first-timer, I'd say. There were a couple cracks in the cake, but I made up for that with frosting and powdered sugar on top. Also, there were quite a few crumbs when spreading the frosting and when rolling the cake, which made my cross-section photos look a little messy, but still awesome. Concerning the taste, it was amazing. Very rich, as my mom said. I lowered the amount of butter for the recipe I have below. Also, just know that I didn't actually like the taste of the frosting by itself after I made it (because you have to taste test frosting, right?), but once I tried the cake with the frosting inside, they paired really well together and I loved it!. It also just looks so cool, am I right? I'm right.
So, go try this! You may fail on your first try, jelly rolls are not easy, but once you get it correct it is really rewarding. I didn't fail, but I think I can do better next time. It's all about practice, so give it a go! It sure is fun to make!
Red Velvet Cake Roll with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake:
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ⅛ tsp. of salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. white vinegar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring
Filling:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 4 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with nonstick spray, then line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment and flour the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and white vinegar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the red food coloring and mix until the color is evenly distributed throughout the batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread to the edges of the pan, smoothing the top. Bake until the cake is set and the top springs back when lightly touched with a finger, about 20 minutes. While the cake is in the oven, place a piece of parchment paper on a flat counter and dust well with powdered sugar.
Make the filling: While the cake is baking, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the melted and cooled white chocolate chips (when melting, do not microwave or heat for too long, white chocolate burns very easily!). Add the powdered sugar and mix until fluffy.
Assemble the cake: Remove the cake from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen them. Flip the pan over onto the prepared piece of parchment paper (beware of flying powdered sugar!), then remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper from the cake, although if greased well this should be fairly easy. Starting with one short end, roll the cake with the parchment paper into a log. Place the cake on a wire rack seam side down to cool, about 20 minutes. Once cooled, carefully (!!) unroll the cake, then spread on the white chocolate cream cheese frosting all the way to the edges, then re-roll the cake without the parchment paper. Serve in one-inch pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.