Thursday, April 19, 2012

Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake


After missing last month's Improv, I'm happy to be on track. This month the theme is Peanut Butter and Jelly--the best combination of food since...well...since Peanut Butter and Jelly! I have already combined the two flavors in my PB&J Cupcakes, so I asked my husband what he thought sounded good. PB&J sweet rolls? A good suggestion, but I'm a little over sweet rolls for now, having made several batches of the Sweet Potato Sticky Buns. How about one of those cakes that are all rolled up like a HoHo? A Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake? Why, yes...that does sound good. Thank you, Pete. So, with a nod to Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for hosting our Improv event (go visit her new website--it's very cool), I bring to you my Peanut Butter Jelly Roll creation.

Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake
Printable Recipe

Sponge Cake:
5 eggs, separated and brought to room temperature*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup cake flour
* simply place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes

Filling:
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup jam or jelly of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line a 10 1/2" x 15 1/2" jelly roll pan with parchment paper and generously grease and flour it.

Beat the eggs yolks for about a minute, add the sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat until the yolks are thickened and develop a pale yellow color.


Sprinkle the salt over the egg whites and using a clean set of beaters, beat the whites until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the mixture is stiff, but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolks.


Sprinkle the flour over the top of the egg mixture and fold in with a spatula, being careful as to not over mix. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched.


Immediately turn the cake over onto a smooth towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar.


Starting at the short end, roll the cake up in the towel and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.


To prepare the filling, whisk the flour and the milk in a small, heavy saucepan. Place over medium/low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and place the mixture in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool to room temperature.


Whisking is key here...we don't want lumps.

Place the butter, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat for several minutes until creamy (it may still be a bit grainy). Add the cooled flour mixture and continue to beat until the filling is fluffy and creamy. If thin, refrigerate for about 20 minutes before spreading on cake.

Gently unroll the cake and remove the towel. Spread the jam or jelly over the top, leaving about 1/2" around the edges. Spread the peanut butter filling evenly over the jelly and re-roll the cake. Refrigerate to set the filling.



Before serving, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top, if desired. Slice into one inch pieces and serve.


I used blueberry preserves for this batch...next time I'll try strawberry.


Check out what kind of Peanut Butter and Jelly Creations everyone else has come up with! :)


11 comments:

  1. Oh, how I would love a piece of this cake! Yum!

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  2. This looks so delicious. Very Creative!

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  3. SO beautiful, Cathy!!! Great idea for the challenge~

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  4. I love rolled cakes! My kids would love this!

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  5. I like how you used blueberry preserves. Can you believe I have never made a rolled caked before? This was a good idea for the challenge.

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  6. Oh my - does this look good! I always appreciate roll cakes as I usually fail miserably (or they don' t look as good as this) when I make them - thanks for sharing!

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  7. Yum yum in my tum tum! This jelly roll cake looks phenomenal! Bookmarked!

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  8. Wow! I love that you made a jelly roll with pb&j!! Great idea :)

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  9. I love how fluffy and soft this cake looks, great job!

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  10. I've never made sponge cake, but I may just have to try! This roll cake looks wonderful!

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