Okay, so I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one with problems this time around. Of course, I hate to fail at baking and I love to eat cake, so I just kept baking until I got it right.
My chosen assignment was Pumpkin Roll. I was kind of approaching this as a Thanksgiving dry run, since I just found out I’m hosting Turkey Day this year. However, based on my experiences, I’m not sure this is ready Thanksgiving just yet. It took three tries to make a table-worthy cake.
The baking was a breeze. The rolling was a breeze. Where I ran into trouble with the first two was the unrolling, filling, and re-rolling. The cake kept adhering to the towel, even after a heavy dose of powdered sugar. So for version three, I switched to parchment paper, which peeled right off.
Cracking was also an issue with early versions. When I unrolled my first cake, I developed a pretty large fissure down the center. The second time was an improvement, but still had a few breaks. By the third cake, I finally got a crack-free cake, which I attribute to the parchment.
The husband loved every one – cracks or no cracks – so overall this is a winner on the taste front. Instead of using cream cheese filling, I decided to make a lighter frosting a) to save on calories and b) because the husband doesn't like cream cheese icing (I, know right?). I liked the cooked frosting – it was kind of Ho Ho-esque.
I used this recipe for the cake and this recipe for “Not Seven Minute” Icing, which produced a light, marshmallowy cream. I didn’t have allspice, so I blended ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon with good results.
Here's the first attempt, using the towel:
Here it is rolled. You can't see the crack too much, but trust me - it's there.
Here's a view of the parchment roll. MUCH better.
And finally, a cross section.
I’m still considering this for Thanksgiving, but I don’t think I’d dare using a kitchen towel again to roll. Still, if you want a challenge that doesn’t require many ingredients, I’d give this a shot.
- In failing solidarity,
B
Wow, three times is committment! I know what you mean though, I don't like to fail at baking either. I have to try that cheesecake again (but I'm going to be honest - if I fail next time, there probably won't be a third)! It looks delicious though, how did it taste??
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Good for you for doing it so many times. It turned out beautifully at the end! Filipinos make all kinds of rolled cakes... I'd love to use your tips and see if I can make one now. Clearly parchment paper solves most problems.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Doesn't like cream cheese frosting? I don't understand.
Well, I should qualify. The whole cake only uses 2/3 cup of pumpkin and the icing is enough for two cakes, so it doesn't require a lot of ingredients and the baking is easy. It also didn't hurt that the husband kept demanding more cake. So yeah, it's not as impressive as it sounds.
ReplyDeleteMy only tips are: use parchment, don't grease under the parchment like it recommends, and unroll the cake really slowly.
I thought the taste was really good, though the frosting is probably a taste thing. I think cream cheese might be a little better :)