Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll

My mom had a pretty significant birthday this week, so I wanted to make sure I made her a really special dessert.  She had immediately asked for angel food cake (since it's the healthiest kind of cake you can eat - no butter!) and I had thought of making one from scratch.  I began to look at recipes and found them to be a little more complicated than I was anticipating.  12 egg whites?  My mom didn't want me to use up all of those eggs anyway, so I decided to use a box mix.  However, when I was searching through angel food cake recipes, I came across a recipe for an angel food cake roll by Brown Eyed Baker.  My mom had wanted homemade whipped cream and strawberries with her angel food cake, so I thought this recipe would be perfect!

The most intimidating part of this recipe for me was rolling up the angel food cake.  Here's how I did it and found success: after dusting my tea cloth with powdered sugar (sift the sugar over the cloth for best results), I inverted the pan over it at an angle and used my other hand to run a spatula along the sides and the bottom of the cake to coax it out of the pan.  Then, I rolled it up the long way, and left it in the tea towel to cool completely.  You want to do this step while the cake is still warm (I had to hold the pan with a pot holder) so that it rolls easily.  When it cools in the tea towel, it will mold into this shape and be easier to roll back up once you spread your filling on the inside.  Wait too long, and you'll risk the chance of your cake being too cool and breaking!  However, the spongy angel food cake really lends itself to being rolled like a jelly roll, which makes this process easier than it initially looks.

Don't go crazy with spreading the filling either; a thin layer is best (about twice as much as what's shown in the picture on the left).  This way, you can roll the cake up tightly without all of your filling coming out of the sides.  The tighter you can roll your cake, the more beautiful it will look when cut.  You'll have some filling leftover, so be sure to save it to serve with your slices of cake!

Also, want to see a neat trick for hulling strawberries?  Take a straw and stick it through the bottom of the strawberry so it comes out right underneath the hull!  Quick and easy, especially when you're hulling a lot of strawberries.

I could not have asked for a better cake.  The presentation was very pretty, and my family was raving over how delicious it was.  I couldn't take all of the credit since the cake came from a Duncan Hines box, but if you're serving this cake at a party your guests don't need to know that ;)  And much to my surprise, the whipped cream didn't make the cake soggy even 2 days after I had made it.  I would absolutely recommend making this cake simply because of how beautifully it comes out with minimal effort.  This is sure to be a crowd pleaser!


Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll
Yield: 2 rolls, serves about 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake Mix (with ingredients called for on box)
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 dozen strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions
Preheat the oven according to the directions on the cake mix.  Instead of using a roll pan, grab 2 9x13 in pans.  Do not grease unless told to do so on box.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the back of the box.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan until the batter is about 1 in. thick (no more than 1/3 of the way up the side of the pan).  The thinner the cake, the easier it will be to roll later.  Repeat with the second pan.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes.

Dust a clean cloth kitchen or tea towel with powdered sugar.  Turn the cake out onto the cloth and roll up the cake in the towel starting with the short side.  Repeat for the second cake and let cool completely in the towel on a wire rack.

To make the filling, whip the whipping cream on medium - high speed until soft peaks form.  Beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar.  Gently fold in the strawberries and place in fridge.

To assemble the cake, unroll the cake completely and spread the filling on the inside of the cake to within about 1/2 inch from the edge.  Roll the cake back up and store in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to serve.  Repeat with the second cake.

Right before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar (if desired).  Cut the cake using a back and forth motion with a serrated knife.  Serve with any leftover strawberries and cream.  Will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Posted by Ali B at 3:16 PM