Raspberries & Cream Jellyroll Cake

I didn't intend to make this elegant-looking dessert when I got up this morning, but I came home with a pint of locally grown raspberries after a trip to the farm stand down the road. I felt like I had discovered a secret cache of rubies and when their natural sweetness exploded in my mouth, I knew they deserved a place of honor at our dinner table tonight.

Jellyroll cakes appear daunting, but really they are easy to prepare. The pastry is basically a long, thin angel food cake that is usually filled with high fat cream. This healthier version contains a delicious vanilla cream made from a thickened pudding, with a secret ingredient to make it extra creamy. Don't be put off by the egg whites because there's really only one trick to success: a very clean bowl and beaters. Also, this jellyroll cake is equally delicious filled with other berries or chopped fruits, such as peaches or bananas. So, have fun with it!

My Raspberries & Cream Jellyroll Cake (Makes 10 servings)

Cake Ingredients:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup almond flour (or finely ground blanched almonds)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
4 tablespoons Splenda granular (not baking blend), divided

Filling Ingredients:
2 oz. mascarpone cheese (can be purchased in specialty cheese section of grocery)
1¼ cups 1% milk, cold
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean)
1 pkg. sugar-free, fat-free instant vanilla pudding (the size that makes 4 servings)
½ pint fresh raspberries (another berry or chopped fruit of your choice can be substituted)

To make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Line a 15” x 10” jellyroll pan with parchment paper. (Batter will not spread, so any baking sheet with low sides will do. If yours is larger than recommended pan size, fold edges of parchment paper to create the proper size space for batter.)

2. In a small bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3. Separate eggs by placing the yolks into a small mixing bowl and whites into a clean, dry large mixing bowl. Set whites aside. Add vanilla to yolks and beat with a handheld or standing mixer at high speed for 5 minutes until thick and yellow. Gradually add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon Splenda to yolk mixture and continue beating until sugars are dissolved. Set aside.

4. Important step! Remove beaters from mixer and thoroughly clean using dishwashing liquid and a sponge in warm water. After rinsing thoroughly to remove all traces of soap, run beaters under cold water. Thoroughly dry with a clean towel and reinsert into the mixer.

5. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons Splenda and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

6. With a rubber spatula, take about 1/5 of egg whites and mix into yolk mixture to lighten. Pour ½ of yolk mixture into egg whites and gently fold to incorporate. Repeat with remaining yolk mixture until fully incorporated, being careful not to deflate egg whites. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold until just blended.

7. Pour into prepared pan and spread to create an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. While cake is baking, lay a clean kitchen towel (large enough for entire cake) on counter and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon Splenda. When cake is removed from oven, immediately place warm cake on towel and remove parchment paper. Roll cake and kitchen towel into a log shape and allow to cool completely on wire rack. (The kitchen towel will prevent cake from sticking to itself while cooling.)

8. Make filling: Place milk, vanilla and mascarpone cheese in a medium mixing bowl and beat with a wire whisk until cheese begins to blend with the milk. Add the entire package of pudding mix into the milk mixture and beat until well blended and smooth. Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, until thick and set.

9. When cake is cooled, unroll from towel and spread chilled pudding mixture to about 1” from edge. Sprinkle fruit over pudding. Carefully roll cake into a log and place on serving dish. If desired, sprinkle top very lightly with powdered sugar and top with a few extra berries and mint leaves for garnish. Refrigerate until 5 minutes prior to serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Nutritional Information per serving (1/10th of cake): 126.3 calories, 13.3 g carbohydrate, 6.14 g fat, 1.4 g fiber, 5 g protein

Original Recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2009

How does this recipe compare to a traditional jellyroll cake? My lightened version is almost 100 calories less per serving! Also, it is much lower in carbohydrates and fat, plus it has more protein. In comparison, the average nutritional information for a slice of traditional jellyroll cake made with cream and raspberries is 223 calories, 29.2 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 1 g fiber, 3.7 g protein.