Ice-Cream Cake Roll

Unfortunately, the only pic I got was blurry...sorry about that

Summer has definitely come to the midwest, with very warm temperatures to prove it. While the heat can be a bit oppressive I do love the season's thunderstorms (as long as they don't come accompanied by tornadoes!), and seeing lightning bugs come out at night. Looking out my window to so much green definitely boosts my spirits, as does the constant warbling of birds that can be heard. But, you know what best sums up summer? Ice-cream! When I was living in Tucson, Baskin-Robbins came to my neighborhood sometime in the 60's. I can still remember the excitement on Water Street as we waited for  opening day and then our amazement at the idea of one scoop of ice-cream costing sixty cents! What was this heresy, when you could go to Thrifty and get a cone for 10 cents????? We may have had some sticker shock but all the kids in the neighborhood still saved up their coins so we could walk down the street and be treated to 31-derful new flavors. This same store would wind up being my first place of employment at the tender age of 15. I can categorically state that scooping ice-cream for other people isn't nearly as fun as eating your own cones.

The minute I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen I knew I wanted to try my hand at creating an ice-cream log to celebrate summer. Overall, everything came together well but I did learn one lesson the hard (or soft) way. Deb tells you to use slightly softened ice-cream for the center of the roll. I got busy talking to Emily and probably let the ice-cream set a tad too long because as I rolled my cake, the ice-cream rolled right along with me...straight on out the end of the log. Consequently, there isn't nearly enough ice-cream inside my roll. The cake is still delicious and I find that if I just dollop a little extra scoop of vanilla on top, everything's all good! I didn't bother frosting this one but when I try this again, I'll definitely put some hot fudge on top.

Ice-Cream Cake Roll
Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
4 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Heaped 1/8 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
Heaped 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup cake flour
Heaped 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 to 2 1/4 cups slightly softened ice cream of your choice
Powdered sugar, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, or all of the above to garnish

Directions:
Heat oven: To 400 degrees F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray or softened butter. Line pan with parchment paper and grease again. Dust with cocoa powder, knocking out any excess, and set aside.

Make the cake: Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed, until foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar in a steady stream and continue beating until soft peaks form. Add the salt and cream of tartar and whip until stiff peaks form. Scoop into large bowl and set aside. (If you’re fancy and have two stand mixer bowls, you can just switch bowls.)

Place the egg yolks in now empty bowl of the stand mixer, still fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the yolks on high speed, slowly adding brown sugar, until thick and ribbony, at least 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and water and mix until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the yolks in three additions.

Place a mesh sieve or sifter over the bowl and place cake flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in it. Sift over batter, then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula.

Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula or butter knife to smooth it. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes (yes, that’s it!), until the cake just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Unmold cake and prepare to fill: [I always have to read this part twice.] Use a paring knife to make sure the cake isn’t stuck to any side of the pan. Sift cocoa powder over top of cake. Place a large (larger than the cake) dishcloth you don’t mind getting dirty over it. Place a cutting board or baking tray or cooling rack over the cloth that’s larger than the cake pan. Grab this board, the cloth, and the cake pan tightly together and flip the cake over, onto the cloth on the board. (The board just supports the cloth; its work here is done.) Lift your cake pan and it should unmold onto cloth. Gently peel the parchment paper off the cake. Use your paring knife to cut a thin edge (about 1/4-inch) off all sides of the cake; it’s easier to roll with softer edges. (My note: It's also nice to get an advance taste of that yummy cake.) Sift more cocoa powder over the back of the cake. Use the cloth it is on to roll it tightly into a spiral, within the dish towel. Rest on a cooling rack, seam side-down, until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Assemble cake: Once cake is cool, gently unroll it. Spread inside of cake with slightly softened ice cream. I use a small scooper to drop dollops all over, and a small offset spatula or knife to smooth it. Work quickly so it doesn’t melt too much. Once ice cream is evenly spread, roll cake back up around it (minus the dish towel this time, but you can use it to help nudge cake into a coil). Wrap cake in plastic and freeze for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, to re-firm the ice cream.

To serve: Decorate the cake as you wish. (I used a dusting of powdered sugar and colored sprinkles. Hot fudge sauce and whipped cream are never unwelcome.) Cut into thin 1-inch slices. Keep leftovers in the freezer, for as long as they last.