Old Fashioned Jelly Roll

For this flashback Friday post I'm bringing back one of the first recipes I ever posted. This was one my Mom used the way that one would use a white cake mix today. She'd bake it in a spring-form cake pan, slice it horizontally, fill it with fruit or pudding, and decorate it with whipped cream. It also served well as a jelly roll which she usually filled with chocolate pudding. I checked the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes and found about 8 variations of jelly rolls, obviously a favorite of days gone by. I believe traditional jelly rolls got their name because of the jam/jelly filling, but in our family we have always used a custard pudding such as vanilla, coconut, lemon or as already said, chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 1 c sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 4 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Prepare 11x17 inch (or slightly smaller) cookie sheet by greasing bottom and sides, lining with parchment or wax paper and greasing again. I use shortening  Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In small bowl, beat egg whites until very soft peaks form when lifting the beater (turned off). Set side.
3. In mixing bowl, beat sugar and egg yolks well, (I use a wooden spoon) until pale yellow in color, then stir in water, lemon juice and vanilla. 
4. Stir in combined dry ingredients, then fold in the beaten egg whites (with a spatula) until the egg white is blended in and the batter has a very light and airy consistency.
5. Pour into prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 min. until pale yellow. 
7. In the meantime lay out a clean tea towel and dust well with confectioners sugar. (1)
8. When cake is baked, turn hot cake out onto towel, peeling back the paper. (2)
9. Dust with confectioner's sugar again and roll into a log, along with towel, beginning at narrow end. (3) Let rest to from shape for 15 - 30 minutes.
10. Unroll, spread with 2 - 2/1/2 cups cooled pudding (4) keeping about an inch away from sides and a few at the end. Roll up again, starting at the same end, leaving the towel underneath. (5) Transfer log onto serving platter, using end of towel to lift, then slide towel out from underneath. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Can be made day ahead. Dust with fresh powdered sugar before serving.

For coconut cream filling ( a condensed version of Lovella's coconut cream pie filling)

• 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk (1 can - shake before opening)
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 egg yolks
• vanilla
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 Tbsp butter

In saucepan, heat coconut milk, bringing to a simmer. In the meantime, blend sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/2 cup milk, using whisk. (add a small amount of milk, then yolks to blend smoothly , then the rest of the milk)
Blend into hot milk as it begins to boil, stirring until it bubbles. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla, coconut and butter. Let cool in ice water or cover with plastic wrap (placed right on the pudding) and refrigerate.
Cake pictured is decorated with 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 tsp sugar whipped, then sprinkled with toasted coconut.

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