SnoBall Cake Roll

I am a lover of all things pink coconut, (remember this?) and spring is the time when it shows up in my baking the most. I blame the darling buds of May. Around here cherry trees are raining their pink petals down like snow. It’s a magical sight, but the event is too short lived. I guess this cake is my way of prolonging the magic.

It’s also a riff (yes, another one) on theHostess Sno Ball (I’m obsessed!) and the flavors are reflected here with dark chocolate sponge cake, marshmallow buttercream and moist, sweetened coconut.

Cake rolls can seem a little intimidating to make. The first time I made one (waaay long time ago) I had this internal dialogue.

“So basically I’m going to try to bend this sheet of cake? This is not going to work. 

Um, it’s not breaking into eleventy-nine pieces like I thought it would. 

Okay, that worked somehow. 

And what am I doing now – unrolling it?  But I just got it all rolled up!  Aaaarrg!”

The truth is, if you’re good at following directions then you’ll do fine. Back then, the whole process seemed like some magical thing I’d never master, but now it’s just cake! After that first roll, you’ll get a feel for the cake’s spongy texture and you’ll have an even prettier roll next time around. Occasionally the cake may split a little during re-rolling (because of the added weight of the frosting), but it rarely affects the cosmetic appearance of the cake. And if it’s not perfect, it’s still going to taste good.

Whenever I post a cake roll to this blog, I like to link this video. I feel it’s a helpful visual, and I hope regular readers will forgive the repeat info. (smile)

My favorite part of this cake is the marshmallow buttercream. I could eat it strait from the mixing bowl with a spoon (and maybe I did)! The recipe uses ready-made marshmallow cream, but if you can’t find it locally, there are recipes for homemade versions online, like this one.

SnoBall Cake Roll

[click for printable version]

Source: Cake portion adapted from the SprinkleBakes baking book (pg. 232)

Yield: 10 servings

Prep: 50 minutes

Total 2 hours

Cake

4 eggs

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons milk or cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup cake flour

1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Confectioners’ sugar, for rolling the cake

Filling/frosting/topping

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup marshmallow cream

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups moist, sweetened coconut (Baker’s Angel Flake recommended)

Pink food coloring

1. Preheatthe oven to 350°F. Grease a jelly roll pan with shortening. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper also. If you have a flour based baking spray such as Baker’s Joy or Bake Easy, you may use it to grease the pan and skip lining it with parchment.
2. Place the eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and with a timer set, beat for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add the sugar and oil. Beat well. Add the milk or cream. Switch to the paddle attachment. 
4. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and slowly add to the liquid ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. When done, the cake should spring back when touched in the center.
6. As the cake bakes, sprinkle a thin tea towel with a generous 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar. 
7. When the cake is done, immediately turn it out onto the tea towel and remove the parchment (if using). Starting from the narrow end, roll the cake into the tea towel. Place the cake seam-side down on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
8. To make the filling/frosting, combine the butter and marshmallow cream in a large bowl and beat until combined with an electric hand mixer. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
9. Carefully unroll the cake and frost the inside with about three-quarters of icing. Re-roll the cake and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.  Pour the coconut in a rectangular high-sided baking pan (9×13 casserole will work) and add a few drops of pink food coloring. Rub food coloring into the coconut with gloved hands, or stir together with a rubber spatula. Place frosted cake in the pan on top of the pink coconut and roll until coated.  Place cake on a serving platter. For perfectly clean-cut slices, refrigerate cake for 30 minutes Bring slices to room temperature before serving.