| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 (2 1/2-ounce) jars sweet potato baby food (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced (or chopped) crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- Ground cinnamon, for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease, then line a 13 by 18-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment or waxed paper. (Let the paper come up the long sides by about 2 inches – this will make it easier to form the roll.) Brush paper with oil or butter, dust with flour, tap out excess.
- Cake: Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, salt, ginger and cardamom together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine sweet potato, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce to low; add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the wet mixture in 2 parts, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just blended. (If needed, fold batter together with a rubber spatula.)
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until cake springs back when pressed lightly, about 15 minutes.
- Run knife around cake edge, and invert cake onto a cotton tea towel (100 percent cotton works best and keeps the cake from sticking) generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Carefully pull back parchment paper to release, and then place it back on top of the cake. Gently roll up the cake and towel together, starting from the narrow end to make a fat roll.
- Meanwhile for the filling, whip cream and confectioner’s sugar to soft peaks. Fold in crystallized ginger.
- Carefully unroll the cake and remove the towel. Drizzle caramel over the cake. Spread gingered cream evenly over the cake. Using the short edge of parchment as guide, roll the cake up into a fat, loose cylinder. Transfer to a long platter. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon in a Halloween pattern if desired. Serve, now or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 451 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 51 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 130 mg |
| Sodium | 287 mg |
Reviews
I was v excited to try this recipe on Halloween night… And I did … But the cake got Torn on the last round when I was spreading the caramel and the cream :((
So…the filling is very very thin! Is it supposed to be like this? I feel like I’m missing something! I tried it over and over again. The picture shows as if the filling is more creamier…I had no luck! What am I missing?
I don’t know what the towel part is suppose to be about. I used another piece of parchment paper. The thing about this directions is that it is not too precise. I would say that the cake needs to be in for 20 minutes and then a CRUCIAL step; let the cake cool! I failed to do this and just made a huge, drippy mess! I am an avid follower of the Food Network Kitchen Chefs, but I am not too happy about this one; sorry!
This tasted out of this world, however…I had to eat it in parts. I could NOT get the silly thing to roll up either. I loved the way that it tasted, but the whole thing fell apart after filling it to roll it (I was able to roll it up the first time while whipping the cream).
Next time, I will make this, but keep it as a layered cake or something…too delicious not to make again.
Next time, I will make this, but keep it as a layered cake or something…too delicious not to make again.
I couldn’t get the cake to roll up either, so just served it like a layer cake kind of. I thought it tasted okay, but wasn’t really worth the time and effort it takes.
I don’t think it does roll up! I’ve made other roulade-type cakes with directions like this & have never had this mess. Next time maybe I’ll spread a whole pound of powdered sugar on the towel, or cut the 18×13 cake into 4 13″ strips & layer as a loaf – once the whipped cream sets up in the fridge it should cut OK. But I WILL give it another try. It is really delicious & has a deeper flavor than ordinary spice cake. Love the ginger & would add even more – & drizzled servings with more caramel sauce.
CARAMEL SAUCE: 2 C sugar, 1 C water, 1 C heavy cream, 1 t vanilla – bring water & sugar to a boil, turn down to med-high and cook till the sugar turns dark amber – don’t let it burn – remove from heat, carefully add cream (will bubble up so use a bigger pan) & vanilla.
CARAMEL SAUCE: 2 C sugar, 1 C water, 1 C heavy cream, 1 t vanilla – bring water & sugar to a boil, turn down to med-high and cook till the sugar turns dark amber – don’t let it burn – remove from heat, carefully add cream (will bubble up so use a bigger pan) & vanilla.
We made this cake and while we loved the flavors, it will not roll up… The cake just broke into little pieces as we attempted to roll it… Very moist, very delicious… but no roll… Instead we cut it in half and layered it.
good
I made this cake for dinner with friends last night. I forgot to add the caramel topping. It was delicious! Very light, not too sweet, with flavors associated with Fall. Everyone raved about it and wanted the recipe. The only problem I experienced was the cake sticking to the cotton dish cloth, even though I had dusted it heavily with confectioners sugar. Next time, I will cover the cloth heavily. Other than that, the cake was a breeze. BTW, a jar of candied ginger in the spice aisle of the grocery store yielded the exact amount the recipe calls for.