Description
This delightful Easter Cake Roll showcases a light, fluffy sponge cake rolled with a colorful, marshmallow cream buttercream frosting, adorned with festive Peeps for a playful springtime treat. Perfect for celebrating the holiday or anytime you want a fun, vibrant dessert with a tender texture and sweet, creamy filling.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 6 large eggs, separated
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup canola oil
- â…“ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups salted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 14 oz marshmallow cream
- Gel food coloring in yellow, pink, and blue
Decoration
- 3 yellow Peeps
- 2 blue Peeps
- 2 pink Peeps
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C for fan ovens. Line the bottom of an 11″x17″ or similar size cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy release of the cake.
- Whip egg whites. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start on medium speed until frothy and bubbly, then increase to medium-high and very slowly add granulated sugar while mixing. Continue to whisk on high until firm, stiff peaks form, then stop the mixer.
- Combine yolk mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift the all-purpose flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold egg whites into yolk batter. Gently fold about one cup of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold this combined mixture gently into the remaining egg whites until the batter is fully blended but still airy.
- Spread the batter and bake. Pour the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly. Tap the cookie sheet firmly on the counter to release air bubbles and level the batter. Bake for about 15 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
- Cool and roll the cake. Remove from oven and cool for a couple of minutes. Place a second parchment paper on top, then slide the cake onto a clean tea towel. While warm, peel off the top parchment and gently roll the cake up with the towel starting at a short side. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar before rolling to prevent sticking. Let it cool rolled up.
- Prepare the buttercream frosting. Beat together the salted butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add half the marshmallow cream and mix, then add the remaining marshmallow fluff and beat again until smooth and fluffy.
- Color the frosting. Divide the buttercream into three bowls and tint each with gel food coloring to achieve the desired yellow, pink, and blue hues.
- Apply the buttercream to the unrolled cake. Carefully unroll the cooled cake and trim off browned edges. Spread the colored buttercream in stripes parallel to the short ends of the cake, mixing the frosting colors as you prefer. Reserve leftover buttercream for decorating with Peeps.
- Re-roll the cake and chill. Roll the cake back up tightly, removing the bottom parchment as you roll. Wrap in parchment, plastic wrap, or the tea towel and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the shape and filling.
- Decorate and serve. Before serving, trim the ragged ends again, dust the cake with powdered sugar, and align the Peeps on top, securing them with some of the leftover buttercream. Slice and serve chilled.
- Storage. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Be gentle folding the egg whites into the yolk mixture to maintain a light, airy texture for the sponge.
- If concerned about the cake sticking to the towel, dust with powdered sugar before rolling while warm.
- The baking time may vary slightly depending on oven performance; a springy surface is a good doneness indicator.
- Leftover buttercream can be refrigerated and used within a few days if kept airtight.
- Color intensity can be adjusted by the amount of gel food coloring added to the buttercream.
- This cake roll is best enjoyed within three days for optimal flavor and texture.
