Lemon-Raspberry Roll Cake

Simultaneously rich and light with bright lemony flavor, this makes a perfect dessert at an Easter dinner. But it's easy enough for any spring or summer meal.

Read the entire recipe carefully before you begin. Make sure you understand what is needed at each step.

Instead of decorating the cake with the mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa as the recipe specifies, you can double the filling recipe and frost the exterior with it.

Ingredients #

Instructions #

Make the Lemon Cream: #

In a heavy saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Do not let this boil!

Remove from heat and stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Transfer to a small bowl and let it cool, covered with plastic wrap. When it’s cooled a bit, put it in the refrigerator – we want it to be chilled.

Make the Cake: #

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 15 ½ by 10 ½ inch jelly-roll pan (or baking sheet with a 1” rim). Line it with wax paper, leaving a 2” overhang on the short ends, and butter the wax paper generously.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks with the lemon zest, lemon juice and ½ cup of the sugar until the mixture falls in a ribbon when the beater is lifted.

In a mixer bowl, beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until frothy. Add a pinch of cream of tarter and beat the whites until they hold a soft peak.

Sift the cornstarch and flour together.

Fold one fourth of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the remaining whites, alternating with the cornstarch mixture, until everything has been added.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake the cake in the middle of the preheated oven for 17 minutes or until the paper pulls away easily from the ends of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the pan. Place on a rack and cover with a very slightly damp dishtowel to cool.

Finish the Lemon Cream: #

Place 1 tbsp. cold water in a small metal or glass bowl and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Heat the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water until the gelatin is completely melted. Turn off the heat but leave the gelatin over the hot water.

In a clean, cold mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar until the cream holds soft peaks. Drizzle in the melted gelatin and whip just until the cream holds stiff peaks.

Stir a dollop of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture to lighten, and then gently fold in the rest of the cream, making sure to work out any lumps.

Assemble the Cake: #

Dust a 16" length of wax paper with confectioner’s sugar. Remove the towel from the sheet cake and turn the cake out onto the waxed paper (alternately, you can dust the top of the cake with confectioner’s sugar, top it with the wax paper, and then place a larger board or baking sheet on top (upside down); grasp both ends of the pans together firmly and flip the whole thing over). Gently remove the jelly-roll pan and carefully peel off the waxed paper.

Spread a layer of the lemon cream over the surface of the cake, leaving a 1” border on the long side farthest from you. You will have a good amount of cream left. Scatter fresh raspberries evenly across the lemon cream.

Beginning with the long side nearest you, roll up the cake, lifting it with the waxed paper. Tuck the wax paper under the rolled cake so that it is wrapped firmly. If you have a helper handy, an extra pair of hands makes this less nerve-wracking the first few times. Carefully transfer the lemon roll, seam-side down, to a serving board. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes (but not much more than an hour or so).

At this point, you can proceed one of two ways:

1. Remove the waxed paper and frost the roll with the remaining lemon cream. If the cake cracked or tore during assembly, this might be preferred.

2. Remove the waxed paper and dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Either way, you can also pipe whipped cream rosettes or shells along the sides and/or top of the roll, and decorate with the remaining fresh raspberries.