Apple Cinnamon Roulade
Autumn is setting in and that means we get to take advantage of fall flavors. Pumpkin spice seems to be all the rage, but I like to stick to the more traditional flavors of apple and cinnamon this time of year, especially in my cake-making.
I like to make roulade cakes and the flavors of fall fit in perfectly with this style of cake. Roulade cakes are kind of old-fashioned, but they seem to be in vogue these days, just like mid-century modern architecture. This is great because retro desserts are so, well… cool.
Most people look at a round rolled cake and think it must be very complicated to make, but in reality, they are very simple. This cake bakes in 12 minutes and doesn’t take any special pans or tools. Make my Apple Cinnamon Roulade Cake this weekend and impress your family and friends with delicious retro flavor.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup flour (3/4 for cake and 1/4 for dusting the pan)
- Combine these ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup applesauce (store bought or homemade)
- 8 ounce container of Mascarpone cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 dashes of brandy
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Combine eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Mix until thick and yellow and add in the applesauce. With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour mixture. Finish combining with a spatula.
- To prepare the pan, take a 13x18x1-baking sheet and take 1 tablespoon of room temperature butter and coat the entire pan. Then, cut a sheet of parchment to fit and press into the pan, then coat the parchment with more butter. Dust the buttered pan now with the remaining ¼ cup of flour, pat and twist the pan so that the entire pan gets a nice floured coating.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tip and turn so that the entire pan is filled with batter. The batter will just cover the entire pan. Place into a 400 degree oven and bake until the top bounces back when touched, about 12 minutes.
- While cake is baking, take a large clean dish towel and sprinkle it with powdered sugar over the entire sheet.
- When cake is done, remove from oven and make sure that the cake is pulled away from the edges. If it isn’t, take a sharp knife and run it along the edges. Invert the entire pan on the prepared towel — the cake should fall right out onto the towel. Remove the parchment paper and then sprinkle the top with more powdered sugar. Starting then at the 13 inch side, roll up the cake gently with the towel. Set aside on a cooling rack for and hour or until fully cooled.
- Start by whipping the heavy cream in a mixer until it almost forms peaks. Add in the Mascarpone and whip to incorporate. Then add in the brandy and cinnamon. Gradually add in the Powdered sugar, you may not need all 2 cups, just add enough till you get a nice frosting.
- Slowly and gently unroll the cake from the towel but leave it on the towel. Pour the frosting on flat cake and smooth out so that the entire cake is covered. Next gently roll the cake back up without the towel this time. Place on a cutting board and cut off the ends so you have a nice shaped log.
- Place on your platter of choice and cover with plastic wrap. Let the cake sit in fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
- When ready to serve, dust cake with powdered sugar on top and then slice across log so that every slice is a nice swirl of cake and frosting.
