Why A Towel Is Key For A Smooth, Effortless Cake Roulade

The best cakes are those that deliver both on flavor and appearance. One cake in particular that's cherished widely for its signature airy sponge cake, which is formed into a log shape and sandwiched with a variety of fillings, is the cake roulade.

Depending on who you ask, the region in which it's made, and the chef's specific baking techniques, the dessert is known by several names including roll cake, jelly roll, and Swiss roll. Whatever spin you put on this beloved, spiral cake, there's one step you can't afford to skip when trying your hand at making the treat at home: rolling up your cake layer with a dish towel.

After baking your cake, you must lay out a clean dish towel and dust it with sifted, powdered sugar, then roll your cake in the towel while it's still hot, straight out of the oven. The cake is then allowed to cool down completely in its twisted towel before unrolling and filling it, then rolling it back up again (sans towel).

This pre-roll step ensures the cake is pliable, so it's ready to seamlessly roll with frostings, whipped cream, or jams without breaking into pieces once it's cool. Think: muscle-memory support for the rolled treat. The dish towel keeps your cake from sticking to itself during the pre-forming roll, while the powdered sugar keeps the hot cake from sticking to the towel, resulting in the most beautifully delicate dessert.

To make a cake roulade, first prepare the sponge cake according to your recipe. Most great roulades involve whipping egg whites and sugar to form stiff peaks, then folding the meringue into the batter so it turns out light and fluffy. Transfer the cake batter to a prepared cake roulade pan or other rectangular baking sheet pan with edges (a standard 9-by-13-inch sheet cake pan works great), then bake the cake in the oven until a toothpick could come out clean. Be careful to avoid overbaking the cake, since a dry cake will be tough to remove from the pan and roll.

After you remove your cake from the oven, move a knife along the sides of the cake, between the edge of the pan, to help it easily release from its bakeware. Then, inverting the pan, carefully turn the hot cake over onto the flattened dish towel that's dusted with sifted powdered sugar (or cocoa powder when making chocolate cakes). Remove any parchment or wax paper from the top of the cake, then fold the towel over the short edge of the cake, and begin to roll the cake in on itself.

At this point, the towel will be within the roll — and that's okay, because you'll unroll the cake before filling it. Once completely rolled up in the towel, transfer your cake to a wire rack where it can cool for one to two hours.

When your cake roll has cooled, you'll be ready to carefully unroll it, unraveling the towel with it. Once you've reached this point, you're ready to fill your cake with an abundance of options like jams, frostings, and fresh fruit before rolling it up again. You'll find that the cooled cake is still soft and flexible, and it shouldn't break — thanks to the towel step.

To enjoy the bounty of autumn (anytime of year), craft a pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese filling and dust with a powdered sugar finish. For a true celebration that takes confetti cake to a whole new level, make a homemade party roll cake topped with birthday cake crumbles and rainbow sprinkles, filling it with lusciously decadent whipped cream. For a true childhood throwback, make your own adult-sized Little Debbie's Swiss Roll cake by baking a chocolate layer, filling it with homemade whipped cream (with the option to add cocoa for a twist), and then topping it with chocolate.

Even with the best practice, when using the towel-roll method to avoid breaking a cake roulade, the most seasoned baking pros still end up with cracks in their cakes sometimes. The good news is, if this happens (or when you want to up the decadence of your treat), you can always top and cover your cake with additional frosting or a sugary glaze, or coat it in a rich chocolate ganache.