Love Little Debbie’s? Swiss roll cake is for you
If some of your fondest childhood food memories include packaged snack cakes — Devil Dogs, Yodels, Swiss Rolls and the like — as well as store-bought ice cream cakes, I guarantee this ice cream-filled Swiss roll cake will rock your world. It’s inspired by one I created for my cookbook, “The Vintage Baker” (a chocolate Swiss roll filled with pink peppermint whipped cream and covered in peppermint chocolate ganache). It was my first foray into the world of rolled cakes, and I was smitten.
Speaking of “smitten,” so, too, was my pal Deb of Smitten Kitchen, who filled the cake with ice cream. As is always the case with Deb, my first thought was “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Here, I’ve given it a go myself — and it’s even better than I expected. Filled with vanilla ice cream (as a nod to my beloved Yodel) and draped in shiny DIY magic shell, this fun new twist on ice cream cake is destined to become your go-to summer dessert.
While most Swiss roll cakes are baked in a jelly roll pan, this one is made in a 15-by18-inch rimmed baking sheet (a standard half sheet pan). Not only is it more likely to already be in your kitchen, but it also makes for a larger cake.
To keep the cake from sticking, I use a four-part process: First I coat the baking sheet with cooking spray, then I line it with parchment paper, then I spray the parchment, and finally I dust the parchment with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. The cocoa powder does double-duty: It prevents the cake from sticking to the parchment and also blends into the dark brown cake instead of standing out like flour or powdered sugar can.
When the cake is done baking, you’ll gently roll it up in a dish towel and let it cool to room temperature, which will help it keep its rolled shape later on.
While I opted for vanilla, you can use any ice cream flavor you like here — although
avoid any with big chunks or chips, which may make it harder to roll.
Let the ice cream soften on the counter while the cake is cooling, then carefully unroll the cake and gently spread on the ice cream using an offset spatula or a butter knife. Re-roll the cake without the towel and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, which will help the roll keep its shape.
Freeze until the ice cream hardens, at least four hours or up to one week. When you remove the frozen cake, it’s ready to be bathed in chocolate.
Enrobing this cake in magic shell is ingenious, and it makes the treat look even more like a giant version of a packaged snack cake. Bonus: The chocolate shell covers up any imperfections.