It sounds like a lot of work but I have been making this all these years and find it is always a hit. The crisscross design looks very nice. I wish I could draw a picture for you. It makes kind of a diamond pattern. I put rosettes of whip cream inside the pattern with candied violets on top. On a long oval tray with more powdered sugar it looks great for company. It serves 8 easily.
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Cake:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- pinch of cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2/3 cup sifted cake flour
- Simple Syrup:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or dark rum
- powdered sugar
Directions
For filling:
Whisk all ingredients in top of nonaluminum double boiler set over boiling water until mixture thickens enough to coat back of spoon, 10 minutes; do not let mixture boil. Transfer to nonaluminum container. Cool to room temperature.Cover and refrugerate until ready to use. (can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead). really.
For cake:
Preheat oven to 450. Butter and flour 11 x 17 inch jelly roll pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter and flour paper. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, eggs and yolks in large bowl until slowly dissolving ribbon forms when whisk is lifted. Blend in vanilla. Beat whites with cream of tartar in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Slowly add 2 tavlespoons sugar and beat until glossy. Gently fold flour into yold mixture. Fold in whites; do not overmix. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake until cake is light brown and springs back when touched, 7 to 10 minutes. Run knife around edges of cake to loosen. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool. If you want, what I usually do here is cover a smooth kitchen towl with powdered sugar, remove paper from cake and put the cake on top and gently roll the cake lengthwise and let it cool that way instead of on a rack. The directions don't suggest this it just works for me.
For syrup:
Cook sugar and water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, swirling pan occasionally. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cool to room temperature. Blend in lemon juice or dark rum.
To assemble:
Remove paper, if you did it their way on a rack otherwise unroll gently from kitchen towel. Brush cake lightly with some of syrup; do not soak. Spread lemon filling evenly over top. Roll cake up tightly lengthwise, turning seam side down. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until set.
Just before serving trip 1/4 inch off each end of roll. Sift powdered sugar over cake covering completely. Heat a metal skewer on stove until very hot and score cake with crisscross design in powdered sugar.
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Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: Bon Appetit, April 1984
Submitted By: Sheila Nelson
nednelson@msn.com
Lemon Roll