Vanilla Raspberry Cake Roll

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk over high speed until light and foamy. With the mixer on medium-high speed, slowly sprinkle in ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar and continue beating until the egg whites have reached medium peaks. If the whisk attachment is lifted, the peak of the egg whites should tip slightly but still hold. Carefully transfer the egg white mixture to a large, clean mixing bowl and set aside until ready to use.

Wipe the stand mixer bowl clean (don’t worry if there is still some egg white residue). Add the egg yolks, remaining ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture over high speed until ribbony and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Remove from the stand mixer. Add roughly ⅓ of the reserved whipped egg whites to the beaten yolk mixture. Holding the whisk attachment in one hand, gently mix together by hand. Using a large spatula, gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions being careful not to delate the egg whites by over mixing.

Sprinkle roughly one quarter of the sifted cake flour onto the batter and fold in gently with a spatula. Repeat until all of the flour has been evenly incorporated and the batter is airy and smooth. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients have been evenly incorporated. Transfer the batter onto the greased, parchment-lined half sheet pan. Spread into an even layer using a large offset spatula. The batter should fill the entire pan.

Gently transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden in color. As the cake is baking, lay a clean kitchen linen (long edge of the linen facing you) on a large working surface. Using a fine-meshed sieve, dust the linen generously with the reserved ⅓ cup (40g) powdered sugar.

As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, loosen the cake edges from the pan with a knife if needed. Carefully and quickly invert the sheet pan and cake (long edge of the pan facing you) onto the powdered sugar dusted linen in one quick motion. Gently peel off and discard the parchment paper. While the cake is warm, roll the cake and linen – short end to short end – into a tight spiral. The linen should be rolled with the cake, so that the cake surface doesn’t touch itself as it is rolled. Set the rolled cake on a wire rack until it has cooled to room temperature.

Prepare Filling: Note: Depending the thickness of your raspberry preserves you may need to thin them down with up to 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water; whisking to combine. The preserves should be relatively thin before spreading on the cake – if the preserves are too thick, you will damage the cake. Use your best judgement.

Unroll the sponge cake so that it lays completely flat on top of the linen. Using an offset spatula, spread the raspberry preserves into a very thin layer over the entire surface of the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Starting at low speed and slowly increase to medium-high, beat the cream until it is fairly thick and medium peaks form. In a separate bowl, lightly mash one package (6-ounce) of fresh raspberries. Gently fold the mashed raspberries into the whipped cream.

Spread the raspberry whipped cream onto the cake – directly on top of the raspberry preserves – leaving a ¾-inch border on all sides. Slice the remaining package (6-ounces) of raspberries in half lengthwise and distribute them evenly onto the raspberry cream layer, gently pressing them into the cream. Carefully roll the cake – short end to short end – into a tight spiral. Set the cake seam-side down onto a long serving platter, cover the surface tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the cake for a minimum of 1-2 hours to allow the cream to set before preparing the topping and final decoration.

Final Assembly and Decoration: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Starting at low speed and slowly increase to medium-high, beat the cream until it is fairly thick and medium peaks form. Using an offset spatula, spread the whipped cream into an even, smooth layer on the outside of the rolled sponge cake.

Top the cake generously with the raspberries. Serve immediately or if prepping ahead, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Just before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar. Slice into rounds using a long serrated knife.