Thursday, July 11, 2013

Jelly Roll Tea Slices

Recently I bought a batch of vintage recipe booklets for a project I'm working on, and one of them was this "Learn to Bake" booklet published by General Foods in 1947. You just never know what you'll come across in these booklets.

This Angel Food Loaf, for instance, looks perfectly hideous. The instructions ought to say this: "Purchase a tube of caulking compound and tint pink with food coloring. Slice wedge from top of rectangular angel food cake, squirt gun full of pink caulking compound, add slices of the wedge and voila, you're done!" (OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but that's what it looks like to me!)

Much more palatable was this photo of Minikin Jelly Rolls. I was already interested when I saw …

… these instructions for "Jelly Roll Tea Slices."

Can you believe I've never made a jelly roll before? I was always too intimidated, but these directions sounded so simple, and I had success with my first try! If you care to try these small (5-inch) jelly rolls, here's how to make them as I did, substituting lemon curd for red jelly.

Minikin Jelly Rolls

1/2 cup sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Lemon curd

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift flour once and set aside. Combine baking powder, salt and eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat rapidly with wire whisk, slowly adding the sugar until mixture becomes thick and light in color. Gradually add flour, then the vanilla. Pour batter into a 15 x 10-inch pan lined with parchment paper and then sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, turn it out onto a tea towel dusted with powdered sugar and remove the parchment paper. Cut lengthwise, then crosswise twice, giving you six pieces of cake. Spread each slice with lemon curd and roll into individual jelly rolls before allowing to cool completely on wire rack. Yields 6 small jelly rolls.


12 comments:

  1. I think the top cake looks like something from the 40's. The jelly roll cakes are really lovely and I enjoy making one from time to time. I know a lady who has a whole collection of these cook books (even World War II ones) she is selling if you are interested. I am sure reasonable too!

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  2. The mini jelly rolls are really cute and with lemon curd (my favorite) I am sure they were delicious. That angel food cake thing, not so much! LOL.

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  3. I have only made pumpkin rolls - I think your lemon curd jelly rolls look AWESOME.

    I may have to branch out soon.

    I agree with that weird contemporary looking angel food cake "thing."

    I would actually laugh if I saw that served - hopefully no one would see me snickering, heh heh.

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  4. I've never made jelly rolls either and lemon curd sounds more appealing than jam.
    The angel food cake is sure odd looking, I guess back in the day it might have looked like a fun thing to do.
    Judith

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  5. Mmmm...way to go! Never made this either but now I'm tempted.

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  6. Looks refreshingly delicious! Never thought of making them a mini tea slice! Perfect!

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  7. How would you eat the angel cake loaf?

    I've made pumpkin rolls. These mini rolls look delicious & a much better size when there are only two people at my house.

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  8. Love your humor which I have not seen before. I was born in 1947. I wonder if my Mom made this recipe. Blessings

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  9. Don't you just love old cookbooks. :-) Good job on the jelly roll. I've never made one either.

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  10. The mini-lemon curd rolls look delicious and so perfect for tea time!

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  11. Yummm! The jelly roll does look good. I am trying this for my Christmas tea.

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  12. Love jelly rolls. My dad used to bring them home and we would put them in the freezer and get them out when my mom didn't have time to make dessert (which we had every night!). I really love these mini jelly rolls.

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