Jellyrolls

Sponge cakes belong to the family of foam cakes, along with angel and chiffon. They are leavened by incorporating air into beaten eggs and contain little or no shortening. What distinguishes sponge cakes from other foam cakes is that they use both egg whites and yolks, beaten separately.

A crucial step is beating the egg whites stiff. Be sure that there is no trace of egg yolk on the beaters or the whites will not foam. The beaten whites must be folded into the mixture of beaten yolks and flour very gently, just until no streaks of either foam are visible.

When sponge cakes are used for jellyrolls, the batter is baked in a thin, even layer. Pans used for baking these cakes come in a variety of sizes, but all have sides about 1 inch high.

Regardless of the filling used, the cake needs to be rolled while still warm to prevent it from cracking. This may be done from either direction, depending on the size of spiral and length desired.

If a jelly filling is added, it should be spread quickly in a thin layer to within one inch of the edges before the cake is rolled. When using a cream mixture, roll the warm cake together with a clean kitchen towel. After cooling, unroll the cake, fill and reroll.

Chopped strawberries folded into sweetened whipped cream make an easy filling. Reserve five or six whole berries for garnish. Dust the outside of the cake with powdered sugar, pipe dollops of whipped cream on top and add the berries.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE ROLL

4 eggs, separated

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup cake flour, sifted

Salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Beat egg yolks lightly in large bowl. Add 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until mixture is thick and falls slowly from beaters, leaving ribbon-like trail. Beat in vanilla, then gently fold in flour, 1/3 cup at a time.

Using clean beaters, beat egg whites until foamy in another large bowl. Add dash salt and cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture just until no streaks remain.

Spread batter evenly in 15x11-inch jellyroll pan that has been greased, floured and lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees until top springs back when gently pressed with finger, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes.

Turn cake out onto kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove paper from bottom of cake. Trim crust on all sides. Carefully roll up cake in towel and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 1 cake, about 12 servings.

Each serving, without filling or icing, contains about:

89 calories; 50 mg sodium; 71 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.