Jelly Roll
The trick to the making jelly roll is the treatment of the jelly roll pan (a 10” x 14” pan with sides) and the cooling of the cake.

Treatment of the jelly roll pan:
• The pan must be generously greased and lined with waxed paper.
•  Remove the waxed paper from the pan, flip it over and place it again on the greased pan.  Now you have the waxed paper greased on both sides and it is ready to hold the cake batter.

While the cake is baking:
• Place a clean dish towel on a flat surface.  The towel is the tool that will be shaping the cake roll.
•  Sprinkle the towel with powdered sugar.  The sugar acts as a barrier to prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.

Shaping the jelly roll:
• After baking the cake, loosen the edges of the cake while the cake is still hot from the oven.  If it is cool, the cake will not roll, but crack.
• Turn the cake over onto the powdered sugar-sprinkled towel.  It should flop out of the pan nicely.
• Immediately, while the cake is still hot, gently remove the waxed paper from the cake.
• Roll up the cake and the dish towel together, beginning on a short end of the cake.

Cooling of the cake:
• Let it thoroughly cool on a rack with the edge-side down.
• When it is cool, carefully unroll the cake, removing the dish towel.
• Spread the cake with your favorite jam.  It takes about a half cup of jam.
• Reroll the cake.
•Cut off the ends of the roll to make a nice clean cut and to expose the spirals of cake and colorful jam. 

Hint: Strawberry and red raspberry are colorful and delicious.  Blackberry or black raspberry jam are delicious, but seem to discolor the cake.  Peach is tasty, but is not as showy since it is yellow and the same color as the cake.

I like to cut the completed jelly roll in half.  I freeze one half and serve the other.

photo credit: hfb via photo pin cc