The Perfect Jelly Roll Cake (Gâteau Roulé)

Preheat oven to 350℉.

Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), grease the bottom (but not the sides) of a 10" x 15” jelly roll pan with vegetable oil. Line the bottom of the greased pan with parchment paper, pressing down to remove any air bubbles. Set aside.Pro tip: By not greasing or covering the sides of the pan, the cake sticks to the sides of the pan, helping the cake to rise while baking.

Separate egg yolks into one large bowl and egg whites into a second large bowl.

Using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment) on high speed, beat the egg yolks until homogenous (about 1 minute).

Reduce the mixer to medium-high speed and slowly pour in ¼ cup of sugar. Continue to beat until mixture is pale yellow and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of the mixture (about 5 minutes).

With the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, then vanilla, until fully incorporated.

Reduce the mixer to low speed and add in roughly half of the flour, along with ¼ tsp salt. Mix until most of the flour is incorporated. Add in milk, followed by the remaining flour. Mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as necessary. Set aside.

In the second large bowl (or in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the clean wire whip attachment), beat egg whites on high speed until they begin to foam (about 30 seconds).Pro Tip: For the egg whites to mount properly, the bowl and mixer attachments need to be clean from any oils or egg yolk residue.

Sprinkle in cream of tartar and ¼ tsp of salt. Continue to mix on high speed for 60 seconds.

With the mixer still on high speed, slowly sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Continue to whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks, but are still silky and smooth in texture (about 3 minutes).

Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, fold ¼ of the egg whites into the egg yolk base. Add in remaining egg whites and gently fold into mixture just until fully incorporated (so as not to deflate the eggs).

Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread into a smooth, even layer. Firmly tap the pan onto to counter once or twice to further level out the batter and pop any large air bubbles.

Bake in the center of the oven until cake turns lightly golden brown and springs back when pressed gently (about 18 to 20 minutes).

Remove the cake from the oven. Allow to cool for exactly 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pass a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan.

To prevent sticking, sprinkle top of the cake with powdered sugar. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment paper.Pro Tip: I recommend using a kitchen towel for the best results. Other coverings may trap steam, leading to condensation and further sticking.

Using a wire rack or large sheet pan, invert the cake onto a flat surface. Carefully remove the pan and parchment paper from the (now) top of the cake.

Starting from the short side of the cake, gently roll the cake (along with the kitchen towel) into a spiral, resting the final roll on its seam. Allow to cool completely. (This step "trains" the cake to retain the spiral shape without cracking.)

While the cake is cooling, prepare the fresh raspberry jam and cream cheese-stabilized whipped cream.

In a small bowl, combine raspberry jam and fresh raspberries. Mash together with a fork until no large pieces of berry remain. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment, beat cream cheese on high speed until it is smooth and free from any lumps. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue beating mixture until smooth and creamy. (It should have the texture of cream cheese frosting.) With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in roughly ¼ cup of the cream and whip until smooth. Slowly pour in remaining cream and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

Once fully cooled, gently unroll the cake and separate it from the kitchen towel.

Spread an even layer of jam mixture onto the cake, leaving about an inch of space around the edges (so that the filling doesn’t ooze out).

Spread the cream cheese-stabilized whipped cream into an even layer of about ¼" thickness on top of the jam layer.

Very gently roll the cake back into its spiral shape. Set the cake on a platter, again resting the roll on its seam. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Serve, sliced, with any remaining fresh raspberries and whipped cream.