Angel food Cake Roll w/ Pomegranate

This time let's roll with it in a sweet way instead of a savory way. A cake roll may be a bit old fashioned but we could consider it "timeless" or "classic". You may have had a pumpkin cake roll this Autumn and probably loved it, I know I did. Today I used the last of my pomegranate stash in this angel food cake roll. Few ingredients, ease of preparation and enjoyed by all. No wonder it's a keeper.

Angel Food Cake Roll
1 angel food cake mix
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups pomegranate arils
lime zest for garnish
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 17 x 12 inch baking sheet that has sides with parchment paper and then spray the paper with cooking spray that has both oil and flour. Prepare cake batter according to package directions (the one I use requires 1 1/4 cup water and a total mixing time of 1 minute 30 seconds). Then spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the cake is set and the top is light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Spread out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Lift the cake from the pan by grasping the parchment paper. Turn upside down onto the powdered sugar towel, removing the parchment paper from the cake. Allow to cool 3 or 4 more minutes then beginning with a short side, roll the cake in the towel. Set towel and cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Whip the cream to very stiff peaks. Add the sugar and salt and mix well. Fold in the pomegranate arils with a rubber scraper. Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread with the whipped cream mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a 2 inch gap on the outer edge (the filling will move to fill in this gap as you re-roll the cake). Gently re-roll the cake and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then unwrap, slice into 1 inch rounds and garnish with lime zest. Refrigerate any leftover cake sealed in plastic wrap.

Hints: It is very seldom I call for store bought mixes in my recipes but this is a time when a commercially prepared mix provides such convenience and such a time savings that I feel it is worth it. I have made this cake roll using angle food made from scratch and from a mix, both in the last 30 days. Each way worked great but the mix saved me time and I didn't need to find a way to use 12 egg yolks that were left over. If you want to make it from scratch, there are plenty of great angel food cake recipes out there--pick your favorite and go for it. As for me, I'll be using the store bought mix the majority of the time. The cream needs to be very stiffly beaten, just shy of becoming butter, so that it will hold up. The arils need to be dry if you use the underwater method of preparing them. Getting the roll very cold is helpful for slicing it but I wouldn't let it freeze solid as the texture of the cream will change somewhat; although the taste would be the same. Use a serrated knife to cut the roll. Garnish with orange zest or mint or chopped pistachios or what ever you have on hand. This method and recipe would be really good with another fruit such as raspberries or chopped dark chocolate or chopped nuts or all three. The pomegranates are heavenly though, and you should try it with them if you can.

This cake roll is reminiscent of Black Rice in Cream on Meringue Nests , a previous post from this pomegranate season. Thanks again to Craig for the lovely and delightful box of JOY. I thank you and my family thanks you and so do my lucky friends (the ones who participated in Pomegranate Season 2012).