Hello Friends! July is the time to celebrate our friend of the month, Keroppi! Our adventure-loving friend lives with his family in a big house on the edge of Donut Pond, the largest and bluest pond around. Keroppi has a bubbly personality, is very active, and a fantastic swimmer. His birthday is July 10th so let’s sing him happy birthday and make him a roll cake!
About the Guest Blogger
Anabelle Brown is a baker based out of Southern California. Similar to Keroppi, she loves adventure and is very active..mainly in the confines of her kitchen! She finds baking to be quite ribbiting! You can follow along with her sweet ventures on her Instagram page (@bananabellebrown).
About the Recipe
This recipe features a decorated roll cake inspired by Keroppi as well as light summer flavors. The cake highlights the tropical plant, pandan, which grows abundantly in Southeast Asia. It is known as a “fragrant plant” due to its unique and sweet aroma. Pandan is described as grassy with hints of rose, almond, and vanilla. We will be extracting pandan juice to flavor and naturally color our sponge cake then fill it with homemade whipped cream and strawberries as an ode to Keroppi’s beloved red and white striped shirt.
Keroppi Deco Roll Cake
{Yields 8 servings}
Ingredients:
{Paste}
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (30g)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar (30g)
- 1/3 cup cake flour, sifted (40g)
- 1 large egg white (30g)
- Gel color: pink, red, green, blue, and black
{Cake}
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided (75g)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (45g)
- 40 ml pandan juice*
- 2/3 cup cake flour (65g)
- 1/2 tablespoon milk powder
{Filling}
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240g)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (40g)
- 5 medium strawberries, sliced
Tools:
- Blender/food processor
- Cheesecloth
- 10” x 15” Jelly roll pan
- Parchment paper
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
- Scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Piping bags
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Sifter
- Cutting board
- Tea towel
- Plastic wrap
- Knife
- Offset spatula
- Keroppi design template (download here)
Step-by-step instructions:
1. Pandan juice*: Pandan leaves can typically be found in the frozen section at an Asian grocery store. Blend together 40 ml of water and 13 g of pandan leaves until fine, use cheesecloth to extract 40 ml of pandan juice.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 10” x 15” jelly roll pan, place the printed template in the sheet pan then line with parchment paper.
3. To make the paste for the design, take a spatula and mix butter and sugar together until fully incorporated. Add flour and mix until partially incorporated. Then add egg white and mix until smooth.
4. Divide paste into 6 little bowls for the following colors and measurements: white (30g), pink (10g), red (25g), green (25g), blue (20g), and black (20g).
5. A little gel color goes a long way! Mix until just incorporated and transfer pastes into piping bags.
6. Pipe design onto the parchment paper following the template design. Begin with Keroppi’s face details with black, followed by his pink cheeks. Next, fill in his eyes with white, careful to not distort the black details. Use the red paste to pipe the treble clefs and tulip flowers. Following the red, pipe with the green to finish the flowers and also the lily pads. Lastly, pipe the blue music notes. Yippee, you finished the design! Remove the template and place the pan in the fridge to allow the design to set while you prepare the cake batter.
7. In a clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks.
8. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, ¼ cup sugar, and salt, whisk until sugar is dissolved and yolks are lightened in color. Add vegetable oil, whisk until combined. Add pandan juice and mix well.
9. Sieve together cake flour and milk powder then add into wet ingredients. Whisk until just combined.
10. Add meringue into batter in 3 batches. For each addition, gently fold the batter using a balloon whisk until combined before incorporating more meringue. After all of the meringue is mixed in, you can use a spatula to ensure the bottom of the mixture is fully incorporated and that there are no remaining streaks of batter or meringue.
11. Pour batter over design, spreading the batter into an even layer using an offset spatula. Tap the pan a few times on a table or countertop to remove air bubbles and level out the batter.
12. Bake for 14 minutes or until the top is lightly brown and springy as well as when the edges are just beginning to brown.
13. Remove from the oven. Carefully invert warm cake on a piece of parchment paper backed by a solid surface like a large cutting board. Carefully peel off parchment paper, revealing the design. Dust a clean tea towel liberally with powdered sugar and lay it on top of the cake. Flip cake over so the design is facing down, remove parchment.
14. Starting with the side of the cake without the design, roll the cake in the towel. Doing this while the cake is warm will give the cake a “muscle memory” and allow you to roll it up later with the filling without cracking.
\15. Let the rolled cake cool for 1 hour or until completely cool to the touch.
16. Place heavy whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or use a bowl with a hand mixer. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Increase to medium high and beat until the whisk starts to leave trails in the cream. Add in sugar and beat until cream holds medium-stiff peaks.
17. Carefully unroll the cake, making sure the cake releases from the towel and that the decorations on the cake stay in place. Spread 2/3 of the whipped cream into an even layer over the whole cake, leaving about 1/2 inch bare at the far end. Place the sliced strawberries in 6 columns. Spread the remaining whipped cream thinly over the strawberries.
18. Gently roll up the cake, taking care not to use too much pressure. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. It helps to place items to the left and right of the length of the cake roll such as blocks of butter to keep it propped up while it chills.
19. To serve, cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife. Using a gentle hand while handling the roll cake and cutting, pull the knife gently towards you, letting the weight of the knife do the cutting. Try not to press down or the design will compress into the cake.
20. Way to go! Time to enjoy your Keroppi masterpiece! The roll cake will keep, tightly wrapped and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Please note: Sanrio has invited, but does not necessarily endorse, the comments of this guest blogger. Any ideas or instructions for homemade products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters are authorized for personal use only. A separate license from Sanrio is always required to sell or distribute any products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters. The contents of this blog are the copyrighted works of Sanrio.