Homemade Valentine Treat: Strawberry Sensation Swiss Cake Roll

Valentines Day is upon us and for the first recipe in my homemade valentine treat series, I am rollin'...rollin'...rollin' out a cake roll! 

I have always been a fan of Swiss rolls since I was a little girl. My first Swiss roll was Little Debbie's classic version. I created my version of this dessert and in the process, I learned about the history of this tasty treat from the company that introduced it to America. According to the Little Debbie company, they introduced the Little Debbie Swiss Roll to America over 50 years ago. The treat began in central Europe and made its way to a small Tennessee town—and then all over America. 

O.D. McKee, owner and founder of McKee Foods and the Little Debbie brand, attended a European trade show in 1962 and came across a “mini Swiss roll,” a small, rolled cake modeled after a popular Swiss dessert called a roulade. They were being made in Europe by several high-volume manufacturers and were very popular there. The Little Debbie company began manufacturing this treat in America when he returned from the trip and since then, it has become a beloved treat to many across this country.

A popular filling for this dessert is strawberry. Smuckers makes a seedless strawberry spreadable fruit called Simply Fruit that I like to use in my Swiss cake roll. I have plated it on my Rosanna serving platter in the beautiful red, white and black "French Linen" pattern that is my china pattern for the dining table during the month of February.     

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...keep those cake rolls rollin'! -xo Angela

Strawberry Sensation Swiss Cake Roll

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Filling:

1/2 cup Smuckers Simply Fruit seedless strawberry spreadable fruit

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray jelly roll pan with cooking spray, or grease with butter and line pan with wax paper. In medium bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, add eggs and vanilla. Beat egg mixture on high speed for 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat until dissolved. Add dry flour mixture to egg mixture in thirds, mixing on low speed in between additions. Beat mixture until just combined. Pour batter into jelly roll pan. Spread batter evenly over pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle cloth with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto cloth. Peel off wax paper from cake; slowly roll up cloth and cake. Cool. Unroll cake. Place strawberry filling in small bowl. Drop dollops of filling by the spoonful across cake and spread evenly to cover entire cake. Roll up the cake again and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar. Enjoy!