Just roll with it

There’s a lot of talk of animation at my house. My 14-year-old daughter is obsessed with cartoons, anime and animated films. She’s often asking me if she can prepare a food featured in a cartoon that was drawn to be delicious.

When I think about it, almost all recipes and foods catered to children’s senses are photoshopped and/or impossible. Think of children’s cookbooks with easy recipes. In my opinion, if they aren’t the equivalent of peanut butter on graham crackers, they’re recipes with names like “fairy paradise boats” and require help from an adult.

I was brainstorming new recipes with her, and she suggested this ube roll cake, which she had seen on a cartoon. I prefer Japanese-style roll cakes, so we based this one on a cream filling. Japanese cakes are so light that freezing the whole thing was the best option for setting. The pastry in an ice cream cake is often tasteless and hard, but this was so soft and airy that it worked.

Once we sliced into this cake, I had to admit, it looked magical — especially with cups of steaming matcha — like a cozy afternoon from a cartoon scene.

Ice Cream Ube Roll Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons avocado or other neutral oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ube flavoring
• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the cream:

• 1 cup cream
• 3 tablespoons coconut cream, chilled
• 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 10-by-10-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, sift the sugar through the salt (1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar). Whisk to combine. Add milk, egg yolks, oil and ube flavoring; whisk together.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites for 30 seconds on low speed until foamy. Add the 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and increase speed. Add sugar and increase speed to medium high, beating until you have stiff peaks. Fold in half of the egg whites into the batter to lighten, and then fold in the rest.

Pour the batter into the cake pan then spread to even it out with a spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 15 minutes. Do a poke test to see if a toothpick comes out clean. The cake should be fluffy.

Cool, then flip it out onto a rack. Cool for 5 more minutes and then flip it onto a large piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment, roll it into a spiral.

In a clean bowl, add the cream, coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk. Beat the cream until medium stiff.

Unroll the cake onto plastic wrap. Remove the parchment paper. Spread with the cream and roll up the cake, using the plastic wrap to hold its shape, wrapping it securely.

Freeze the cake overnight. To serve, unwrap it and cut into pieces