Create this lovely almond flavored vertical cake with upright layers for your next Spring soiree.Light sponge jelly roll cakes in graduated hot pink to white colors makes the inside vertical layers something to rave about!

Almond Buttercream between the layers provide weight to the vertical cake layer lines while Swiss Meringue Buttercream covers the outside of the cake. It is not only pretty to look at… it tastes wonderful. This is a special occasion kind-of-a cake so allow for a couple of days to make. Anyone can make this cake just take your time and read the instructions before beginning. Note: this recipe uses a lot of butter and sugar.

How to Make Swiss Almond Vertical Pink Stripe Cake

Vertical cakes are all the rage and this one will not disappoint. Layers of sponge cake rolls filled with buttercream frosting is one continuous cake roll. A total of five jelly roll cakes are cut in half vertically into 15″ x 5″ strips. As one strip is rolled another strip is connected to the edge of the first rolled cake strip. This process is continued until all the cakes are used. Then the grand reveal! Turn the rolled cake upright so you see the spiraled cakes and frost with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I froze the cake overnight and frosted the next day, which made the cake easier to frost and slice once thawed. The cake is a 9″ round 5″ tall cake and heavy in weight. To make a smaller 6″ cake use 3 sponge jelly roll cakes instead of 5.

       

Plan ahead with these ingredients for the 5 jelly roll cakes. 15 large eggs, cups of sugar, 3-3/4 cups all purpose flour, 5 teaspoons baking powder, 2-1/2 teaspoons salt. In addition you will need food gel colors; deep pink, neon pink, soft pink and white. Or you can mix your own graduated pink color with deep pink and white.

Buttercream Frosting will take 3-1/2 recipes to spread over the 5″ wide cake strip layers. Here is what you will need: 2-1/2 pounds butter or 9 1/2 sticks, 2-2 pound bags confectioners sugar or 12 1/2 cups, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 3 tablespoons almond extract.

Swiss Meringue Frosting will take 6 large egg whites, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 4-1/2 sticks butter and 2 teaspoons almond extract. A cooking thermometer is a must have.

Prepping to Make Sponge Jelly Roll Cakes

For best results make sure your eggs are at room temperature and use super fine sugar. If you don’t have super fine sugar, process the amount needed in a food processor a few seconds. Also measure out the flour, baking powder and salt by the spoon and level method measuring or if you want to use a scale by ounces. Have the dry ingredients sifted together and ready to add to the whipped eggs. This just makes the process quicker as you will be making 5 recipes. Make one cake recipe at a time.

Color Plan for Vertical Layer Cake

Note: Cake recipes one and two will be natural batter with white food gel, cake three will be soft pink, cake four deep pink and cake 5 neon pink. When assembling cake, white cakes will be rolled first as this is the center of the cake followed by soft pink, deep pink and neon pink. Of course you can make any color combination you want, just think about the look knowing that the first two cakes will be your center of cake. Adding the number of drops depends on how deep you want your colors. Mixing food gel in 1/3 cup water in recipe will help you see the intensity of the color before adding to batter.

Baking Sheet, Tea Towel and Preheat Oven

Spread out a flour sack or tea towel on counter. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the surface of the tea towel as this is where the warm cake will be flipped onto and rolled like a jelly roll.

Let’s Make this Jelly Roll Sponge Cake

1. Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Spray with cooking spray a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch baking sheet, line with parchment paper, spray top side of paper. Allow parchment on the narrow end and sides to extend over the pan for easy release. Set aside while you make the sponge batter.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat 3 whole large eggs on high speed until very thick and lemon colored. This will take about 5 minutes. Don’t skip this process.
3. Gradually add sugar continue to beat. For first cake add white food gel with 1/3 cup of water and vanilla, mix to combine, then add to batter. Mix on low speed.
4. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, after sifting to batter. Just beat until batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into parchment lined baking sheet. Tap baking sheet gently on counter to remove any air bubbles. Place in oven on middle rack. Bake cake for 12-15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert cake on towel sprinkled confectioner sugar. Carefully remove the parchment paper.
6. While hot carefully roll cake and towel together from narrow end (10 1/2 inch). Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.
7. Repeat this recipe and process 4 more times. Adding food gel color to water for each cake making batter color well blended.

 

 

 

Assemble & Frosting Vertical Pink Stripe Cake

Unroll each cake roll, cut in half lengthwise making 2 -5 inch wide x 15″ cake strips. Cut parchment paper, wax paper or plastic wrap 5″ wide, place one of those pieces on top of each cake strip, re-roll each cake. Wrap in foil and freeze or chill until ready to frost. Cakes are easier to frost when they are well chilled. If you freeze cake rolls, bring them to room temperature so you can unroll them easily.

Make Almond Buttercream Frosting

You will make 3 1/2 recipes of buttercream frosting for the 9 inch x 5 inch cake layers.

1.Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add room temperature 1-1/2 cups salted butter, 3-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat on medium speed to blend all together. Mixture will look dry.

2.Gradually add 1 tablespoon almond extract and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Whip on high speed, then add remaining 2 tablespoons cream. Buttercream should be smooth and creamy. If it is not spreadable, add tiny bit more cream, if it is too runny, add more confectioner’s sugar. You shouldn’t have any problem with these measurements as it makes a beautiful buttercream. Set aside frosting.

Assemble Cake Rolls into the Large Jelly Roll

1. Remove sponge cakes from freezer- allow to thaw to room temperature. 2.Carefully unroll each cake color, remove paper inside. Spread each cake roll with buttercream frosting about 1/4″ thick. Spread evenly with an off set spatula. 3.Roll white cake strip into a tight jelly roll, place next cake roll connecting to the rolled cake, continue to roll cakes jelly roll style. You will have 4 white cake strips, 2 soft pink strips, 2 deep pink, and 2 neon pink cake strips to roll into the 9″ round. 4.When cakes get to big to roll and it will. Sit the cake upright on a 9″ cake board so you see the top of the rolled cake, continue pressing frosted strips in same manner around the cake using all the cake strips. Wrap entire 9″ cake with plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight. Make Swiss Meringue for frosting the outside of the cake. Using buttercream on the outside too makes the entire cake overly sweet, Swiss Meringue is more butter flavored and less confectionery.

Prepare Swiss Meringue Frosting

1.In a heatproof mixing bowl, add egg whites, make sure you do not have any egg yolk in the whites as the mixture will not whip properly. In a medium saucepan filled with 1/2 inch of water, bring to a soft boil over medium high heat. Place mixing bowl of egg whites along with sugar and salt over the boiling water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture reaches 160°F using digital thermometer. Remove from heat place egg whites in a clean mixing bowl of stand mixer. (rinse mixing bowl with vinegar to remove any grease or butter-this is necessary for the egg whites to whip into meringue buttercream.)

2.Using whisk attachment, whip egg mixture for 10 minutes on high speed until mixture becomes glossy and firm peaks. Mixture should also be room temperature before you add the butter.

3.Remove whisk attachment and switch to paddle attachment. Gradually add softened 2-3 butter cubes at a time to the egg whites, beat until all is incorporated, mixture will be pale and smooth, add almond extract. Keep adding butter cubes a few at time until all butter is added to frosting. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl occasionally.

Tinting Swiss Meringue for Two Tone Frosting

4.Divide frosting into 4 bowls with 1/4 being white, 1/4 light pink, 1/2 dark pink/neon.Tint frostings to get desired colors. You will need the largest amount to cover sides of cake.

5. Remove cake from freezer, unwrap, place on cake stand. Using an off set spatula, spread a thin layer of white meringue on the top and about one inch down sides of cake. Let stand to firm up about 5 minutes. Repeat thin layer with deep pink meringue on the base of the cake. Return to refrigerator to chill about 20 minutes.

6. Finally coat the base of the cake with remaining light pink, and deep pink meringue spreading with off set spatula and repeat with the white meringue on the top of the cake. To make the cake smooth, warm your off set spatula with hot warm, dry off and smooth out cake lines. You can also use a wet paper towel to smooth the sides and top of cake.

7. Pipe #10 piping tip using leftover pink frosting to the top of the cake in dollops to adhere the candy melt tulips. Placing three petals to form one tulip. Pipe green frosting using tip 352 leaf tip to create tulip leaves and round tip # 10 to pipe stems. Stand back and enjoy this cake!

8.Return to refrigerator to firm up before cutting into slices. Cake is very easy to cut, use a large chef’s knife (dipped in hot water and dried off) for a clean cut.

How to Make Candy Melt Tulips for Cake Garnish

Melt 1 cup pink candy melts in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals until melted. Melt 1/2 cup white candy melts repeating melting directions. Using a plastic spoon, brush white melts in streaks on the inside of the spoons. Chill in refrigerator to set about 10 minutes.

Remove spoons from refrigerator and dip spoon into melted pink candy melts coating over the white, turn spoon upside down to remove excess melt. Return to refrigerator to chill for about 10-15 minutes. Gently slide the “petals” off the spoons to form one petal. Three petals make one tulip. Plan on making more than you think you will need for some will break. I used 15 to make 5 tulips.

I know this is long recipe but it is a fun cake to make and not difficult, just very time consuming. Making this cake in the following steps will help you master this technique.

Day 1: Bake all the jelly roll sponge cakes in one day. Roll and cut cakes into 15 x 5″ strips. Wrap and freeze.

Day 2: Make Tulip Candy Melt Garnishes, wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

Day 3: Make buttercream frosting- tint in desired colors. Cover with wet paper towel until ready to frost strips. Thaw jelly roll strips, unroll and frost, re-roll strips into large rolled 9″ cake. Wrap and freeze 3 hours to over night.

Day 4: Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting, divide in 3/4 and 1/4, tint in colors, frost cake. Pipe green tulip leaves and pink dollops to secure pink & white candy melt tulip leaves in place on top of cake. Back to refrigerator to chill until serving time.

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This cake was featured in All About the Table Digital magazine Spring Issue 2024. Hope you will make this cake.