Sponge Cake: Repeat recipe 4 times making 5 jelly roll sponge cakes

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. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, after sifting to batter. Just beat until batter is smooth.

4.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.

5.While hot carefully roll cake and towel together from narrow end (10 1/2 inch). Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.

6.Repeat this recipe and process 4 more times. Adding food gel color to water for each cake making batter color well blended.

7.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: 

8.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. 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

Remove sponge cakes from freezer- allow to thaw to room temperature. 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.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.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

Rinse mixing bowl of stand mixer with vinegar, as whipping egg whites need a grease-free bowl to whip properly. Attach whisk attachment but keep paddle handy.

• 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. 

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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.                                                                

  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.

• 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. Attach candy melt tulips and pipe leaves to top of cake.  

• Chill cake at least 60 minutes before cutting and serving for best vertical layering and cutting.

Tulip Candy Melt 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.
• 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. 
• To Serve this masterpiece: Use a warm chef’s knife for a smooth cut. Slice in small wedges as this cake is very rich.