A TWIST TO A TRADITION

All families have one. A sacred family recipe. It shows up at all family functions. A family favorite. We have one, the Vienna Cake. A recipe that every grandmother husband aunt niece nephew in-law can make with their eyes closed. Except me. This cake has escaped me. Layers and layers of soft thick almond sponge cake separated with alternating chocolate and butter cream frosting. Heavenly. A cake even Marie Antoinette would adore. She was born in Austria, after all. Perhaps the cake was ironically named for her.

Of course, my two sons L-O-V-E this cake. And I have tried. Countless times. Time after time, the same result, the layers are flat as a pancake. The good news is my mind runs on auto pilot day dreaming. One day contemplating this cake, I thought to myself, why not skip the pans and just roll the cake up like a pinwheel? Vienna Roll Cake. Genius. Or how about Vienna Cupcakes? Humm…

So gather your supplies and follow this adventure and perhaps this cake will become your family favorite too.

This is what you will need-

Almond Sponge Cake

6 Eggs, separated, room temperature

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 ½ Tablespoons Cold Water

1 Teaspoon Almond Flavoring

! Cup Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Cake Flour

1 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder

Powdered Sugar

Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Flour

2 Cups Milk

½ Pound Butter

2 Teaspoons Almond Flavoring

Semi- Sweet Chocolate Squares

3 Tablespoons Cream Cheese

Start by making the frosting first, so it has time to cool to room temperature once the cake is baked and ready.

Mix the sugar and flour in a sauce pan.

Cook over moderate heat and lowly stir in the milk. Cook and stir constantly until thick and smooth.

Add the butter one teaspoon at a time, stirring until all the butter has been added.

It should be thick like pudding.

Divide the frosting into two containers.

Add a couple squares (6 or so) of the semi-sweet chocolate to one container. Let the chocolate melt then stir.

Add the cream cheese to the chocolate frosting and stir until there are no lumps.

Once the second container has cooled, add the almond flavoring and stir.

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.

Line the bottom of two 9" x 14" jelly roll pans with parchment paper.

Beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice, 1 ½ tablespoon cold water and almond flavoring until thick and pale.

Add ¾ cup of sugar little by little until all is added.

Whip the egg whites until foamy.

Add the salt and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the last ¼ cup of sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.

Fold about ¼ of the white mix into the yolk mix, slowly.

Continue until all the yolks and whites are combined, keeping it fluffy.

Sift the flour and baking powder little by little into the egg mix.

Carefully fold together, do not over stir.

Gently spoon the batter into the two prepared pans.

Bake about 15 minutes, or until a clean toothpick is removed. Do not over bake.

Let cool slightly until you can easily handle the warm pans.

Remove cake from pan by holding onto the parchment paper and sliding it out of the pan.

Lay a tea towel or linen cloth over the cake, then flip.

Gently pull the parchment paper off the cake.

Sprinkle cake with powder sugar.

Roll the cake on the short end with the towel to form pinwheel.

Repeat with second cake.

Once the cake is about room temperature, unroll the cake.

Frost the inside of the cake with the chocolate butter cream.

Roll the cake back up.

Place on a plate. Add a few toothpicks to secure.

Repeat for the second cake.

Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Remove toothpicks. Roll the cake over so the edge is on the side. Frost both cakes with the almond butter cream. It is a little runny, but that is good.

Take several squares of the semi-sweet chocolate and hold with parchment paper.

Using a hair dryer on low, warm one edge of the chocolate.

With a vegetable peeler form chocolate curls. The heat from your hand holding the chocolate should be enough to keep the chocolate at the right temperature for making easy curls.

With a pastry brush, sprinkle the chocolate curls on top of the frosted roll.

Cover with plastic wrap, use a couple of toothpicks to protect the plastic from sticking to the cake.

Refrigerate overnight.

So yummy.

And she said let them eat cake, Vienna Roll Cake.