Strawberry Cream Roll

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Confectioners' sugar for garnish
• 1 cup sliced strawberries, for garnish

Strawberry Cream Filling

• 1/2 pound ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 3 tablespoons Amaretto (or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring)
• 3 cups sliced strawberries

Method

1. Cake: Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10 x 15-inch jellyroll pan and line it with wax paper. Grease the paper lining.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg yolks with sugar until mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add almond extract.
4. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and add dry ingredients to the batter.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; gently fold them into the batter.
6. Pour batter into prepared jellyroll pan; bake for 10 to 13 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Turn the cake over onto a towel that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Lift off the pan and let cake cool for 10 minutes.
8. Remove wax paper. Roll cake with the towel, jellyroll fashion, and let it sit in the rolled position, on a rack, for 20 minutes while it continues to cool.
9. When the cake has cooled completely, unroll. Spread the inside with the Strawberry Cream Filling. Spoon the 3 cups of sliced strawberries over the cheese filling. Re-roll the cake to form a log and place seam side down on a platter. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar and garnish with the cup of sliced berries. Chill cake for 1 hour before serving.
10. Strawberry Cream Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat ricotta cheese until it is light and fluffy.
11. Add apricot preserves and Amaretto; mix thoroughly.