Description
This Candy Cane Roll is a festive and visually striking dessert perfect for the holidays. Featuring a light peppermint-flavored sponge cake with alternating red and white stripes, it is filled with a creamy peppermint cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for extra crunch and flavor. The cake is tender, rolled tightly, and bursting with seasonal holiday spirit.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
- Cooking spray
- 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 9 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 drops red gel food coloring (or more as needed)
For the Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups (283 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 small drop red gel food coloring
- 1/2 cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and pan: Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an 18" x 13" baking sheet with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt until combined.
- Beat egg whites: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until they begin to thicken. Slowly add the granulated sugar, then increase the speed to high and continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form. Beat in the peppermint extract.
- Fold dry ingredients: Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture until just combined.
- Divide and color batter: Transfer a little more than half of the batter (about 350 g) into a medium bowl, add red gel food coloring, and gently fold to achieve the desired shade. The remaining batter (about 250 g) will remain white.
- Pipe stripes: Divide the red and white batters into separate piping bags fitted with 5/8" to 1/2" round tips. Starting at a corner of the baking sheet, diagonally pipe white lines about 1" apart. Pipe the red batter between each white line, filling all space. Hold the piping bag just above the tip and turn it up at the end of each line to avoid drips.
- Bake the cake: Bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides and springs back when lightly pressed in the center, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool for 5 minutes.
- Roll the cake: Lightly dust a clean kitchen towel with flour using a sieve. Turn the warm cake out onto the towel, peel off the parchment paper, and starting at a short end, carefully roll the cake into a tight spiral. Let cool completely for about 1 hour.
- Prepare the frosting: In the large bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add peppermint extract and salt, beating until combined. Add red gel food coloring and beat until light pink. Stir in crushed candy canes just until combined.
- Assemble the cake: Unroll the cooled cake, remove the kitchen towel, and place on a cutting board or platter. Spread the frosting evenly over the cake surface, then gently roll it back up into a spiral. Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the outside.
- Chill before serving: The filled cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day ahead before serving to enhance flavors and maintain freshness.
Notes
- Make sure to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form for a light and airy cake texture.
- The red batter tends to be looser; hold the piping bag tip carefully to avoid drips while piping.
- Use a clean kitchen towel dusted with flour to roll the cake while warm to prevent cracking.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before unrolling and frosting to avoid tearing.
- Keep the finished roll refrigerated if making ahead to keep the frosting firm and the cake fresh.
- Crushed candy canes add a nice peppermint crunch but can be omitted or substituted with finely chopped peppermint candies for texture variation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
