Description
This festive Candy Cane Roll is a delightful peppermint-flavored cake with striking red and white stripes, filled and frosted with a creamy peppermint cream cheese frosting studded with crushed candy canes. Perfect for holiday celebrations, this treat combines light, fluffy cake and smooth, tangy frosting for a visually impressive and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
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)
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 Oven and Pan: Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an 18 x 13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt until well combined.
- Beat Egg Whites: Using 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 granulated sugar while increasing the speed to high, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir in peppermint extract.
- Combine Batters: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined to form the white batter.
- Color Red Batter: Transfer a little more than half of the batter (about 350 g) into a separate medium bowl. Add red gel food coloring drops gradually, folding gently until the desired shade of red is reached.
- Pipe Batter Stripes: Fit two piping bags with round tips. Fill one with white batter and one with red batter. On the prepared baking sheet, pipe diagonal white lines starting from a corner, spaced 1 inch apart. Then pipe red batter in between the white lines, fully filling the gaps. Hold the piping bag tip just above the surface and turn the tip upward at the end of each stripe to prevent dripping.
- Bake the Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cake starts to pull from the sides and springs back gently when pressed in the center. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes.
- Roll Cake While Warm: Lightly dust a clean kitchen towel with flour. Invert the warm cake onto the towel and carefully peel off the parchment. Starting at a short end, tightly roll the cake into a spiral using the towel. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Prepare Frosting: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat confectioners’ sugar, softened butter, and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add peppermint extract and kosher salt and beat until combined. Add a small drop of red gel food coloring and beat until light pink. Finally, fold in crushed candy canes just until combined.
- Assemble the Cake: Gently unroll the cooled cake and remove the kitchen towel. Spread the frosting evenly over the cake surface. Carefully roll the cake back into a spiral. Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the outer surface.
- Chill and Serve: Refrigerate the filled cake for several hours to firm up. This cake can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated until serving.
Notes
- Use a clean kitchen towel dusted with flour to prevent the cake from sticking when rolling.
- Be gentle when folding the dry ingredients into egg whites to maintain airiness.
- The red batter is slightly looser; piping carefully prevents drips and maintains neat stripes.
- If red gel food coloring is unavailable, powdered or liquid food coloring can be substituted, but gel produces a more vibrant color.
- Make sure the cake cools completely before unrolling and frosting to avoid cracking.
- Crushed candy canes add a festive crunch; finely crush to avoid large chunks.
- Store the cake wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
