Old-Fashioned Jelly Roll

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 4 large eggs, straight from the fridge
• 7 ounces plain or toasted sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 ounces pistachio oil, roasted hazelnut oil, or melted ghee or melted butter
• 1/2 ounce vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal blue label
• For the filling:
• 1/2 recipe Cranberry Jam, brought to room temperature; volume and weight for alternative will vary substantially
• For the Frosting:
• 1/2 recipe Apple Cinnamon Sugar
• 12 ounces heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the lower-middle position, then heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment on the bottom of an aluminum half-sheet pan and grease it with pan spray or oil.
2. For the cake, put the eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat on medium-low until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks even, glossy, loose, and just starting to show tiny bubbles throughout, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium and keep going until the color lightens to pale yellow, the batter falls from the whisk in ribbons, and fine bubbles make it look foamy, about 5 minutes. Raise the speed to high and whip until the mixture is very light in color, about doubled, and thick enough for the whisk to carve a swirling trail as it moves, about 5 minutes. If you let some drip from the whisk into the bowl, it should pile up briefly before smoothing back down. Treat the timing as a guide, since mixers vary quite a bit in power, size, and bowl-to-beater clearance; the look and texture of the mixture matter most.
3. When the egg mixture is thick and airy, lower the speed to medium-high and pour in the vanilla and oil or melted butter together in a steady stream. Right away, drop the mixer to medium-low and tip in all of the sifted flour at once. As soon as the flour is almost mixed in, stop the machine and take off the whisk attachment. Holding the attachment from the top, use it to stir the batter by hand a few times so the flour disappears. With a flexible spatula, fold up from the bottom once or twice, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level it with an offset spatula. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cake is risen, lightly browned all the way across, and springy but still plush enough to keep a slight mark when you gently press it.
4. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, lay 2 wide strips of foil over the half-sheet pan. Protect your hand with a kitchen towel or oven mitt while you crimp the foil around the pan’s edges. Let the cake cool to about 70 degrees F (21 degrees C); too warm and the filling can melt, too cold and the cake may firm up and crack as you roll it.
5. Run a butter knife around the pan to free the cooled cake’s edges. Stir the cranberry jam well, then smooth it evenly over the cake. If you swap in a different jam or jelly, the amount can change a lot by both weight and volume because consistency and moisture vary. Starting at the widest side, use the parchment underneath to lift the edge of the cake and fold it inward so it begins to roll. Keep rolling with the parchment as your helper, lifting and guiding the cake while the paper pulls away naturally.
6. Move the rolled cake to a large platter and serve right away, or cover it with plastic until you need it. For the optional frosting, whip the apple-cinnamon sugar, cream, and salt until the mixture is thick and firm enough to spread; it can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and spread over the cake just before serving. Or finish the cake with powdered sugar instead. Without frosting, the cake will keep for about 24 hours at room temperature; with whipped cream frosting, cover it, refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, and let it come back to room temperature for about an hour before serving.