Easter Peeps Buttercream Jelly Roll is a fun Easter dessert that uses raspberry jam and Peeps-infused buttercream as a delicious filling for a vanilla sponge cake. So good! You will never look at Peeps the same way again!
3 3ozpackages Peeps plain(not dipped in chocolate or fudge) marshmallow chicks, any flavor or color or 9 oz total of any other shape (bunnies, seasonal shapes, etc)
¼cupwater
3large egg whites
pinchof salt
3sticks soft-but-still-cool unsalted butter
½teaspoonvanilla extract
To Finish and Decorate
1cupraspberry jam(or other jam of your choice)
Peeps and/or other Easter-themed decorations
Instructions
For the Vanilla Sponge
Line a half-sheet pan or jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment. Butter the parchment and sprinkle it with granulated sugar. Knock out excess. Set aside.
Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375F.
Spread out a lint free kitchen towel (not terry cloth) so it is flat. Sift on a liberal amount of powdered sugar. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip eggs with salt and vanilla for 2 minutes until foamy. Stream in the granulated sugar and whip for 7-8 minutes until the mixture triples in volume and is very thick, light, and billowy.
Place the flour in a fine sieve and then sieve it on top of the egg mixture. Fold the flour in gently but thoroughly until no floury pockets remain.
Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan and then use an offset spatula to spread to fill the pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown. Cake will spring back when pressed lightly. Do not overbake.
When the cake is done, loosen the edges from the pan (if necessary). Turn out onto the powdered sugar-coated kitchen towel.
Starting at a short edge of the cake, roll up the cake, parchment and tea towel all together into a tight cylinder.
Set aside on a rack to cool completely, about one hour.
To Make the Peeps Buttercream
Place all the Peeps and the water in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Stirring frequently, heat the Peeps over medium heat until they all melt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Turn the heat up to medium high and cook the syrup until it reaches 245F on an instant read or candy thermometer.
Once the mixture reaches about 230F, whip the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium high and whip to medium peaks. If the syrup hasn't reached 245 yet, leave the mixer on low so the whites don't set up.
Once the syrup reaches 245F, turn up the mixer to medium and stream the syrup down the inside of the mixing bowl. Don't scrape the pan, but try to let as much syrup drip in as you can.
Increase speed to high and whip until room temperature, about 7-8 minutes.
Whip in the vanilla.
Add the butter, about a tablespoon at a time, whisking all the while. The mixture will thin out a bit and then thicken back up by the time you've added the last half of the 3rd stick of butter.
To Assemble the Jelly Roll
Carefully unroll the cake, peeling off the parchment as you go.
Spread the raspberry jam in a very thin layer all over the surface of the cake.
Hold back about 3/4 cup of the buttercream and spread the rest on top of the jam, leaving about 1" clear at the end. The buttercream will be about 1/4" thick or so. Re-roll the cake as tightly as you can, trying to get a nice "curl" in the center. I could have done better. Alas. Still tastes good though!
Cut a thin slice from either end of the cake, leaving your lovely swirly pattern for everyone to see. Stuff those ends into your mouth.
Place the cake, seam side down, on a serving tray. Ice with a very thin coat of the remaining buttercream. Decorate however you want.