Why do we no longer celebrate someone’s birthday once they have passed from our world? I try to, even though sometimes I have some explaining to do.  And while I don’t buy the departed gifts, I try to at least make a cake. It makes me happy to remember someone special, plus I get to eat cake. And who doesn’t like cake?

This cake is for my Nan, Betty Ivanski. We ate a lot of jelly rolls when I was a kid, and every single one of them from the A&P. I don’t remember Betty ever making a cake, but I do remember that she like jelly rolls.

This recipe is from the Blue Ribbon Cook Book first published in 1950. It’s a little spiral bound book with common sense recipes for the “homemaker who wants private cooking lessons in her own kitchen.”

It’s a quick recipe to put together, I had a finished cake in 90 min. It’s definitely better then the ones from the A&P, I think it would have made Betty happy.

Happy Birthday Nan

xo

Jelly Roll                                                                                         Yield:10 inch roll

(Angel Food Method)

3/4 cup sifted cake flour

1 tsp. Blue Ribbon Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. Blue Ribbon Vanilla Extract

Icing sugar

1 cup apricot jelly or jam

Set oven for hot, 400 F. Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit into the bottom of a 10 x 15 x 1″ pan. Grease bottom of pan and line with the paper; grease lightly.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. beat the eggs until light-coloured and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the beaters leave tracks in the mixture. Beat in vanilla. Add the sifted flour mixture, about a third at a time, and fold gently after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly into the corners. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly with the fingertips.

While cake is baking, sprinkle a tea towel generously with icing sugar. Remove cake from the oven; immediately cut off the crisp edges with a sharp knife, using a gentle sawing motion. Turn cake out onto tea towel. Peel off the paper. Roll cake up carefully with the towel starting from the short side. Cool on a rack, seam side down. When ready to serve, carefully unroll the cake. Spread with the apricot jelly and reroll. Sprinkle with additional icing sugar.