Jelly Roll Cream Cake

tooI must tell you that lately I’m in my element… I love nothing more than recreating retro or vintage elaborations, especially those from the 50s and 60s. I feel very identified with this era and style. After the incredible Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake, I leave you with this beautiful cake known as Jelly Roll Cream Cake. You could say that it is a cream and cherry cake. But it is much more than that.

Those of you who know me, will know well that the style of this cake was what fascinated me at first. Even without knowing what it was made of or how to make it, I knew I was going to do it. Those sides of sponge cake rolled with a spiral of jam… Fantasy. The filling, the decoration, each and every detail that comprises this cake, made me fall in love with it.

How I discovered the Jelly Roll Cream Cake.

Thanks to Pinterest, as in many other occasions. As soon as you show a minimum of interest in any subject, in my case specific recipes, I keep getting suggestions of dishes that I think I will like. And, for the most part, that’s the way it is..

I fell in love completely.

The cake is part of a cookbook called “Carnation Cook Book” by Mary Blake (if you click on this link, you can see it in the third image of the carousel). I will tell you that, as a curious fact, I spent a long time looking for information about this supposed gastronomic writer, Mary Blake, without finding anything.

I found it very strange that there was nothing on the internet about her and even more so having written so many cookbooks. There are many cookbooks published to surprise your husband, set up festive tables and make the best and most elaborate desserts. Ok, searching a lot I came to a website where it is specified that the Carnation Company, created a pseudonym under the name of Mary Blake.

You can imagine my face, right? Wow, what a disappointment. In my head I had already created the image of this woman who wanted to help women, goddesses and ladies of their homes, to be the best hostesses of their houses, seeking to create unique moments around a table.

But no, I found that Mary Blake was a fictitious characterused by the Carnation Company to promote its evaporated milk product through its published recipe books. All that glitters is not always gold.

The picture on the books featured an image of the supposed writer and chef Mary Blake. “She” was the author of all Carnation cookbooks from 1923 onwards and thus played a vital role in the company’s advertising campaigns.

100 Glorified Recipes was initially published in 1922; an earlier edition entitled 100 Tested Recipes was not attributed to Blake, but was later revised with different recipes and Blake was listed as the author under the name 100 Favorite Recipes. In the 1930s, 100 Glorified Recipes was published with more new recipes and Blake’s name attached to the compilation. This chain of revisions and the initial date of the book’s creation explain why many of the recipes in the book contain expensive and hard-to-get ingredients in the early years of the Great Depression.

Eventually the Carnation Company was purchased by Nestlé.

Evaporated milk, the protagonist of her recipe books.

As you might expect, these cookbooks used evaporated milk in all of their recipes. Absolutely in each and every one of them. This led me to investigate a little more on the subject. Not only because, evidently, they were recipes created by this company, but also because I assumed that there must be a reason behind all this.

The Great Depression of the 1930s hit Canada hard, which depended on agricultural products and the export of raw materials to sustain its economy. Poor economic conditions significantly disrupted the lives of many families due to rising unemployment rates, forcing many women to seek work to supplement family income. At the same time, prices of goods increased and many foods became less affordable.

This meant that during the Great Depression, the demand for foods that provided nutrients became a concern for families. Among some of these, milk came to be considered an indispensable product during the 1930s, especially for feeding young children.

During this time, many dishes and foods were rather bland.

The addition of milk to make creamy sauces, puddings, dressings and desserts was very common.

Unregulated prices caused disparities between local producers and large corporations. The so-called “milk wars” consumed the early years of the Great Depression in Ontario, as milk prices fell dramatically, forcing dairy farmers into financial ruin. In addition, large companies and mass producers dominated the market, forcing small dairies, along with local producers, to lower the price of their products in order to be competitive.

This caused small producers to barely cover their costs. In 1934 the Dairy Control Board was created to regulate prices. These regulations, which were meant to be helpful to small farmers, brought about price inflations. The result was destructive for the unemployed and male-headed families who were forced to work in low-wage factories during the 1930s.

To supplement the demand for whole milk, evaporated milk was considered a suitable substitute.

There were debates about sanitary conditions and the need for a healthy dairy product. Many Canadians spoke in favor of pasteurization of dairy products, while others complained about losing the freedom to choose which products they bought. Evaporated milk came to be seen as a safe option for families when milk prices were rocketing or supplies were limited.

100 Glorified Recipes offered that evaporated milk could be just as nutritious as whole milk because nothing was extracted from the milk except water to make the product, and therefore there was no loss of nutrients.

The evaporated milk industry boomed in the early 20th century, specifically during World War I when soldiers relied on canned and packaged foods to survive on the front lines. Evaporated milk became very popular in Canada and the United States, and continued to be popular during the Great Depression. Large numbers of Canadian farmers relied on evaporated milk, since in some communities the supply of fresh milk was insufficient.

In urban centers, canned milk was also relied upon, especially during the winter months when milk production was greatly reduced. Although fresh milk was desired, families often kept cans of evaporated milk in the pantry for use in times of shortage.

In the 1920s, many households in North America embraced the use of canned foods.

Because they were easy to transport and facilitated activities such as picnicking or camping. Thus, by the time of the Great Depression, families had grown accustomed to relying on packaged foods rather than limiting themselves to fresh, local produce.

100 Glorified Recipes showcases evaporated milk as a great culinary resource, as it could be adapted for use in a multitude of recipes. In addition, evaporated milk could be substituted for milk in any recipe. It only had to be diluted with the same amount of water.

Evaporated milk played an essential role in the economy of the Great Depression, providing families with a healthy food source that could be stored and used as needed, while making it easy to prepare tasty recipes.

Adapting the recipe Jelly Roll Cream Cake.

When I saw how it was carried out, it was clear to me that I was not going to follow the recipe as detailed. I had my doubts about how it would turn out. But, of course, I did keep its essence in order to be as faithful as possible to the recipe.

In the recipe booklet they refer to the evaporated milk as “Condensed Milk”, or at least that is what I assumed at first. It seemed to me to be a very large amount of sugar since condensed milk, at least as we know it today, is made with a high sugar content. I later learned that they meant evaporated milk.

In any case, the elaboration process details using evaporated milk that we must dilute with water, thus obtaining milk. In my case I show you how to make it with whole milk, but know that it can be made with evaporated milk if you wish.

To make the cake roll, since the recipe book I had specified see page 47 (and I don’t have it, hahaha) I used my Swiss Roll recipe that I have left many times and it works great. The filling of the cake is based on the one detailed in the recipe, but I have modified a few things.

The pastry cream I use is not the one specified in the book, I preferred to use my own which never fails and I really like the creamy texture obtained. This does not imply at all that the one in the book is not good, which I am sure it is. I adjusted the amount of gelatin to the amount of total liquids to obtain a smooth but firm texture. I did not want the result to be a hard block, because it would not be pleasant to eat no matter how nice it was…. And I reduced too the total amount of sugar quite a bit and decorated with a mascarpone cream instead of whipped cream.

Final result.

A cake that, in spite of being simple in elements, is very good. The texture is very similar to a mousse, with a custard and vanilla flavor. The moistness of the sponge cake with jam is the ideal point to combine with the softness of the filling. I must say that I thought I would not like the pieces of candied cherries…. But I was quite surprised. In short, I can say that it is a vintage cake that you will love for sure 😉