Elegant Pecan Roll Cake with Caramel Sauce

Cake:

6 extra large eggs, separated, whites at room temperature

¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

6 Tbsp. cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups pecans, minced finely

¼ tsp. salt

Confectioner’s sugar and wax paper

Filling:

1 ¼ cups well chilled heavy cream

1 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Pecan halves to garnish

Line lightly oiled jelly roll pan with wax paper, leaving 1 inch overhang on ends. Oil lightly and sprinkle with flour.

In bowl with electric mixer, beat egg yolks with brown sugar until it is thick and pale. Add flour and baking powder and beat till well combined. Add vanilla and pecans and blend well.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with salt until they just form stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of white mixture into pecan mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites gently, but thoroughly. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake in middle of 325 degree oven for 18 minutes or until pale golden. Spread kitchen towel on flat surface, top with wax paper and dust with confectioner sugar. Invert onto paper and peel off paper. Trim edges. Dust lightly with confectioner sugar. Roll it up with paper and towel. Cool.

Filling:

In a chilled bowl, beat cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Reserve ½ cup of whipped cream for décor.

Unroll cake partially, don’t crack. Spread with filling and re roll in paper. Transfer to platter, remove paper, and trim on the diagonal. I have made this for too many parties to count. It looks elegant, but isn’t difficult to make. It is a great alternative to chocolate.

Caramel Sauce (for pecan roll cake)

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

In a large skillet, cook sugar over moderate high heat stirring constantly with fork until melted (deep golden color). Remove skillet from heat and stir to prevent darkening. Pour cream into side of pan, will bubble violently and harden. Cook on moderate heat, stirring until caramel is dissolved. Keeps covered and chilled for a month. Also great for ice cream or apple pie!