If Life Gives You Apples...

When I was back home with my parents last week, I resorted back into a child for a bit. No, I didn't have to break out my pair of husky jeans, or my He-Man pajamas, or my old Duck Hunt zapper, but I felt a little different. I've been on my own for the better part of 7 years now, and while that's not too long for many of the readers here, that's still kind of a big deal. It's like between a 1/3 and a 1/4 of my life. (Yeah, yeah, I'm still a kid :)
So what does this have to do with food? Um, maybe absolutely nothing. But... if I can really stretch for something... I would tie being a kid with apples. While I love summer produce and berries, my heart beats apples. All kinds. Gold ones, red ones, green ones, purple, whatever. Maybe it's tied into apple picking and growing up... like that nature/nuture thing I learned in Psy 101 :)
So I really wanted to try something I've never seen before. An Apple roll. I've never done a roll before, but I thought a nice sugary sponge cake, with a fresh applesauce type filling would definately rock... and roll. (Ha I'm terrible) After seeing what happened at super tag team Giz's and Psychgrad's site, I was a little hesitant... but hey this is all about trying stuff out right?
Well here's what happened:
I made my homemade applesauce out of a couple Paula Red apples (first of the year to come out in NY)... a couple tablespoons of sugar, a table spoon of cinnamon, and a dash or two of cloves. I added about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water, and let it simmer in a pan until they softened up, maybe 15 minutes over medium heat. I then added a few tablespoons of flour to soften it up, and after a few tastes, I was good to go.
I threw together my go to Sponge Cake recipe (very easy), and poped it in the oven (recipe below). I baked it until it was JUST done, and lightly sprang back to the touch. I immediately inverted it, onto a powdered sugar covered towel, and rolled it up. I was pretty proud of myself, and was like... hey this roll thing isn't so hard at all. I must just be a natural. So I let it cool on a cooling rack for an hour... and then I unrolled it.

So far so good... dude I'm awesome.


Oh wait... no... wait a min... no... balls.

Well, after hanging my head for a bit, I realized that this isn't soooo bad. I mean the Jets won this week, and Tom Brady isn't play us next week. Something bad has to happen to me to balance all this out right? Well I'm showing that equilibrium karma thing that he's not going to get to me.

So I give you... Apple Sponge Cake Trifle... because anything looks good with whipped cream and a wine glass :)

Go to Simple Sponge Cake
Recipe by Adam

-1 cup cake flour
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 eggs, seperated
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 cup milk
-2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*. For a cake roll, grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and sprayed again.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and egg yolks together until thick and yellow. Add the milk, vanilla, and butter until well incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix by hand until well combined.

In a small, clean bowl, beat the two egg whites with a handmixer until semi stiff peaks form. We just want to volumize the egg whites.

Fold the egg whites into the other ingredients gently, and pour into a prepared cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or whatever type of cooking pan you want to use).

Bake at 350* until desired doneness... for the roll it should be 10-14 minutes. It should look very slightly browned, and spring back to the touch.

For further instructions on how to make a jelly roll, I would look at other websites to see the whole "invert on a kitchen towl and roll up" technique.

See, it's ALMOST a roll... oh well

So that was my awesome weekend. Football... good. Cake roll? Eh, not so much. Somebody else try this out and let me know what you think. If it doesn't work out for you, that's nothing a trifle can't fix. Sponge cake, sweetened apple filling, and whipped cream... ya know life ain't too bad :)

Comments

Unknown said…
I love apples!! I was *so* excited when I saw honeycrisp's at the farmers market last weekend :)

It looks incredibly tasty!! I've never tried anything like that sponge cake roll, but it looked like you were so close!
LizNoVeggieGirl said…
I was practically RAISED on apples - I have literally tried EVERY SINGLE apple variety that is sold/found in the U.S., and never go one day without eating one (yeah I know, so I'm not a seasonal-eater; sue me!).

Looove that trifle!
RecipeGirl said…
I'm an apple girl too. Love them. All kinds.

I'd say you did good by layering the mess up into a delicious-looking trifle!
Ann said…
Dude, you rocked the non-roll with all kinds of panache! The trifle was meant to be and you....ROLLED with it. How lame was that? Wow. I should just high tail it outa here...
Trifles are good too! Love to go apple picking and we will be doing that soon. I wouldn't be able to roll a cake either.
Clumbsy Cookie said…
It all gets mixed up in the stomach after all so why bother making a roll? Make a triffle man! Lol! I was laughing at you picture comments, it was funny!
But I think I've missed something... You've rolled it without the filling? I'm confused!!!
And I made apple pure today as well!
DUDE! Same freakin thing happened to my pumpkin roll last Fall!! But I pieced mine back together with frosting...
A_and_N said…
Agree with ClumbsyCookie :)

and guess how many ppl are jumping on the Jets bandwagon after Brady's fall :) ?

Mangini must be licking his chops right now!
Steph said…
I was going to make an apple cake, but couldn't find a good recipe. I changed my mind and made a sponge cake instead, but that got devoured before I got to take any pictures. Would it be crazy if I somehow combined the 2 and made the same thing?

Apples has got to be one of my favourite fruits too! I have to have at least one a day, but usually it ends up being 2, 3 or 4! I just saw Paula red the other day and got some too.. must try every possible apple variety! We used to go apple picking every year.

And if you were in my physics class, I would definitely make cookies for you! I should probably make some for the profs too.. hahah
Jenny said…
Hi Adam,
Ok, this looks so good, who cares if it didn't roll perfectly, I'll take the trifle any day! I'll be back often to visit!
I love apples too. I want to try all the types of apples (like veggie girl said above) and I want to go apple picking. I miss that.
I have to say it again Adam: you're pictures are getting sooo damn good.
I have a couple jelly roll pans, but have never used them for jelly roll cakes or rolls or jelly roll cakes...whatever.
Yep, awesome dude, on this one. Rock on with your muscle-built self! lol
Gloria Baker said…
Dear Adam, you are so funny, I made alot of rolls and someones are break too! Dear I love apple and your sponge cake apple look so yummy, how veggi girl I eat apples all year!!
You tender me whit your memories of he-man and duck!!
In your heart you are a boy still and is so nice!!!! xGloria
Carla said…
Hmm, wonder if your cake broke due to the recipe or bad luck? It sounds like a really good cake recipe, so when they have the apple festival by my house in October, I'll give this a try.

Oh and we may have some problems because I'm a Steelers fan :P
Christine said…
I knew you'd be stoked about the Jets!

Homemade applesauce is an amazing thing. It would taste great inside a pumpkin roll, too.

Oh, I can totally relate to this. All my failed attempts at a rolled sponge cake turn into a trifle. It has completely turned me off from making a real trifle, though!
Anonymous said…
i don't know what i like most about this post - the dish or that picture of freaking DUCK HUNT!!! Holy S&IT. You're really bringing back memories. They just don't make it like that anymore!\

you're also so freaking young you've made me feel old.
Anonymous said…
If life gives you apple... make trifle!! Not rolled-sponge. hehe. Nice attempt dude but i agree, anything served in a wine glass looks good anyway. I bet it was delicious too. Hats off to you, it takes real courage to show the world those things that don't go according to plans. haha.
Hey kiddo, I thought you were going to break out in a Mary Poppins song there for a minute...spoonful of sugar? Just kidding. The roll looks wonderful. I love apple anything, cookies, pies, bread, cake, cooked, raw. I love your recipe. Thanks for the great post.
Chibog in Chief said…
You know when I was a kid I could only eat apple during Christmas season it was so expensive and my parents couldn't afford to buy everytime. and so they reserve us this opportunity only on that special day ..(well we eat bananas most of the time :-) Oh and this apple sponge cake looks so fluffy and soft! And i love your genius idea to make a trifle out of it LOL everywhere i put my eyes I only see yummy stuffs..your photos are getting pro and pro :-) have a great day!
Astra Libris said…
I think your roll/trifle was a complete success! Instead of the roll, you wound up with something even better! My goodness, your trifle is gorgeous... I would add that not only is anything in a wine glass going to look good, but anything with homemade applesauce is going to taste good! :-) Wow! Mmmmmm...
Maggie said…
You still get points for bravery! The trifle looks delicious too. I'm going to hear phantom Duck Hunt noises all day now.
Emily said…
Did you just say balls?!

I like the trifle better anyway...it's more fun to eat dessert from a wine glass.
I made a chocolate roll cake a few years ago and had it fall apart at the seams in a couple of places. My mother assured me that those things NEVER stay intact. Maybe in a commercial kitchen they do, but home cooks rarely get a sponge roll to stay together. I lucked out with my roll though since the outside was frosted and the ripped seams were covered.

Word on the trifle. Wineglasses and whipped cream make anything look classy.

My favorite memory of making the roll was taking the sugar-dusted towel and putting it at the foot of the basement stairs to take down to the laundry room when I had more time. The dog got a whiff of the sugar and that towel was history!
Maria said…
I love a good apple dessert and this looks fabulous! Glad you had fun at home...being a kid again!
Dee said…
Well, of course you love apples, ADAM ;)

Bravo for attempting a sponge roll - I'm too chicken *sigh* And that was a good save, by the way. Your trifle looks pretty good from over here, wine glass or not.
giz said…
I'm diein' here. Welcome to the non rollers club - we gotta get this thing right. I mean, it's not rocket science right? So how come we ended up with the same trifle? ha ha. There were a couple of good comments on our "roll catastrophe". This needs more scientific research for us.
Pam said…
You gave it a valiant effort - and the trifle looks very tasty.

I still feel like a kid when I vist my parents and I haven't lived with them for nearly 20 years (gulp - am I that old??).
Natalie Que said…
Awhhh, Adam that's so sweet {no bad pun intended} -the part about your heart beating apples! And yes, that is a big deal to have been on your own that long and I am in a similar stage. Even though I've been married 6 years and have 2 kids, I am not much older than you, so picking up what you're putting down about those feelings for sure.

I actually don't really like apples...unless they are in dessert form, in which case my heart beats apples too!

This looks delicious, and my husband who grew up on an apple farm would probably really appreciate this dish {so I guess I better make it!}
Here I am! Hopefully adding a smile to your otherwise, colorless day (pun intended).

So...I'm not partial to apples, but I love love love applesauce. I'm so proud of you for taking the high road and making a trifle instead. I would have chucked everything and then cried about it to anyone who'd listen for three weeks straight. And everything does look better in a wine glass with whipped cream on top!
Anonymous said…
What the... I had he-man pajamas AND played duck hunt a lot back then. I'm guessing we're around the same age.
hungryandfrozen said…
Nice one on the perseverance :) the trifle looks all kinds of awesome. When in doubt, put it in a dinky glass and cover it with cream. I too love apples...so versatile it's ridiculous.
PG said…
Oh no...the trauma is coming back to me.
Elle said…
Adam, you're a man after my own heart. Good save! It looks fabulous!