Banana Cake Roll

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4.84 from 6 votes

This Banana Cake Roll is a soft, homemade banana bread cake wrapped around a delicious cream cheese filling.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Chill Time1

Total Time1 32

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Equipment

Linen tea towel that is 2 inches longer at the top and bottom than the cake pan
Large cutting board for the cake transfer
10 x 15 Jelly Roll Pan

Ingredients

Cake:

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup mashed bananas (1 medium-sized banana)
½ cup powdered sugar divided, for dusting

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese softened
⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup whipped topping

Topping:

1 tbsp powdered sugar
3 tbsp caramel sundae topping

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set it aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set it aside.
Using either a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla for 4-5 minutes, until a frothy pale yellow.
Add in the mashed bananas and continue to mix on medium until well incorporated.
Fold in the flour mixture.
Using either a silicone spatula or an offset spatula to spread the cake batter evenly in the jelly roll pan.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven. Run the tip of a sharp knife around the edges of the pan that were not covered by the parchment paper.
Heavily dust the tea towel with powdered sugar.
Immediately place the dusted tea towel powdered side down on top of the cake.
Lay the cutting board on top of the dusted tea towel. The cake pan will be hot, you will need to be careful to protect your hands. Quickly flip the cake pan over so that the cake is now on top of the dusted tea towel.
Carefully and slowly peel the parchment paper away from the cake.
Flip one end of the tea towel over one of the short ends of the cake. Carefully begin to roll one end towards the other. Place the rolled cake on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Filling

Using a handheld mixer on medium-high and a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, light brown sugar, and vanilla until the brown sugar is completely incorporated.
Fold in the whipped topping. Set this aside.

Cake Assembly

Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully and slowly unroll the cake (If there are a few small cracks, it will be ok).
Using either a silicone spatula, or an offset spatula, spread the filling over the top of the cake, avoiding the edges.
Slowly, and with gentle even pressure, carefully roll the cake back into a “roll”. Tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap to ensure the cake holds its shape. Allow the cake to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight.
Just before you are ready to serve the cake roll, dust the cake with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Drizzle the caramel sundae topping on top of the powdered sugar. Slice the cake roll in ½ inch servings.

Notes

Storage:

Store any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze the cake roll before you add toppings for up to 3 months. Wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Allow the frozen cake roll to thaw before topping and slicing.

Important Notes:

Make sure you are using an actual jelly roll pan. Cookie sheets are not an appropriate substitute and will not produce the cake you are hoping for.
Keep a very close eye on the cake. If it overcooks, it will dry out and won’t roll properly.
Make sure you do not use any fabric softener when washing the tea towels. It will transfer to the cake and cause the flavor to be off. Do not use a terry cloth towel as the lint will transfer to the cake.
Make sure to wrap the cake in the towel right out of the oven to prevent a risk of cracking when rolling for the second time.
Be very patient and slow when rolling the cake and unrolling. Rushing can cause cracks.

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