Thank you, Darling Clementines, for sponsoring this post!

I am back from a long and very fun weekend in Santa Fe with some of my favorite people. I didn’t sleep very much and laughed enough to make my face hurt. We spent a sunny day out in nature hiking up to a beautiful hot spring, browsed all the folky art in town, and simply enjoyed being in the same place with friends we haven’t seen in a very long time! It was so much fun and I’m very grateful to have had a few days away to be silly with my friends. It was a lot more fun than filing taxes at the last minute.

I was able to sneak in a few days at home with Olive and Reuben before I leave today for a quick trip down to Carmel to pick artichokes on an artichoke farm! For work! My job is so silly sometimes.

The other week, when I was testing this Almond Orange Swiss Roll and my kitchen was covered with whipped cream and the sink was filled with dirty sheet trays, I thought to myself how insane it is that my job entails days where I pretend I’m on the Great British Baking Show. Despite the enormous amount of dishes I do daily, I’m quite thankful for this career that allows me to bake cakes for days on end.

Let’s talk about this cake though! I’m no stranger to swiss rolls, I’ve tested them so many times for my cookbook. But the idea of rolling up whole pieces of fruit and achieving perfectly clean and picturesque slices was a big undertaking. The first few times I made this cake, my cake cracked (because I was impatient and didn’t bake them long enough) and the whipped cream I used was too loose. So the result was whipped cream leaking everywhere and very sloppy looking cake slices. I knew I could do better! 

I actually listened to my own recipe and baked the cake long enough and then replaced the whipped cream with cream cheese. As always, cream cheese saves the day. I whipped the cream cheese with just a little salt and confectioner’s sugar until it was smooth and airy. The cream cheese is much sturdier and grips onto the clementines when the cake is rolled up so everything stays in place. I also find the proportions of the cake to fruit to cream cheese just perfect. The clementine center is really the star of the show! 

I love all citrus, but I definitely have a sweet spot for Darling Clementines. We always have a bowl of them for a quick snack. They are so easy to peel and always sweet and juicy. The combination of light sponge cake with a touch of almond and zest with sweet cream cheese and fresh clementines makes for a deliciously refreshing cake! People have orange juice and cream cheese for breakfast all the time, so this is essentially a breakfast cake! I’m going to stick with that logic : )

Almond Clementine Swiss Roll

Makes 1 log cake

Sponge cake:

100g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cake flour

20g (2 tablespoons) cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of coarse salt

6 large eggs, whites and yolks separated

100g (1/2 cup) sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

65g (1/3 cup) canola or other neutral-­flavored oil

1 teaspoon almond extract 

Zest of 1 clementine 

Sweetened cream cheese:

16oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Pinch of coarse salt

6 whole clementines, peeled

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet (half size sheet pan) with parchment paper. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place the egg yolks in a separate large mixing bowl. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 50g (1/4 cup) of the sugar and the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. To the yolks, add the remaining 50g (1/4 cup) sugar, the canola oil, almond extract, and zest. Vigorously whisk until pale and smooth, about 3 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, scoop 1 cup egg white mixture and fold into the egg yolk mixture until fully incorporated. Fold the remaining egg white mixture into the yolk mixture in three additions, alternating each addition with half the flour mixture and reaching to the bottom and around the sides of the bowl as you fold so that no traces of flour remain. Take care not to deflate the beaten egg whites too much as you fold. 

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and smooth the top using an offset spatula. Make sure the batter is even and reaches the edges of the sheet. Bake until the center is set and the top is lightly golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

6. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around the edges of the pan to help release the cake. Starting from one short side, carefully roll up the cake into a log, using the parchment paper to assist you. Once rolled, allow the cake to cool for 10 more minutes. Unroll the cake and allow it to cool completely. A thin layer of cake may stick to the parchment, but that’s normal.

7. Prepare the cream cheese: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase to medium speed, and mix until cream cheese is smooth and airy, 3 minutes.

8. Spread the cream cheese on the cake in an even layer. Arrange the clementines in a row (see photos for how to arrange the clementines so you get a segmented cross-section with each slice), touching each other, along one of the short sides. Starting along that same side, carefully and tightly roll up the cake over the clementines and continue until fully rolled.. Set the cake seam-side down, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to set. Slice with a sharp or serrated knife and serve.