Carrot Cake Roll

Gluten free carrot cake sponge:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a 10x15-inch (25x38cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment/baking paper.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the eggs, light brown sugar and caster/superfine or granulated sugar together until pale, thick, fluffy and about tripled in volume (the ribbon stage). This should take about 5-7 minutes on a high speed setting.
3. Add the oil, vanilla and finely grated carrots, and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
4. Sift in the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Gently fold them into the whipped egg mixture until you get a smooth, fairly fluffy batter with no flour clumps. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally to prevent any unmixed patches (but be careful not to overmix as that can remove too much air from the batter).
5. Transfer the batter into the lined baking sheet and smooth it out into an even layer. Tap it a few times on the counter to make it perfectly level and also to get rid of any trapped air pockets.
6. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 12-14 minutes or until well risen, golden on top, soft and spongy to the touch, and an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
7. Immediately out of the oven, dust the sponge with some powdered/icing sugar and then cover it first with a clean tea towel and then with a large sheet of aluminium foil over that. Allow to cool to room temperature or lukewarm – ideally, the temperature of the sponge shouldn't drop below 72ºF (22ºC).
8. Tip: Covering the sponge with aluminium foil traps the moisture within the sponge, making it much more pliable and flexible – and therefore less likely to crack when you roll it. The tea towel between the sponge and aluminium foil will absorb any excess steam and/or condensation, and prevent the aluminium foil from sticking to the sponge.

Cream cheese filling:

1. You can prepare the filling by hand with a large balloon whisk, using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy/double cream and powdered/icing sugar until soft peaks form.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream cheese until it's smooth and looser in texture.
4. Add the cream cheese and vanilla to the whipped cream, and whisk until well combined and soft peaks form.

Assembling the carrot cake roll:

1. Once the sponge is sufficiently cooled, uncover it and loosen it from the edges of the baking sheet with an offset spatula or a thin knife.
2. For the next steps, you can work with the sponge still in the baking sheet, or you can carefully slide it off the baking sheet onto a work surface – either option works well.
3. Spoon dollops of the filling evenly over the sponge, and use a small offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer all the way to the edges.
4. Tip: As you can see from the photos in the blog post, I used quite a lot of filling in this carrot cake roll – you can definitely use less filling if you prefer. Use any leftover cream cheese frosting to serve with the cake (or to decorate the cake, if you wish).
5. Turn the sponge so that a short edge is closest to you.
6. Using the parchment/baking paper underneath (the one that lined the baking sheet) to help you, lift the edge of the sponge closest to you and gently fold it over itself to start the roll.
7. Gently lift the parchment paper to continue the roll all the way to the end (so that the sponge rolls away from you) – the parchment paper should easily peel away from the sponge as you roll it. You should get a crack-free 10-inch (25cm) long carrot cake roll.
8. Tip: Make sure to keep the roll fairly tight from the very beginning, otherwise you’ll be left with an empty hole in the centre of your carrot cake roll.
9. Dust the carrot cake roll with some powdered/icing sugar before slicing and serving.