Cherry Almond Roll Food

CHERRY-ALMOND ROLL

Steps:

• Cake: Put the egg yolks in a mixer bowl & the egg whites into a small container & set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flours & the baking powder. Set aside. Grease & flour a 10x15x1 inch jelly roll pan & preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Beat egg yolks & almond extract on high speed until thick & bright yellow (this takes several minutes) & then very slowly begin adding in the 1/3 cup of sugar, beating til nearly dissolved. Beat in the strawberry jam. Transfer this mixture to a smaller bowl & set aside.
• Wash & dry the mixer bowl & wire whip thoroughly, to remove any yolk mixture, & then add the egg whites. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the 1/2 cup sugar & beat until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites until almost combined & then sprinkle the flour mixture in & fold everything together. Try to keep as much volume as possible during this step.
• Lightly spread batter into prepared jelly roll pan, making sure to push it into the corners too.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
• Remove from oven & gently loosen the edges of the cake from the pan.
• Lay out a large, clean kitchen towel & sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar. Quickly flip pan over onto powdered sugar & let cake fall out. Lightly dust the top with powdered sugar. From a short end, begin rolling both the cake & the towel into a log. Dusting additional powdered sugar on the underside of the towel as you go. Place rolled cake & towel on a wire rack to cool (45-60 minutes).
• Filling: Beat mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, butter & almond extract til combined. Begin adding powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture thickens but is still a spreading consistency.
• Stir in the chopped fresh cherries & a few drops of the red food coloring, if desired.
• Assembly: Unroll cake & spread filling to within one inch of the edges all the way around. Roll up cake & filling only this time, lay a medium piece (about 8") of waxed paper over the top of the roll & carefully wrap the roll in the paper. Transfer to a platter & place in the refrigerator for about an hour, turning the roll over at about 30 minutes to avoid a "flat area" from forming.
• When chilled, remove waxed paper & place roll seam side down on serving platter. Place 4 small dollops of whipped cream across the top of the roll & place one cherry on top of each dollop. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.

CHERRY ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of 8 x 8-inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
• STIR together flour, brown sugar and salt until mixed. Add oil, water and almond extract. Combine with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
• BAKE 15 minutes.
• SPREAD preserves evenly over warm crust. Mix almonds, brown sugar and oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top of preserves.
• BAKE 20 minutes. Cool completely. Lift out of pan using foil. Cut into 16 bars. Store in refrigerator.