Gingerbread Ice Cream Roll

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 151⁄2 x 101⁄2-inch jelly-roll pan with waxed paper. Butter and lightly flour paper.

Spread hazelnuts in a baking pan or microwave-safe dish. Bake, or microwave on high, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. While hot, turn out nuts on a kitchen towel, fold towel over nuts and rub off most of the papery brown skins. Let cool completely before processing in a food processor until finely ground.

Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves to the egg yolks. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute until smooth. Add molasses and coffee and beat 1 minute more until well blended.

In a small bowl, stir flour, baking powder and 1⁄4 cup of the ground hazelnuts until blended. Stir into yolk mixture.

With clean beaters, beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form when beaters are lifted. Do not overbeat. Spoon 1⁄4 the whites onto yolk mixture and stir until blended. Fold in remaining whites, 1⁄2 at a time. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread gently and evenly. Sprinkle with remaining ground hazelnuts.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

While cake bakes, sprinkle a clean kitchen towel generously with confectioners’ sugar.

Invert hot cake on towel. Remove pan and carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake from a long side, jelly-roll-style, using towel as an aid. Let cool completely.

Carefully unroll cake. Working quickly, spoon on softened ice cream up to 1 inch from one long edge. Roll up cake, starting from covered edge. Place on a cookie sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 1 week.

To serve: Pour some caramel topping on each cake plate. Cut frozen cake in 1-inch-thick slices; place on sauce.

Planning Tip: Can be made 2 weeks ahead, wrapped airtight and frozen.