In this article
Arctic roll is a log of vanilla ice cream rolled up inside a thin sponge cake with a ring of raspberry jam, and every British child of the seventies seems to remember it sliced after Sunday dinner. My friend Margaret is one of them. When I told her that you can’t roll ice cream up in a cake, she laughed. You don’t, she said. You roll the cake around the ice cream. The ice cream is shaped into a log and frozen hard first, and the sponge is wrapped around it like a sleeve.
The one thing that frightens people is the sponge cracking when it is rolled. The cure is old and reliable: a thin, light sponge baked only until it springs back, turned out onto a sugared towel and rolled up while it is still warm, so it cools in a curl and learns the shape. When you unroll it later, it bends around the ice cream without breaking. Here is how to roll the sponge without a single crack, and how to slice the roll into neat rounds.
Why this Arctic roll works
- A frozen log. Ice cream shaped in plastic wrap and frozen until rock hard holds its round shape while the sponge goes around it.
- A whisked sponge. Eggs and sugar beaten until thick and pale make a light, bendable sponge with very little flour.
- Rolling it warm. A warm sponge is flexible. Rolled in a towel, it cools in a curl and remembers it.
- Jam as glue. A thin layer of raspberry jam holds the sponge to the ice cream and gives the famous red ring in every slice.
- A hot knife. A knife dipped in hot water cuts clean rounds instead of squashing the roll.
Ingredients
Makes one roll of about 8 slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the ice cream log
- 1 1/2 quarts good vanilla ice cream (about 1.4 liters), slightly softened
For the sponge
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g), plus extra for the towel
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- A pinch of fine salt
For the filling
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (160g), warmed so it spreads easily
Use a vanilla ice cream that is rich and creamy. Very airy ice cream melts quickly and is harder to shape. Strawberry jam works if you cannot find raspberry.
How to make Arctic roll
Shape the ice cream (the day before or in the morning)
- Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Spoon the softened ice cream along the middle in a rough log about 12 inches long.
- Roll the plastic over the ice cream and twist the ends like a candy wrapper, rolling the log on the counter to make it round and about 2 1/2 inches across.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until completely hard. Slip the log inside a cardboard tube or a rolled cereal-box sheet if you want a perfect circle.
Bake and roll the sponge
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Line a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment and grease the paper lightly.
- Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale and leaves a ribbon on top when the beaters are lifted.
- Sift the flour and salt over the eggs and fold gently with a large spatula until no flour shows. Spread the batter evenly into the pan, right into the corners.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the sponge is light golden and springs back when touched. Do not overbake, a dry sponge cracks.
- Sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with sugar. Turn the hot sponge out onto it, peel off the parchment and, starting at a short end, roll the sponge up with the towel inside. Leave it to cool completely, rolled.
Assemble
- Unroll the cooled sponge gently. Spread it thinly with the warm jam, leaving a small border at the far end.
- Unwrap the frozen ice cream log and lay it at the near short end. Roll the sponge firmly around it once, trimming any extra sponge so it overlaps by only an inch.
- Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap, seam side down, and freeze for at least 1 hour to set.
- To serve, dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry and cut slices about 3/4 inch thick. Dip and wipe between every cut.
Tips that make the difference
- If the ice cream log is wider than the sponge is long, roll the sponge from the long side instead.
- Work quickly once the ice cream is out of the freezer. If it starts to soften, put everything back in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- A thin layer of jam is enough. Too much jam slides and the slices separate.
- Let the finished roll stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before slicing, so the sponge softens and the ice cream cuts cleanly.
Variations
- Strawberry roll. Use strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam.
- Chocolate roll. Replace 2 tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder and use chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
- Lemon roll. Spread the sponge with lemon curd instead of jam and use vanilla ice cream.
- Mini rolls. Make two thinner ice cream logs and cut the sponge in half lengthwise for two small rolls.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the roll tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. The sponge stays soft enough to slice straight from the freezer after a few minutes on the counter.
Freeze leftover slices separately between sheets of parchment and pack them in a container.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my sponge crack?
It was overbaked, or it cooled flat before rolling. Bake only until it springs back and roll it in the towel while it is still hot.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It is a make-ahead dessert by nature. Assemble it up to 2 weeks ahead and keep it wrapped in the freezer.
Do I need a special mold?
No. Plastic wrap and a rolling motion on the counter give a round log. A cardboard tube only helps keep it perfectly circular.
Why do the slices fall apart?
The ice cream was too soft when it was wrapped, or the knife was cold. Freeze the roll hard and cut with a hot, dry knife.
Slice it at the table and watch somebody who has never seen one try to work out how the ice cream got inside.
Arctic Roll (The British Ice Cream Sponge Roll, Rolled Without a Crack)
Homemade Arctic roll, the British dessert of a vanilla ice cream log wrapped in a thin raspberry jam sponge. The sponge is rolled warm so it never cracks, then wrapped around frozen ice cream and sliced into rounds.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 quarts good vanilla ice cream (about 1.4 liters), slightly softened
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g), plus extra for the towel
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- A pinch of fine salt
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (160g), warmed so it spreads easily
Instructions
- Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Spoon the softened ice cream along the middle in a rough log about 12 inches long.
- Roll the plastic over the ice cream and twist the ends like a candy wrapper, rolling the log on the counter to make it round and about 2 1/2 inches across.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until completely hard. Slip the log inside a cardboard tube or a rolled cereal-box sheet if you want a perfect circle.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Line a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment and grease the paper lightly.
- Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale and leaves a ribbon on top when the beaters are lifted.
- Sift the flour and salt over the eggs and fold gently with a large spatula until no flour shows. Spread the batter evenly into the pan, right into the corners.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the sponge is light golden and springs back when touched. Do not overbake, a dry sponge cracks.
- Sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with sugar. Turn the hot sponge out onto it, peel off the parchment and, starting at a short end, roll the sponge up with the towel inside. Leave it to cool completely, rolled.
- Unroll the cooled sponge gently. Spread it thinly with the warm jam, leaving a small border at the far end.
- Unwrap the frozen ice cream log and lay it at the near short end. Roll the sponge firmly around it once, trimming any extra sponge so it overlaps by only an inch.
- Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap, seam side down, and freeze for at least 1 hour to set.
- To serve, dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry and cut slices about 3/4 inch thick. Dip and wipe between every cut.
