Recipe courtesy of Heather Baird
Recipe courtesy of Heather Baird
Watch how to make this recipe.
Beetlejuice Sandworm Cake Roll
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- Level: Advanced
- Total: 9 hr 30 min (includes drying and cooling)
- Active: 1 hr 50 min
- Yield: 10 servings
Our amazing sandworm-themed cake roll is a must-have for a Beetlejuice-themed celebration. This picture-perfect dessert features bold black-and-white stripes, a hypnotic swirl of purple and green buttercream and a creepy-cute sandworm that’s made by filling in a printable template with colorful royal icing. As Beetlejuice says, “Whoa, sandworms, you hate ‘em, right? I hate ‘em myself,” but any fan of the original movie or the sequel is bound to adore this cake. Just plan ahead — the sandworm topper needs to dry for at least 6 hours before it crowns the cake roll. And be sure to see “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” only in theaters September 6.
- Level: Advanced
- Total: 9 hr 30 min (includes drying and cooling)
- Active: 1 hr 50 min
- Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
Sandworm Topper:
Black Stencil Paste:
Sponge Cake:
Buttercream:
Green Ganache Drip:
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Directions
Special equipment:
a Beetlejuice Sandworm Cake Roll Template printed out at 100% size; an 8-by-10-inch food-grade acetate sheet; painter’s tape; 5 disposable piping bags; 4 small round decorator piping tips, such as Wilton #1 or #2; a large closed star decorator piping tip, such as Ateco #843; toothpicks; an offset spatula; a 17-by-11-inch silicone mat; a cake comb with 3/4-inch spaced teeth; a pastry brush- For the sandworm topper: Print out the Beetlejuice Sandworm Cake Roll Template at 100% size. Place the template on a flat work surface and cover it with an 8-by-10-inch food-grade acetate sheet. Tape the edges of the sheet to the paper and to the work surface using removable painter’s tape.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Add the lemon extract and mix again until well incorporated. Thin the icing with drops of water to flood icing consistency (it should flow easily).
- Place three-quarters of the white flood icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Place 1/4 of the flood icing in a bowl and stir in the black food coloring. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Outline and flood the white areas on the template with the white icing. Let stand 5 minutes until semi-set.
- Outline and flood the black areas of the template with the black icing. Let stand until almost completely set, about 1 hour.
- Squeeze a little leftover white icing into a mixing bowl and tint it with the red food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Fill in the red eye area of the larger sandworm head. Repeat the process with the nose freckles on the smaller sandworm head.
- Squeeze a dime-size amount of the white icing into a small condiment cup. Add a small dot of yellow food color with the end of a toothpick. Stir well to combine. Pick up a little of the yellow icing and fill in the yellow eye on the smaller sandworm head. Using the piping bag of leftover black royal icing, apply a dot of black in the center of the yellow eye.
- Squeeze 1 tablespoon of the leftover white icing into another small condiment cup. Add the teal food color and stir well to combine. Place the food color into a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Pipe the teal royal icing around the edges of both mouths of the sandworm heads. On the smaller sandworm head, use a toothpick to pull the teal icing down from the top mouth area to points to mimic teeth.
- Allow the completed sandworm parts to dry until very firm and stiff-set, at least 6 hours or overnight. When the icing is set, use the tip of a thin knife to gently pry the sandworm segments from the acetate.
- For the black stencil paste: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg whites and mix again until incorporated. Stir in the flour and cocoa powder; mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix again briefly.
- With an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of the paste over a 17-by-11-inch silicone mat. Using a cake comb with 3/4-inch spaced teeth, and starting at a short end of the mat, drag the comb through the paste lengthwise so that even stripes of black paste remain on the mat. Repeat the combing process until the entire mat is striped. Place the mat inside a 17-by-11-inch jelly-roll pan and freeze for at least 10 minutes. (You may have leftover stencil paste.)
- For the sponge cake: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Beat the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, all-purpose flour, whole eggs and egg yolk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer until a thick, glossy meringue forms. Gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture. Add the melted butter and gently fold again, being careful not to deflate the batter. Remove the jelly roll pan from the freezer and pour the batter on top of the stencil paste. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Run a knife between the cake edge and the pan to loosen the sponge.
- Invert the cake onto a sheet of parchment paper and carefully peel away the silicone mat. Turn the cake over onto a tea towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar and roll it up from a short end. Let cool at room temperature, about 20 minutes. Transfer the towel-wrapped cake to the refrigerator to cool completely.
- For the buttercream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Beat until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until crumbly. Add the milk and mix again until just combined. Mix in the vanilla. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. If the mixture is too stiff to pipe beat in additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is loosened to piping consistency.
- Divide the buttercream between two bowls. Tint one bowl with the green gel food coloring, adding it a little at a time, until a bright green hue is achieved. Repeat the process with the remaining bowl and the purple food coloring. Cover each bowl with a damp paper towel so the buttercream doesn’t dry out.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and unfurl carefully. Spread the cake with 1 cup of green buttercream. Dollop 1 cup of purple buttercream over the green buttercream and spread carefully and evenly to the edges of the cake. Roll up the cake and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
- Trim each end of the cake using a serrated knife to reveal the two-tone buttercream swirl. Dampen a pastry brush with cold water then lightly brush the black stripes to remove the dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
- Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Using a spatula, place a line of the green buttercream on the plastic about 6 inches long and 3 inches thick. Place an equal amount of purple buttercream in a line next to the green so they are touching. Roll the buttercream up into the plastic and snip one end with scissors. Place the snipped end of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large closed star decorator piping tip. Set aside.
- For the green ganache drip: Chop the green candy wafers finely with a large chef’s knife. Place the cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until it begins to steam, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped candy and stir until you have a smooth shiny ganache. Let cool until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- To assemble the cake, place the filled cake roll on a serving platter or cake plate seam-side down. Drizzle the green ganache over the cake so that it drips down both sides of the cake roll. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Using the reserved bag of two-tone buttercream, pipe a swirling line of buttercream down the center of the cake lengthwise. Immediately place the royal icing sandworm topper in the buttercream on top of the cake.
