Dinosaur Cake

The cake roll recipe here is from Weight Watchers Magazine with some minor changes. In the recipe they do call for greasing the jelly roll pan, lining the greased pan with parchment and greasing and flouring the parchment. Thus far I have gotten away with greasing and flouring my jelly roll pan VERY well and skipping the parchment part. I do thoroughly loosen the cake all around with a thin spatula before inverting.

3 tbls confectioners sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz milk chocolate, grated
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Sift together the flour, cocoa,espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in grated chocolate.

In a separate bowl beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thickened. Alternately add the flour and milk, ending with the flour mixture.

Pour batter in pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cake is done and springs back in the center.

While the cake is baking sprinkle the 3 tbls of confectioners sugar over a large kitchen towel.

When the cake is done invert it onto the towel. While it is still warm roll the cake up along with the towel beginning with a short end. Allow the cake to cool while rolled up.

I would like to add at this point that from now on I am going to do the inverting part OUTSIDE. Not that the kitchen did not need dusting anyway BUT the inverting part does make a mess. It has happened time again because I make those yummy pumpkin rolls at Thanksgiving and Christmas. So I have now learned. Take the whole shebang outside.

For the Filling:

1 8 oz container light coolwhip, thawed
2 oz dark chocolate

Put the dark chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and then microwave for 15 second intervals until completely melted. Fold in coolwhip.

Unroll cooled cake. Spread with coolwhip filling and roll back up. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

At this point the serving options are up to you. We made leaf decorations by melting almond bark and tinting it green. We then painted it on real leaves and let it harden. We peeled off the real leaves and were left with the edible ones. We glued them and the dinosaurs on with canned frosting.