👩‍🍳 Instructions

Follow these steps carefully for a flawless cake roll!

Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to $375^\circ\text{F}$ ( $190^\circ\text{C}$ ). Line a $10 \times 15$ -inch jelly roll pan (or rimmed baking sheet) with parchment paper, allowing some overhang on the sides. Lightly grease the paper.
Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whip Egg Yolks: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with $1/4$ cup of the granulated sugar until pale and thick. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
Fold in Dry: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
Whip Egg Whites: In a separate, clean bowl (or stand mixer), beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining $1/4$ cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form (like meringue).
Combine Batters: Gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the yolk batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the cake springs back lightly when touched.

Dust & Invert: Immediately lay a clean kitchen towel flat and dust it generously with powdered sugar. Invert the warm cake onto the towel and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Roll: Starting from the short end, tightly roll the cake up with the towel inside (the towel prevents it from sticking to itself). Place the rolled cake on a wire rack and let it cool completely for at least 1 hour. This sets the shape.

Whip Cream: In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Mix Cream Cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until completely smooth and creamy.
Fold: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
Add Strawberries: Gently fold in the finely chopped fresh strawberries.

Unroll: Once the cake is completely cool, carefully unroll it. It may crack a little—don’t worry, the filling will hide it!
Spread: Evenly spread the cheesecake filling over the entire surface of the cake, leaving a $1$ -inch border on the edges.
Re-roll: Starting from the same short end, carefully and tightly re-roll the cake (without the towel this time).
Chill: Wrap the cake roll tightly in plastic wrap or place it seam-side down on a serving platter. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight, to allow the filling to set and the roll to firm up for clean slicing.

Just before serving, dust the top generously with powdered sugar.
Garnish with fresh strawberry slices and a drizzle of strawberry sauce, if desired.
Slice with a sharp, non-serrated knife and enjoy the beautiful spiral!