Are you a fan of chocolate? This decadent recipe for Swiss Roll Cake is about to be at the top of your favorites. A light and fluffy chocolate sponge paired with the homemade cream filling makes this the perfect dessert to share - or enjoy on your own!
Treat yourself to even more chocolate by trying my Easy Chocolate Cake recipe. You can check out all of my chocolate desserts recipes here.
As soon as you take your first nibble of this Chocolate Swiss Roll, you're going to be racking your brain for your next dessert hit. I highly suggest trying my Chocolate Truffles or my Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as well! (or both!)
TASTE AND TEXTURE:
- Fluffy and moist
- Creamy center with homemade ganache for outer layer
- Pairs perfectly with some more whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream
RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
- Chocolate - Dark chocolate is a great flavor for this cake but you can easily use milk chocolate as well.
- Unsalted butter - If you only have salted butter, omit the extra salt addition below.
- Eggs - The eggs help with the fluffiness and are also a major binding agent for the rest of the ingredients.
- Sugar - For sweetness.
- All-purpose flour - I like to use regular flour for this recipe but you can always try other flours to see what you like best.
- Cocoa powder - Adding the cocoa powder adds that lovely chocolate flavor and dark chocolate color.
- Baking soda - Adding a little bit of baking soda is key!
- Baking powder - Perfect for giving the cake that extra fluffiness.
- Salt - Just a pinch!
Whipped filling ingredients
- Heavy cream - Whisk it when it is super cold to get that light and fluffy texture.
- Powdered sugar - Just a hint of sweetness is needed.
- Mascarpone cheese - Adds a super amazing creaminess to the filling.
Chocolate ganache ingredients
- Dark chocolate - I prefer dark chocolate but semi-sweet could work.
- Heavy cream - A little bit of cream helps to create a thin and spreadable texture.
HOW TO MAKE A SWISS ROLL CAKE
Preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and add parchment paper to your baking pan. Spray with non stick spray.
Melt chocolate and butter. You can use a microwave to melt them. Or use a bowl that can withstand high heat over a pot of steaming water on the stove to melt these. When completely melted, put it to the side and allow to cool down.
Whisk. Add egg whites and sugar together and whisk. (Using a mixer is best since you're trying to get these two ingredients nice and fluffy!) You want the mixture to be big in volume so whisk away!
Combine yolks with the chocolate. To yolks, add in the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until it's combined.
Mix the dry ingredients. Mix remainder of the dry ingredients in a bowl and then fold into the whipped mixture. Make sure that it's smooth! (I like to use a sifter when I combine dry ingredients to help with the lumps.)
Fold egg whites in the batter: Use a spatula to fold whites in the batter slowly. You want all those air bubbles in the batter.
Bake. Pour cake mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Make the filling. As the cake is cooling, it's time to make the filling! Whip powdered sugar and heavy cream together to form soft peaks and then fold in the cheese.
Make the chocolate topping. Melt dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or over stove top in a double boiler.
Reroll the cake. Once you've covered entire surface of the cake, roll it back up and put it in the fridge to set for about ½ hour to an hour.
Add the ganache. Remove cake from the fridge and drizzle on the topping. (or pour it on - up to you!)
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SWISS ROLL AND A JELLY ROLL?
The biggest difference is that a jelly roll is loaded with a sweet jelly filling versus a creamy whipped topping filling. Various countries, however, use the names interchangeably. In the US, a jelly roll cake that is filled with jam is referred to as a "jelly roll," while in Britain, a jelly roll caked that is filled with jam is called a "swiss roll."
DO YOU ROLL SWISS ROLL HOT OR COLD?
The best temperature to roll the cake is to have it warm. This way, it's still moldable and pliable and won't break in the process. If you wait for it to cool, it may break or crumble as you're rolling it.
Why does my Swiss roll crack?
Cake roll may crack if it is under baked or even over baked. Too much moisture, or too much dryness both are cake roll's enemy! Roll it when its warm and allow it to cool rolled.
HOW TO STORE SWISS ROLL CAKE
To keep this chocolate cake as fresh as possible for as long as possible, you'll want to store it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. If you want to eat it at room temperature, just slice off a piece and let it set out of the fridge for about 10 minutes or so.
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS CHOCOLATE ROLL CAKE RECIPE?
You can! Just wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then add it to a freezer-safe bag or container. This will keep it fresh and ready for the next time you want to enjoy it. Eating within 2 months of freezing is recommended.
QUICK TIPS FOR MAKING LIGHT AND FLUFFY SWISS ROLL RECIPE
- If you want to make this into a gluten-free swiss cake roll, you can use a sweetener of your choice as well as gluten-free flour.
- Adding a light dusting of powdered sugar on top of the cake roll recipe gives a nice boost of sweetness!
MORE SIMPLE CAKE RECIPES
If you liked this cake recipe, give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog And lets be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too! 🙂
Swiss Cake Roll
Equipment
- 1 10 x 15 (25 x 38 cm) Sheet Pan
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ounces chocolate
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch salt
For the whipped filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
To make the chocolate glaze:
- 6 ounces chocolate (dark, semi sweet or even milk is fine)
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees and add nonstick spray or parchment paper to your baking pan.
- Melt chocolate and butter. You can use a microwave or use a bowl that can withstand high heat over a pot of steaming water on the stove to melt together the butter and chocolate. Make sure it melts completely then put it to the side and let it start to cool down.
- Whisk. Add egg whites and sugar together and whisk. (Using a mixer is best since you're trying to get these two ingredients nice and fluffy!) You want the mixture to be big in volume so whisk away!
- Combine yolks with the chocolate. To yolks, add in the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until it's combined.
- Fold in dry ingredients. Mix the remainder of the dry ingredients in a bowl and then fold it into the whipped mixture. Make sure that it's smooth! (I like to use a sifter when I combine dry ingredients to help with the lumps).
- Bake. Pour cake mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- Roll the cake while it's warm. After the cake is baked all the way, let it rest for about 2 minutes in the pan outside of the oven. Put a bit of powdered sugar on a cutting board, then turn the cake pan upside down and place the baked cake on it. Roll the cake when it's still warm and leave it sitting to cool down all the way.
- Make the whipped cream filling. As the cake is cooling, it's time to make the filling! Whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream together to form soft peaks and then fold in the cheese.
- Make chocolate ganache. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. If you break it up into pieces before melting it, it makes the process much quicker. Add the cream to a saucepan on the stove and bring it to a bowl. Once it's boiling, pour it over the melted chocolate and just let it simmer for about 2 minutes. You can then stir the mixture together.
- Now it's time to put the swiss roll cake together! Very carefully unroll the cake and then use a spatula to spread on the white whipped filling.
- Reroll the cake. Once you've covered the entire surface of the cake, roll it back up and put it in the fridge to set for about ½ hour to an hour.
- Add the ganache. Remove the cake from the fridge and drizzle on the topping. (or pour it on - up to you!)
What size pan please?
It's a 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm) sheet pan Beth. Enjoy!
My family loves Swiss rolls but I haven’t been able to find an easy recipe, thank you for sharing. Love this one!
Nnnniiiccceeeee...I don't think I have had the good pleasure of meeting with this cake! It's good even just looking at it from here! Thanks for sharing about it.
This looks so good. I have never done rolls before. And would love to try them.
This looks very delicious! Something I'd definitely try and enjoy making, thank you for sharing this with us. 🙂
I have been craving for chocolate cake for a while now. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I love cake rolls-- especially this one with ganache. Great recipe with lots of chocolate flavor
Roll looks so yummy. And it seems it is an easy recipe for me because I'm not a very good baker. Thank you for the idea!