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. Check out all of my Chocolate Desserts Recipes next.
As soon as you take your first nibble of this Cake, 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 Cookies recipe as well! (or both!)
TASTE AND TEXTURE:
- Rich yet fluffy cake crumb
- 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.
- Eggs - Eggs help with the fluffiness and are also a major binding agent for rest of the ingredients.
- Sugar - For sweetness.
- All-purpose flour - I like to use regular flour for this chocolate cake.
- 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 for that lift in the cake!
- Baking powder - Perfect for giving the cake that extra fluffiness.
For Whipped filling:
- 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.
For Chocolate ganache you will need:
- 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.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - For flavor.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE ROLL?
Melt chocolate and butter. You can use a microwave to melt them. Or a double boiler method on stove top works too. When completely melted, set them to the side and allow to cool down.
Whisk the whites. Whisk in the egg whites and sugar together till they get super fluffy. Remember to use room temperature egg whites and a clean bowl free of any oil residues.
Combine yolks with the chocolate. To yolks, add in the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk till everything is well combined.
Sift dry ingredients together. I like to use a sifter when I combine dry ingredients to help get rid of the lumps.
Fold egg whites and chocolate-yolk mixture in the batter: Incorporate yolk mix and egg whites mix slowly into dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold whites in the batter slowly. You want all those air bubbles in the batter.
Bake. Pour cake batter onto your prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven till done.
Roll the cake while it is still warm. This step sets in the memory of the cake to stay rolled when you re-roll it later with cream filling to stay rolled and not break.
Make the filling. Whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream together to form soft peaks and then fold in the room temp cheese and vanilla.
Make the chocolate ganache. 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.
Top with ganache. Remove cake from the refrigerator and pour the ganache on.
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."
WHEN TO ROLL IT 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 this cake's enemies! Roll it when its warm and allow it to cool rolled.
TO STORE THE ROLL:
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.
TO FREEZE THIS CAKE:
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 ROLL:
- If you want to make this into a gluten-free 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 gives a nice boost of sweetness!
MORE 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! 🙂
Recipe
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
- ¼ 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 (very cold)
- 5 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
To make the chocolate glaze:
- 6 ounces chocolate (dark, semi sweet or even milk is fine)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350℉ and add parchment paper or spray your baking pan with cooking spray.
- 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 butter and chocolate. Make sure it melts completely then place it aside 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 huge in volume so whisk away! It should take around 3-4 minutes at med-med high speed.
- Combine yolks with the chocolate. To yolks, add in the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until it's combined using a hand whisk.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet. Sift all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and then fold them with yolk-chocolate mixture and ⅓ of egg whites mixture.Now add and fold egg whites mixture in the batter in two batches. Make sure that it's fluffy and smooth!
- 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. Sprinkle some 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 cream filling! Whisk powdered sugar and chilled heavy cream together to form soft peaks and then fold in the cheese and vanilla.
- Make chocolate ganache. Heat cream and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. If you break it up into pieces before melting, it makes the process much quicker. Alternatively, you can add cream to a saucepan on the stove and bring it to a bowl. Once it's boiling, add in chopped chocolate. Then stir the mixture together to allow it to combine, turn the gas off and stir till a glossy ganache is formed.
- Assemble! Very carefully unroll the cake and then use a spatula to spread on the whipped cream filling.
- Reroll the cake. Once you've covered the entire surface of cake, roll it back up and put it in the fridge to set for about ½ - 1 hour.
- Pour ganache. Remove chilled cake from refrigerator and drizzle on the topping. (or pour it on). Enjoy!
Diana
Great recipe. Love the tips for rolling. At first it is a bit intimidating, but your method works like a charm.
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dessert last night and it was a sweet success! Turned out light, rich and delicious; easily, a new favorite treat!
Elizabeth
This is an amazing recipe! The ganache makes it so rich and indulgent. Cracking is often a problem when making these types of cakes so thanks for the tip on rolling it while it is still warm.
Cynthia
This is a gorgeous swiss roll. Simple yet elegant. Perfect for a dinner party.
dina and bruce miller
We made this Swiss roll for our son and daughter in law. The cake was the perfect flavor, and the marscapone in the filling took it to the next level. Our sons used to eat snack cakes when they were young and the swiss rolls were always a favorfite. This is SO MUCH BETTER!! Thank you for this recipe!
Michelle
I’m always ready for a delicious chocolatey sweet dessert!
Beth
This is so good, and it was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be! It's going to be a permanent addition to my recipe rotation.
Ali
Oh man this looks incredible! Especially with that chocolate glaze on top. And I love that it can be frozen!
Vicky
I have always been intimidated by recipes like this, because I didn't imagine I'd be able to get the roll correctly. However, you present things in such an easy, straightforward way and take me through the whole process step by step. I actually feel like I can make this yummy dessert!
Savita
This was really good, so soft and chocolaty. Loved the recipe.
Beth
What size pan please?
GreedyEats
It's a 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm) sheet pan Beth. Enjoy!
Akexis
My family loves Swiss rolls but I haven’t been able to find an easy recipe, thank you for sharing. Love this one!
Ntensibe Edgar
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.
Fransic verso
This looks so good. I have never done rolls before. And would love to try them.
tweenselmom
This looks very delicious! Something I'd definitely try and enjoy making, thank you for sharing this with us. 🙂
Life Mag Health
I have been craving for chocolate cake for a while now. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Heatherkleinwolf
I love cake rolls-- especially this one with ganache. Great recipe with lots of chocolate flavor
Olga
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!