This easy Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake Recipe is light, fluffy and moist. No Pre-Rolling! A chiffon roll cake filled with delicious buttercream-cream cheese frosting that is so easy to make!
This classic Swiss Roll Cake also known as jelly roll is made of thin sponge cake with the chiffon cake method. The buttercream-cream cheese filling is made of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.
How to make Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake
Prepare all the ingredients and the baking sheet. Grease the pan and line with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 335°F.
Make the egg yolk batter. In a medium-sized bowl whisk the egg yolk mixture until pale in colour and emulsified. Add the dry ingredients and sift it over the egg mixture, alternating with the milk mixture in 3 to 4 additions. Mix until smooth and with no lumps.
This method of mixing the egg yolk batter is a bit different from the traditional chiffon cake.
Tip
Emulsifying is needed to create a stable egg yolk batter when mixed with dry ingredients. It also avoids a crumbly texture and gives more flexibility and moisture to the cake after baking. Therefore, it prevents breaking when rolled.
Make the meringue. In another medium-sized bowl whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy. Then start adding the sugar gradually until medium-stiff peaks.
Folding the meringue. Add and fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter about a quarter cup at a time. Until no more streaks of egg yolk batter are visible.
Tip
Make sure not to overmix that may result in the cake batter deflating and a cake denser.
Pour the cake batter on the prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Tilt the pan or use a cake scraper to level and even out the cake batter. Drop or tap a few times on the table to remove air pockets.
Bake the cake. Place the cake in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 335°F. Depending on your oven, when the cake is no longer wet, springy and golden then it’s done baking.
Tip
Do not over-bake the cake. this may result to dry cake with a crispy crust that is prone to breaking when rolled.
Cooling the cake. Remove from the oven and baking sheet. Hold the parchment paper from the side to lift the cake and place it on the cooling rack. Cool for about 15 minutes or until room temperature. Cover with parchment paper to avoid drying out and prevent cracking when rolled.
Do I need to pre-roll the cake? It’s optional. Pre-roll the cake to create a memory shape for a perfect roll cake shape.
However, pre-rolling a cake is a bit challenging if you like to show a perfect crust. You need to make sure that it’s not too warm when pre-rolled. This may steam and creates moisture result in peeling and sticking on the parchment paper. If you let the cake cool completely and dry out, when pre-rolled may result in the roll cake cracking or breaking.
To pre-roll the cake. Make 3 shallow slits an inch in between on one end where you will make a straight trim cut. Then roll in a parchment paper and seal to secure. Let it chill for an hour.
While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream-cream cheese frosting.
Make the filling. Cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese (softened) in a medium-sized bowl using an electric mixer.
Add the powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time to avoid flying all over the place. Add the Vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and fluffy.
If the consistency is too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream if desired or adjust the amount of sugar to your desired sweetness and consistency.
With the parchment paper on top of the cake, carefully invert the cake by holding onto the side of the parchment paper and flip it over. Remove the parchment paper from the cake and keep the one now at the bottom of the cake. Trim the 9″ ends or trim all ends if desired. Cut one end diagonally.
Filling and rolling the cake. Place a dollop of the frosting and spread it evenly on the cake.
Tip
Before rolling the cake. Lay a kitchen towel underneath the parchment to avoid sliding while rolling.
Place the rolling pin on the back end of the parchment paper with the straight-cut end of the cake. Lift and push towards the diagonally trim end of the cake. Seal and wrap the cake. Use adhesive tape to keep the cake wrapped in parchment paper.
Tip
Do not squeeze or wrap the cake too tight, it may cause the cake to have cracks.
Chill the cake for at least an hour before slicing.
Slice the cake. Trim the ends and clean the knife with warm water or a paper towel in between cuts.
Storing the cake. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container. Freeze for up to 3 months
Here are more delicious Cake Recipes You may also like.
Strawberry Pineapple Vanilla Chiffon Cake
Easy Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 9"×13"×1" baking pan
- 2 12"×15" Parchment paper
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 75 g cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
Egg yolk mixture
- 4 egg yolks 70 g
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp corn syrup or honey
Milk mixture
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract vanilla
for the Meringue
- 4 egg whites 140 g
- ½ tsp lemon juice or ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- 45 g granulated sugar
For the Buttercream-Cream cheese Frosting
- 2 tbsp cream cheese softened
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients and the baking sheet. Grease the pan and line with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 335°F.
- Make the egg yolk batter. In a medium-sized bowl whisk the egg yolk mixture until pale in colour. Add the dry ingredients and sift it over the egg mixture, alternating with the milk mixture in 3 to 4 additions. Mix until smooth and with no lumps.
- Make the meringue. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy. Then starts adding the sugar gradually until medium-stiff peaks.
- Folding the meringue. Add and fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter, about a quarter cup at a time. Until no more streaks of egg yolk batter are visible. Make sure not to overmix that may result in the cake batter deflating and a cake denser.
- Pour the cake batter on the prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Tilt the pan to level or use cake scraper to even out the cake batter. Drop or tap a few times on the table to remove air pockets.
- Bake the cake. Place the cake in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 335°F. Depending on your oven, when the cake is no longer wet, springy and golden then it's done baking.
- Cooling the cake. Remove from the oven and the baking sheet. Hold the parchment paper from the side to lift the cake and place it on the cooling rack. Cool for about 15 minutes or until room temperature. Cover with parchment paper to avoid drying out. While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream-cream cheese frosting.
- Make the filling. Cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl using an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time to avoid flying all over the place. Add the Vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and fluffy. If the consistency is too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream if desired or adjust the amount of sugar to your desired sweetness and consistency.
- With the parchment paper on top of the cake, carefully invert the cake by holding onto the side of the parchment paper. Remove the parchment paper from the cake and keep the one now at the bottom of the cake. Trim the 9" ends or trim all ends if desired. Cut one end diagonally.
- Filling and rolling the cake. Place a dollop of the frosting and spread it evenly on the cake. Place the rolling pin on the back end of the parchment paper with the straight-cut end of the cake. Lift and push towards the diagonally trim end of the cake. Use adhesive tape to keep the cake wrapped in parchment paper.
- Chill the cake for at least an hour before slicing.
- Slice the cake. Trim the ends and clean the knife with warm water or a paper towel in between cuts.
- Storing the cake. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
