I have always been a fan of every Swiss roll cake ever since I was young! The well-baked cake rolls in transparent wrappers with creamy filling or raisins and jam never failed to make me hungry. Today, I’m going to share my favorite recipe with you guys!
Contents
What is a Swiss Roll?
Basically, it’s a thin sheet of batter baked and rolled into a log shape filled with jam or cream. As a result, each slice will have a spiral pattern, making it much more appealing and attractive. With a good design, this simple roll can be a gorgeous birthday cake too!
(See our Chocolate Cheesecake Cups or Football Cake for interesting cake ideas!)
The Origin
Despite the name, our dessert didn’t come from Switzerland. Researchers believe it first appeared around the 19th century (1), in either England or Austria. In the first article about it in 1852, Swiss roll was described as a ‘jelly roll’: “Bake quick, and while hot spread with jelly. Roll carefully, and wrap it in a cloth. When cold cut in slices for the table.” (2)
Variations
As this treat becomes popular and gains its reputation in many countries’ cuisine, people enhance it with various choices of flavors and fillings.
- Asia: You can find Swiss rolls in many Asian bakeries. Usually, it’s a little lighter in Hong Kong because the bakers use standard whipping cream. Indians love their pineapple jelly for the filling, Japanese cooks can’t resist the urge to add their traditional matcha, and southeast Asian countries favor fruit flavors.
- Europe: It’s actually not very popular in Switzerland, how surprising! Instead, French families have a tradition of enjoying it in their Xmas feast and call it ‘Yule Log’ or ‘Bûche de Noël’. In Sweden, they use potato flour rather than all-purpose wheat flour.
Easy Swiss Roll Recipe
PrintSwiss Roll | Extremely Fluffy & Easy
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Category: How to Cake
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
Before you learn how to make a cake roll at home, let’s give your storage a quick check and see if you have these ingredients:
-
Cake sponge
Part 1
- 4 egg yolks
- 50ml cooking oil
- 50ml non-sugar fresh milk
- 40g cornstarch
- 60g flour
Part 2
- 4 egg whites
- 3g cream of tartar
- 50g sugar
-
Cake filling
- 200g whipping cream
- 100g sugar
- 10g raisins
- 100g strawberry jam
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the batter
- Crack the eggshell and carefully separate the yolks from the whites.
- Whisk the yolks gently and add cooking oil, fresh milk, cornstarch, flour. Stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth golden paste.
- Add cream of tartar and sugar to the whites and mix them up, preferably with an automatic mixture so we can obtain a spongy, creamy substance.
- Blend the two mixtures above, and we will have our batter ready.
- Line your baking tray with parchment paper before pouring the dough into the mold. I chose the 30×40 size (cm) and baked my Swiss roll at 150oC for 20 minutes.
While waiting, we can utilize the time to make the cream filling for the cake.
Step 2: Prepare the filling
- Mix whipping cream with sugar only for the tender and sweet taste.
- Cut the raisins into pieces and get the strawberry jam ready. They are the ingredients for a rich, fruity flavor, so don’t worry about the cream being bland!
Step 3: Shape and serve the roll
- Take the tray out of the oven and start to roll it up while it’s still warm since the cake will be much softer and less sticky.
- You would want to be gentle and slow so you don’t accidentally tear the thin texture apart. The parchment paper will be your best assistant in applying enough pressure for a tight roll without squishing it under your hands.
- Unroll the cake again and spread the cream all over evenly.
- Plaster the jam along the edge so you will have the core of the roll packed with jam.
- Scatter the raisins before rolling the cake up again.
- You can give the Swiss roll some decoration with a cream flower or a dot of cream or fruits like strawberry and raisin on each slice!
Notes
- When you mix the mixtures of the yolk and the white, use your spatula and be very gentle, or your batter will deflate.
- If you love a moist cake, cover the tray with a dampened towel when it’s fresh out of the oven.
- For a chocolate recipe, we can simply include melted chocolate or cocoa powder when preparing the batter, or replace the strawberry jam with your favorite sauce! It depends on our preference after all!
- Leave about a centimeter near the rim when you spread the cream on the cake sheet, so the filling won’t be smeared messily.
Keywords: swiss roll, swiss roll cake
And that’s everything you need to know about how to make a Swiss roll cake as excellently as the professional bakers do. Not only does it taste great, but it also looks pretty enough for a fancy afternoon tea party if you put extra effort into the decoration. I hope you will have a good time sharing this irresistible baked good with your beloved people!
