Christmas vanilla roll cake recipe (2024)

November 24, 2013 by Roxana 176 Comments

A simple vanilla roll cake with red and green dots and spirals of creamy buttercream is the perfect dessert for Christmas parties.

This spiral cake has always caught my attention. Although it carries different names depending from country to country, I find roll cakes prettier than a layer cake. Plus, not to mention they are so much easier to make. My love for roll cake grew with every roulade (that’s how we call it in Romania) my mom made, mostly around the holidays.

Last year I made a gingerbread roll cake and few weeks ago I made a pumpkin roll cake. I wanted to make a new one for this Christmasbut I wasn’t sure what flavor to pick until I found the red & green batter bits. I knew right then I wanted a simple vanilla cake filled with creamy buttercream with lots and lots of Christmas sprinkles.

If you’ve never made a roll cake, it’s time to change that. You should not be afraid, just follow few simple steps and in no time you’ll have the most beautiful swirl cake.The secret to roll cakes is beating the egg yolks until light yellow and thickened. That should take around 3 minutes on high-speed or around 5 on medium speed.

Tips for perfect roll cakes every single time!

The secret to the creamy buttercream is to whip the butter first before adding the powder sugar to it and whip on medium speed for 2 minutes once all the sugar is incorporated. Doing so, you’ll have a light buttercream way better than the store-bought ones.

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

Vanilla Roll Cake

2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (30 grams) sifted cake flour
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch
1/4 cup red & green Wilton batter bits or edible confetti
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp red & green sprinkles
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 teaspoons heavy cream

Decorations

4 oz white chocolate
red & green sprinkles

Instructions

Heat the oven to 450F.
Line a 17X12 jelly/sheet pan with parchment paper . Set aside.
In a mixing bowl add the 2 eggs, 3 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. With the paddle attachment on, beat on medium to high speed around 5 minutes until pale in color and thickened. Add the vanilla extract and beat few more seconds.
Sift the flour and the cornstarch over the egg yolks mixture and with a spatula gently fold it in.
Fold in the batter bits as well.
In a separate grease-free bowl, add the 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon of sugar. With a whisk, whip until firm peaks form.
With the spatula, fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolks mixture.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spread it evenly and bake for 6-7 minutes until golden brown and, when touched, it springs back.
As soon as you remove the cake from the oven sprinkle with powder sugar and then invert the cake onto a clean dish towel. Remove the parchment paper, sprinkle with more powder sugar, and roll up the cake with the towel. Place on a wire rack to cool

Vanilla buttercream

In a clean bowl add the butter. With the whisk attached on to the the mixer whip the butter for 2-3 minutes on medium to high speed.
Lower the speed and slowly add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.
When all the sugar is incorporated increase the speed and whip for 2 more minutes.
Add few drops of heavy cream until it reaches the consistency you desire.
With a spatula fold in the sprinkles.
Gently unroll the cake and spread the buttercream evenly all over it.
Roll it again and place in the fridge for a couple of hours.
To decorate, melt the white chocolate in double boiler or microwave and pour it over the cake. Add Add more sprinkles (optional)
Let the chocolate settle for few minutes and slice the cake.

Notes

If you can't find the batter bits, you can use Christmas edible confetti instead. They will not bleed while baking the cake.

7.6.8

492

http://atreatsaffair.com/christmas-vanilla-roll-cake-recipe/

Roxana Yawgel http://atreatsaffair.com/ All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

Sending love your way,

Roxana

Christmas vanilla roll cake recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my roll cake crack? ›

An over-baked cake will dry out and be more likely to crack. Roll a little more tightly at the beginning. The first curl of the spiral will be the center of the cake once you roll it back up, so roll this part up a bit more tightly.

Read The Full Story ›

How to make a Swiss roll without cracking? ›

Starting at the shorter edge of the cake, roll the cake and greaseproof paper up together, making sure that it is especially tight at the beginning. It's important that the cake is warm so it can set in the right shape. If it's too cold, it won't roll properly. Once rolled, leave it to cool completely.

Discover More Details ›

How to stop Swiss roll sticking? ›

Assembling the Swiss roll:

Lightly dust the top of the sponge with powdered/icing sugar, to prevent sticking. Turn it out onto a large sheet of parchment/baking paper, so that the golden brown, caramelised “skin” side is facing down (so that it's on the outside of the Swiss roll when you roll it up).

Know More ›

What causes Christmas cake to crack? ›

The oven temperature is too high. If the top crust forms and sets before the cake has finished rising, the middle will try to push through the crust as it continues to bake, causing it to crack and possibly dome. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and reduce the temperature accordingly if it is running hot.

Read On ›

Do you roll Swiss roll when hot? ›

You need to roll the sponge when warm as it's more bendy. Roll tightly with the baking paper then leave to cool before unrolling. 5. Don't go too close to the edges of your sponge when filling, or it will all ooze out when rolled.

Get More Info ›

What is the best thing to stop peeling? ›

If you have peeling skin, these actions may help:

Apply fragrance-free, hypoallergenic moisturizing cream or ointment (they're thicker than lotions). ...
Drink plenty of water to keep your skin well hydrated.
Seek help to quit smoking (nicotine damages your skin).
Shower (don't bathe) in warm water (hot water is drying).

More items...

Explore More ›

Do you roll a Swiss roll straight from the oven? ›

ROLLING A SWISS ROLL. Always roll it up straight from the oven while it's still pliable.
FILLING A SWISS ROLL. Don't overdo the filling or it will be harder to roll up and get a neat finish.
FINISHING A SWISS ROLL.

Read On ›

Can you use a baking sheet for Swiss roll? ›

For my Swiss Rolls I either use a 9″ x 13″ cookie sheet or a standard 13″ x 18″ cookie sheet. If you are using the smaller cookie sheet I recommend using the half batch of batter (the one that starts with 6 egg yolks) like we use in this blog here.

Keep Reading ›

What to do with failed Swiss roll? ›

Cracks upon rolling:

Simply slice your cake into small squares and pipe buttercream or whatever filling you had planned on top of one square then sit another piece of cake on top and pipe some more buttercream – lots of buttercream. Happy days.

Why has my cake sunk and cracked? ›

5. My cake has sunk in the middle. There are three main reasons for this: a/ the oven door has been opened before the cake has set, b/ the cake didn't go in the oven as soon as the mixture was ready or c/ there's too much raising agent.