Soft and fluffy Vanilla Cake Roll filled with cream and jam.
Ingredients
Vanilla cake roll
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 90 grams (1/3 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour, sifted
- 20 ml (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) flavourless oil (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dusting
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted, for dusting only
Cream filling
- 130 grams (1/2 cup) raspberry or strawberry jam
- 300 ml (1 and 1/4 cups) thickened cream or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Vanilla cake roll
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan or swiss roll pan with baking paper or parchment paper. - Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs for 1-2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed. Once eggs start to become thick and foamy, add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to mix.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue to beat until eggs become pale and fluffy, and triple in volume – this is called ribbon stage. It will take around 5-7 minutes.
- You’ll know your eggs have reached ribbon stage when you can use the whisk to draw a figure 8 on top of the batter. If the number 8 is still there when you have finished drawing, your eggs are ready. (See photo below).
- When the eggs are ready, add half the flour and gently fold with a spatula. Add remaining flour and continue to gently fold the mixture until there are no more pockets of flour. (Be careful not to over-mix here or you’ll lose the air in your eggs and your sponge will be flat and rubbery).
- Drizzle the oil and vanilla down the side of the bowl. Gently fold until combined.
- Transfer your cake batter to your prepared pan and gently smooth out to form one even layer. Bake for approximately 11 minutes or until cake is no longer sticky to the touch.
- Rolling the cake roll
Prepare a clean, dry tea towel by generously sifting over half of the icing sugar reserved for dusting. Take the cake out of the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes just to firm up ever so slightly. Then, in one swift movement, tip the cake out onto the prepared tea towel, then very gently remove the baking paper. - Sift over the remaining icing sugar on top of the cake. Then gently roll up the cake, from the short end, keeping the tea towel wrapped around the cake.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before filling – around 1-2 hours.
- Filling the cake roll
In a large mixing bowl, add your cream and whisk on medium speed until whipped and soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla. - Very gently, unroll your cake, keeping the end slightly curled. Spread out jam all over the cake, followed by whipped cream, going right to the edges. Then, gently re-roll the cake.
- Place cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Oil: This is essentially a fatless sponge (no butter), but a tiny bit of oil helps creating a sponge that is pliable and can be rolled. I recommend using a flavourless oil or neutral-tasting oil like grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or a mild olive oil.
Jam: I like to use strawberry or raspberry jam in this recipe, but you can really use any jam you like. Or you can leave it out and simply fill the cake with cream – divine!
Thickened cream: Or heavy cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
Ribbon-stage eggs: The eggs will become pale and creamy and triple in volume. The easiest way to check if your eggs are done is if you can draw a figure 8 on the surface of the eggs using a trail of the egg mixture. If you can still see the number 8 on the surface when you’re finished drawing, the eggs are good to go. If it sinks, keep mixing.
Storage: Once filled, keep your Vanilla Swiss Roll in the fridge. You can serve it cold or bring it back to room temperature. Unfortunately, Swiss Rolls don’t freeze that well.
Make-ahead: You can make and fill your Swiss Cake Roll the day before serving. Simply cover and store in an airtight container in the fridge. However, this Vanilla Swiss Cake Roll, like most Sponge Cakes is best served on the day it is made.
