Easy vanilla Swiss roll cake recipe

This vanilla Swiss roll cake is a perfect dessert for any occasion. Add your favorite filling and impress your guests

Vanilla Swiss roll cake with jam (also known as roulade) is simple and elegant at the same time. A thin layer of vanilla sponge cake rolled around a delicious filling is really awesome! It’s a perfect sweet treat for any time of the year. You’ll need only 6 simple ingredients! And it contains no butter or oil.

Many Swiss roll cake recipes separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and beat them separately. I decided to make the process as simple as possible: without any unnecessary machinations, top-secret secrets, or techniques (that only a baker with 100 years of experience can handle).

Follow this recipe and you will bake the perfect vanilla Swiss roll cake. You will need an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for this recipe.

It’s very important to beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy – this step is crucial to making a light and airy sponge. You will have to beat them for about 10-15 minutes. The whisk will not cope with this task.

Useful tips

Follow a few simple tips to make a soft and fluffy vanilla Swiss roll cake:

• Use a kitchen scale. It’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients, especially flour. Too much flour will make the sponge dry and difficult to roll.
• Eggs should be at room temperature. They are easier to combine and give more volume.
• Milk should be at room temperature too. It helps to make a smooth batter without lumps.
• Use cake flour for this recipe. I don’t recommend using the all-purpose one. A low-protein flour will ensure a light and fluffy batter texture.
• Sift the flour before adding it to the batter. Don’t skip this step if you want to make the best vanilla Swiss roll cake.
• Don’t overbake the sponge.  Otherwise, it will crack or break when rolling. Remove it from the oven as soon as it’s lightly golden brown and springs back when touched.

Which baking sheet should I use for this recipe?

I always use a standard oven baking sheet (33x32cm /13×12 inch) for this recipe to bake a 1 cm (about 1/3 inch) thick sponge. It’s easy to roll and it looks beautiful in slices.

However, you can use a slightly larger or smaller baking sheet. Then the thickness of the sponge layer will be different. Please note: if it’s too thin, it’s likely to break when rolled; if, on the contrary, it’s too thick –  it will be difficult to roll it.

What to put in vanilla Swiss roll cake?

The filling will complete the sweet melody of this dessert. The filling variations are really endless.

Therefore, have fun and get creative with different flavors and fillings to make this recipe your own:

• Thick jam or jelly. Use any fruit jam of your choice: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, plum…  I adore it with my homemade peach jam – it’s simple and really delicious. 
• Nutella or chocolate ganache.
• Cream cheese or mascarpone. Beat it with sugar. Add lemon zest for extra flavor.
• Sweet whipped cream. You can add pieces of fresh fruit as well.
• Buttercream. Any buttercream flavor is suitable for this vanilla Swiss roll cake.
• Lemon curd. Or whipped cream flavored with lemon juice.

You can even combine different fillings together: first spread Nutella over the baked sponge layer, and then spread sweet whipped cream on top of it. Roll it and you will get very original and beautiful slices.

If you want to add fresh fruit to the filling, slice or dice it and pat it dry with a paper napkin. This will help remove excess moisture.

Ingredients

I strongly advise you to accurately weigh all the ingredients using a kitchen scale. And do not skip vanilla – thanks to its delicate flavor your Swiss roll cake won’t be eggy at all.

• 130g (1 cup) cake flour
• 150g (¾ cup) white granulated sugar
• 3 eggs (at room temperature)
• 50ml (3 ½ Tbsp) milk (at room temperature)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• vanilla (extract or powder)

How to make Vanilla Swiss roll cake

In a large bowl, beat the eggs (they must be at room temperature) and sugar together

Beat with a mixer for 10-15 minutes (do not neglect this advice, thanks to well-beaten eggs, the sponge won’t crack while rolling)

Add milk (at room temperature), vanilla, sifted flour and baking powder

Lightly mix everything with a spatula or spoon until smooth (moving from bottom to top)

I always use my oven baking sheet (32x33cm / 13×12 inch). Line it with parchment paper and gently pour the batter into it, smooth out the top with a spoon or a spatula. Spread it out evenly, covering the corners

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Bake the sponge for 8 minutes (until golden brown)

Next, remove it immediately from the oven and cover it with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Then place the sponge upside down on the table (it should be on the towel, and the parchment paper will be on top)

Carefully remove the parchment paper. Sprinkle some sugar on top of the sponge – do it quickly, before it has time to cool

Roll it (while it’s still hot) and wrap it in the same towel on which you placed it before. Leave it like this until it cools completely

Then carefully unroll the sponge, spread your favorite filling over it (I use strawberry jam) leaving a ½ cm gap around the edge, and carefully re-roll it again. Finally, wrap the cake with a cling film or aluminum foil, and leave it in the fridge for 1 hour. Make sure to let it sit with the edge facing down

How to serve vanilla Swiss roll cake

This dessert is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar, or top it with whipped cream before serving.

Or enjoy it with:

• fresh fruit and berries
• a scoop of your favorite ice cream

In summer, I often make vanilla Swiss roll cake with cream cheese and serve it with homemade lemonade or iced tea.

Whatever way you choose to serve it, this awesome dessert is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.

FAQ

So light, fluffy, and delicious this vanilla Swiss roll cake is the perfect dessert that everyone will love.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment with Star Ratings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. I will really appreciate it.
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