Nothing screams “summer dessert” quite like a cold, strawberry-filled treat. That’s why we always break out our strawberry roll cake recipe when we’re in need of a truly gorgeous end to a summer day. Sure, our strawberry roll cake may seem daunting to make, but it’s actually a really achievable recipe for bakers of any skill level.
We break down how to make this roll cake step-by-step, with tons of tips and tricks sprinkled in to really make sure that the cake doesn’t crack, the filling doesn’t ooze and the roll looks gorgeous so you can feel confident serving this showstopper after dinner. Let’s get the cake (err, ball) rolling on this summery treat.
Ingredients for Strawberry Roll Cake
- Eggs: Whipped up eggs make the sponge cake strong yet airy so it can be rolled up into the iconic spiral shape.
- Cake flour: Do not substitute all-purpose flour here. Cake flour is specifically used since it has a lower protein content and is more finely milled. These characteristics will let the sponge cake bake into a fluffy and tall cake, whereas all-purpose flour would make the cake much too dense and flat.
- Heavy whipping cream: We opted for a whipped cream filling in our strawberry cake roll to complement the spongey cake.
- Strawberries: In season, fresh strawberries are best here, but frozen strawberries can be used too. Just make sure to thaw and drain any excess liquid from the berries before sprinkling them in the whipped cream filling or you run the risk of breaking the whipped cream.
Directions
Step 1: Whip up the egg mixture
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the eggs with the vanilla on high speed until the mixture is lemon-colored, about five minutes.
Gradually add the sugar, beating until the sugar is dissolved.
Editor’s Tip: Slowly add in the sugar 1/4 cup at a time to dissolve it properly in the egg mixture.
Step 2: Gently fold in the flour mixture
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until everything is combined.
Editor’s Tip: Do not over-fold or you’ll deflate the batter.
Step 3: Spread into a baking pan
Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan, or jelly-roll pan, with waxed paper or parchment; grease the paper. Pour the batter, and gently spread it evenly in the pan.
Step 4: Bake and roll the cake
Bake the cake just until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Then, turn the cake out onto a tea towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Quickly, but gently, peel off the paper from the cake.
Roll up the cake and the tea towel together to make the spiral shape, starting with a short side. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
Editor’s Tip: Yes, the cake and tea towel are rolled up together into the spiral, not separately. This is the most important step when learning how to make a cake roll. When the cake first comes out of the oven, it’s at its most elastic and pliable, so rolling it up with the tea towel trains the cake to take on the spiral shape.
Step 5: Assemble the cake
Create the filling by whipping up the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Unroll the cake and tea towel, and spread the filling on the inside of the cake’s spiral to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle the strawberries on top of the filling.
Roll up the cake again into the spiral shape (without the tea towel), wrap the cake in storage wrap and chill it for two hours before serving.
Just before serving, sprinkle the cake with confectioners’ sugar, and garnish it with additional strawberries and whipped cream if desired.
Strawberry Roll Cake Variations
- Drop in food coloring: Create a more colorful strawberry roll cake look by dropping red food coloring into the cake batter. Your strawberry cake roll will have a gorgeous pink-red cake spiral, complementing the pops of ruby red strawberries in the filling.
- Add in matcha: Sweet strawberries and earthy matcha are a match made in food pairing heaven. Instead of this recipe’s cake roll, bake the cake from our raspberry matcha cake roll. We love the idea of the matcha green colored spiral next to the ruby red strawberries.
- Finish with frosting: Decorate the outside of the roll with more than just confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream. Pipe or spread a vanilla frosting or cream cheese frosting on the top of the finished strawberry cake roll, then decorate with strawberries, lemon zest or sprinkles if desired.
- Create a different filling: If an airy whipped cream filling isn’t your cup of tea, try a cream cheese filling instead. Grab the cream cheese filling recipe from our cheesecake-stuffed strawberries and spread it in the cake roll. Don’t forget the strawberries!
How to Store Strawberry Roll Cake
To store, wrap the cake semi-tightly in storage wrap. It should be tight enough to keep the roll’s shape but not too tight so the filling will ooze out. Make sure the storage wrap is also pressed against any exposed cuts to prevent the cake from drying out. Keep the cake in the fridge for up to three days.
Strawberry Roll Cake Tips
Why did the cake crack after rolling it?
Your cake may have cracked for a few reasons. The cake may have been too dry from overbaking and may not have had enough moisture to bend. Another reason is the cake may have cooled too quickly before being rolled in a tea towel. The cake must be rolled in the towel when its still warm, as that’s when it’s most pliable.
If all those steps were followed perfectly yet your cake still cracked, the cake may have been rolled too tightly in the tea towel. Remember, we’re not rolling the cake into a coil, just a spiral. There should really be only one complete spiral in the cake.
Do you have to use a jelly-roll pan?
Yes, using a proper jelly-roll pan, usually about 15x10x1 inches, is imperative. This type of pan creates the perfect width and length to make a roll cake. Anything smaller will bake a cake that’s too thick and will roll up too squat. Anything bigger will make a too thin and fragile cake that will certainly break when rolled.
Now that you own a jelly-roll pan and have the roll cake technique down pat, you can tackle our best cake roll recipes fearlessly.
