A light and fluffy chocolate sponge filled with soft and creamy whipped buttercream, this Chocolate Roll Cake is always a winner. In this post you’ll find all the tips for the perfect roll cake.
Other chocolate cakes you’ll love are this Black Magic Cake and this Blackberry Chocolate Cake.
Why you’ll love this Chocolate Roll Cake
The cake has the perfect fluffy texture and chocolate flavour. It rolls easily and the filling is like sweet vanilla flavoured clouds.
This irresistible cake is also impressive. A roll cake always looks stunning and with my tips, it’s easier than you think.
This chocolate roll cake is based on my favourite supermarket brand from when I was a kid. They’re still available but over time, their filling has reduced and they just aren’t the same.
It took me a bit of testing to work out that filling but I did it when I made these Lamington Cupcakes with Whipped Buttercream Frosting. As soon as I mastered the swiss roll, this recipe came to life.
The chocolate roll cake
Swiss roll or roll cake or cake roll or sponge roll or whatever you want to call it can seem tricky but once you learn the tricks and master it, you realise it’s actually not that hard. Once I mastered the technique, this chocolate roll cake was my first and the second was actually this Peaches and Cream Swiss Roll Cake that I posted first.
Chocolate swiss roll tips Start with a great recipe – check. I’ve got your back on this one.Don’t overbake it (very important- otherwise it’ll just crack when you roll it). If it does crack, don’t worry, it’ll still taste divine.Roll it up straight out of the oven – use a damp tea towel, sprinkled liberally with superfine sugar. Asbestos fingers at the readyBe prepared to forgive and forget if it doesn’t look perfect the first time (an extra sprinkling of icing sugar or cocoa can hide many sins)
That’s it. They actually aren’t as tricky as they look. If at first you don’t succeed, hey, eat it anyway. It’ll still taste fantastic. Whoop whoop!
How to make a cake roll
Push it down a hill! haha. Ahem, moving on.
You’ll need to beat the eggs and sugar until really light and fluffy. Now pour it into a swiss roll tin or jelly roll tin and bake it until the sponge just barely bounces back when you dab it with your finger tip.
As soon as you take it out of the oven, carefully but confidently roll it up, releasing paper just at either end, but don’t peel it off. With the short end to you, tuck the end in tightly first, then roll it up, gently but tightly, straight away. Peel back the paper on that last part of the roll so it doesn’t steam while it’s cooling and just let it cool completely (sitting on the seam is best). As soon as it is cool, unroll it (but don’t flatten it out), fill it and roll it back up without the paper and it’s done.
The Whipped Buttercream frosting
Oh, this whipped buttercream frosting. This just nearly takes the medal from my favourite ermine buttercream. This frosting is fluffy and airy. Light but full of vanilla. It’s soft, creamy and luxurious and exactly how I remember that supermarket Chocolate Roll.
Now roll that roll cake
Once the cake has cooled completely, you can unroll it and you’ll notice straight away that it has some ‘muscle memory’. Just spread your whipped buttercream on the inside and roll it up firmly but carefully again. Tadaaa! You have just made a Chocolate Roll Cake.
Sprinkle with some more cocoa and how beautiful is this cake to serve your friends and family. FYI waaaaay better than the supermarket one.
MAKE AHEAD – Yes, this roll cake can be made 2 days ahead but will last well up to 4-5 days in the fridge. It freezes well too.
STORAGE – Store in an airtight container in the fridge. This cake also freezes well – once cold, wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then into an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before eating.
TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPES
A jelly roll tin or swiss roll tin are the correct sizeA large spatula makes spreading the frosting on super simpleExtra tea towels for wrapping the cake when you roll it
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If you’ve tried this chocolate roll cake recipe, make sure to come back and leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you.
- ½ cup (60g) flour (I used cake flour, but all-purpose flour works too)
- 3 tbsp (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp (10g) cornstarch
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp (30ml) boiling water
- 2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
- 4 eggs (about 240g)
- ½ cup (120g) sugar
Baking Temperature: 350°F (180°C). Baking Tips:
- Preheat your oven before you start.
- Baking time depends on the thickness of the batter. I used a 16×15 inch (or 40×38 cm, external dimensions) baking tray, and it took 12 minutes for the sponge to bake perfectly. If your baking tray is smaller, the batter will be thicker, so you may need to bake it a bit longer. Be careful not to overbake—start checking for doneness after 10-12 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean. Avoid opening the oven during the first 10 minutes to prevent the sponge from deflating.
- Don’t use a small baking tray, as the batter layer will be too thick, making it harder to roll the sponge later.
- Roll the sponge cake immediately after taking it out of the oven while it’s still hot and flexible. Once it cools, it won’t roll as easily.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 7 oz (200g) dark chocolate
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
Ganache Tip: use a 1:1.5 ratio of chocolate to heavy cream for a silky, spreadable ganache. If you prefer a thicker consistency, go with a 1:1 ratio.