Absolute perfection in a vanilla swiss roll recipe. There is no better swiss roll cake recipe than this one. Indulge in this roll of fluffy, tender, and delicate vanilla cake (aka genoise roulade).
Master the art of baking the perfect vanilla swiss roll
MAKE THIS VANILLA SWISS ROLL CAKE WITH THESE INGREDIENTS
The ingredients and techniques for manufacturing swiss roll are critical for constant success. To acquire guaranteed results, it’s best to grasp the purpose of all the ingredients and processes.
Large eggs
The recipe for these swiss rolls calls for both whole eggs and egg yolks. The average weight of an egg is 2 oz (with the shell).
It doesn’t matter if the eggs are cold or room temperature. Reason being, you need to heat the eggs before whisking them. You can use cold eggs if that’s all you have on hand.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR ME TO SEPARATE THE EGG WHITES?
In contrast to most swiss roll recipes you’ll find online, you won’t need to separate the eggs for these. For that reason, this recipe will not require a two-stage whisking of the egg. The cake will have a lot of volume thanks to the whole eggs that will be whisked until they become frothy. Do not omit cooking the eggs; doing so will assist increase the volume of the whole eggs as you whisk them and will also help maintain the integrity of the egg foam.
Sugar
Use white sugar if you want a traditional vanilla swiss roll. White sugar in either granulated or caster form will do. You can use any one without worry because the sugar will dissolve in the eggs.
Could I substitute brown sugar for white sugar?
Absolutely. Brown sugar is a 1:1 substitution in the recipe. Molasses flavour will be more pronounced, and the cake will turn a golden brown.
I can’t say how good this recipe will come out if you use artificial sugar because I haven’t tried it that way. Let me know if you decide to test it out though.
Flour
To make this dish, I rely on all-purpose flour. That helps make the swiss roll batter fluffy, but I also add some cornflour to it. Before settling on the recipe I’m presenting here, I played with with various flour amounts and types.
It’s the ideal method for producing a cake that is both tender and resilient enough to handle being rolled and unrolled.
Cornstarch
In addition to cornflour, cornflour is a common alternative name for this ingredient around the world. Flour made from finely milled maize is called corn flour (two words).
Vanilla swiss roll batter is given structure from corn flour without becoming too thick. A soft cake requires a batter that is kept airy.
Baking powder
Together with the flour, I also include some baking powder in the mixture. Adding this to genoise sponge cake is not how it’s usually done. Nonetheless, I include this because, in my experience, it always produces the desired outcomes.
The baking powder will ensure that the cake rises during baking even if the mixture loses a little volume.
Brown butter vs. clarified butter
This vanilla swiss roll cake has only a modest amount of clarified butter. The addition of fat increases the amount of moisture. I also prefer to use brown butter to enhance the flavour.
If you don’t have butter or wish to keep the swiss roll recipe dairy-free, you can substitute olive oil or a neutral oil (such as vegetable oil or canola oil). You can also use vegan butter that has been melted.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CLARIFIED BUTTER?
Clarified butter is simply butter fat. Heat is used to separate the butterfat from the milk solids in butter.
The butter foams and subsides as it heats, and the milk solids settle to the bottom of the pan. After this occurs, the clarified butter can be poured into a bowl, leaving the milk solids behind.
If you continue to heat the butter, the milk solids will caramelise, resulting in dark butter. Browned butter’s butterfat has a nuttier flavour and can be substituted for clarified butter.
Vanilla extract
With a high-quality vanilla extract, I give the cake roll a pleasant vanilla taste. I try to stay away from vanilla essence, also called imitation vanilla. The cake may taste bitter if too much of this is added.
A harsh aftertaste can be avoided by using only half the amount of vanilla extract called for in the recipe if that is all you have on hand.
RECIPE FOR A VANILLA SWISS ROLL WITH INSTRUCTIONS
This swiss roll recipe calls for a sponge cake, specifically a whole egg sponge cake or genoise sponge cake. This method may appear difficult at first, but bear with me. While I was perfecting this recipe, I was turning out more than four swiss rolls per day. Just use my advice to streamline and ensure the success of your strategy.
Get ready the baking sheet
The swiss roll pan I’m employing for this recipe is 10 by 15 inches (or jelly roll pan).
Cut a sheet of parchment paper to the exact size of your baking dish by using the pan itself as a guide. The parchment paper overhang on the baking sheet’s shorter side can be left in place. As will be shown below, this will make it simple to roll the cake up after baking.
The bottom of the pan can also be lined, but I find that leaving the overhang along the shorter sides gives the finished cake more visual appeal (you will see why shortly).
Prepare the baking sheet by spreading a thin layer of butter over the entire surface.
Be sure there are no creases in the parchment paper before you adhere it to the baking sheet. While baking a cake, use flour to coat the sides of the pan that aren’t covered by parchment paper.
Get all of your supplies prepared
The preparation for this vanilla swiss roll is the key to making it simple.
- Get a bowl and a scale out and start by making the clarified butter. Mix in the vanilla extract and put it aside.
- Put a few inches of water in a saucepan and bring it to a low boil.
- Then, using the scale, measure out the flour, cornflour, and baking powder, and sift the ingredients together.
- The eggs and the egg yolk should be combined in a bowl. Put the sugar and a bit of salt into the bowl with the eggs using a kitchen scale. Blend the eggs and sugar together with a whisk.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 180 degrees Celsius (or 350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Recipe with Detailed Instructions
- Cooking time for eggs should be kept to a minimum.
- In order to achieve egg foam,.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the egg foam in a slow, careful motion.
- Cream the butter and vanilla extract together.
HEATING THE MIXTURE OF EGG AND SUGAR
Warming the eggs is essential before making the vanilla swiss roll. Warm eggs absorb more air and produce more foam. Also, I’ve discovered that it produces a more stable foam that doesn’t deflate as easily.
Whisk the egg mixture for 3 – 4 minutes over a simmering saucepan of water, or until the eggs are warm to the touch (110 – 120 F / 43 – 48 C).
WHISK THE MIXTURE OF EGG
When the eggs have reached room temperature, they are ready to be beaten. Insert the whisk attachment into the bowl of your stand mixer. 5 – 6 minutes on high speed, until the egg mixture has tripled in size and is stable.
When you can make a “ribbon” with the egg mixture and it doesn’t disappear into the egg mixture, you know the egg mixture is ready. This step is critical for the swiss roll recipe since the foam gives the cake its texture.
When using a hand mixer, the whisking time can vary based on the speed and technique used to whisk the eggs.
ADD THE DRY INGREDIENTS BY FOLDING THEM IN
The dry ingredients must be sifted before being added in order to prevent lumps and maintain a light texture.
As an additional step, I prefer to sift the dry ingredients over the top of the egg foam using a sieve. You don’t want to sift all the flour into one area, since it would make the foam too heavy and cause the flour to settle to the bottom.
To incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg foam, use the largest flat spatula you own to gently mix them in. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl after each fold and turn the bowl so there are no dry areas. The baked vanilla swiss roll cake will have lumps if dry flour pockets are present.
Keeping the batter’s confidence up is also crucial. My limit is 15, and I never go higher.
TOSS IN THE BUTTER AND FOLD
You need to warm it up right before you add the butter vanilla mix. A few seconds in the microwave or a warm water bath will do the trick for warming the combination.
Lift about a cup of the batter into the buttery liquid with the spatula. Don’t worry about exact measurements; just eyeball a cup.
Combine the butter and batter and stir until the butter is emulsified. It’s important that there aren’t any greasy or buttery splotches.
Use a spatula to slowly add this batter butter mixture to the remaining vanilla swiss roll cake batter. If you don’t want it to pool in one location and eventually sink, spread it out as you pour it over the top. While pouring it into the cake batter, I like to stop the flow sometimes with my spatula.
Include the butter mixture in the same way you incorporated the flour, by folding it in with a spatula. No more than 8 folds should be required for this (preferably less). Be careful not to deflate the batter by adding the butter.
Making a sponge cake in vanilla swiss roll form
Place the batter in the swiss roll pan. Pour it carefully but evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Spread the batter to the pan’s edges and corners with an offset spatula.
Large air bubbles can be eliminated by tapping the baking sheet on the counter top three times. But don’t hit it so hard that the batter’s confidence drops.
Make sure the batter is spread out equally by giving the tray a light shake.
For about 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, the cake is done. You should be able to give the top of the cake a little bounce.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
Putting together a roll of vanilla sponge cake
On a finished swiss roll, the side facing outward is the bottom of the cake. Thus, when rolling up the cake, it is essential that the decorative side be on the bottom. So that the filling ends up on top, the rolled-up cake should have the filling facing up.
The cake is so delicate that it must be removed from the pan with great care. To remove a swiss roll cake from a pan, I invert it onto a thin cutting board placed over the parchment paper.
Distribute some confectioner’s sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
In order to mould the cake into a vanilla swiss roll, fold approximately an inch of parchment paper over one short side, then begin rolling from that edge. Don’t squash the cake by applying too much force, but also don’t let the spiral get too slack.
Wrap the parchment paper-wrapped cake in another piece of parchment paper or a clean kitchen towel to protect its shape while it cools. Keep the folded seam side down while putting it away.
The swiss roll sponge needs to cool down while still in its rolled form. It adds pliability to the cake.
STEP NOT REQUIRED TO ENSURE A CLEAN ROLLING SUCCESS
With a sharp knife, make two parallel, shallow incisions (about 2 mm deep) near one of the shorter ends of the cake. One inch from the end, and another inch from the first cut. Make two parallel, shallow cuts along the shorter edge. No incision should be deeper than 2 mm. The cake will be less likely to get crushed if you start rolling from this end (please see pictures in the post).
Then, beginning an inch in from the edge, cut diagonally across the opposite short end (please see the picture below). To guarantee a tight seal when rolling up the cake, make a diagonal cut across the top.
Preparing the frosting and topping for the swiss roll
The vanilla swiss roll can be stuffed with whatever you like. Whipping cream is a simple alternative. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for something a little more decadent, you can’t go wrong with vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, or chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.
The filling can be flavoured whichever you wish. All your favourite flavours, from chocolate to strawberry and beyond.
Personally, we go for chantilly cream (STABILIZED SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM). LIGHTLY WHIPPED CREAM IS THE PERFECT ACCENT TO THIS ROLL OF SOFT SPONGE CAKE.
When the cake has cooled, unwrap it gently. Frost the entire cake, reserving a one-inch border along the seam line (the end where you made the diagonal cut). One centimetre (half an inch) is the ideal thickness for the icing.
Before continuing, unroll the parchment paper off the cake’s base and begin rolling it up again. It’s important to roll the cake tightly enough to contain any filling or frosting inside, but not so much that you squeeze the cake flat.
Wrapping the cake in parchment paper or a cloth napkin after rolling it up is essential for the vanilla swiss roll cake to maintain its shape while being transported. Keep it in the fridge for an hour while still covered to make cutting the cake roll into slices more simpler.
Next you can neaten up the ends by trimming them. The time has come to cut the cake!
CAKE DECORATIONS
- Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top,
- Whip some cream and pipe it over top, then garnish with fruit.
- Put some buttercream on top and spread it or pipe it.
- Salted caramel or chocolate ganache would be delicious drizzled on top.
CONSERVING THE CAKE ROLL
Vanilla swiss roll can be refrigerated for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. Nonetheless, freshness increases dramatically if consumed quickly. Having fruits means it won’t stay as long because fruits rot.
If you wrap the unfilled cake in plastic wrap and then foil, you may keep it in the freezer for up to two months. Unroll the cake and fill it after it has thawed to room temperature.
POSSIBLE SWISS ROLL SWEETENS WITH VANILLA SWEETENS WITH OTHER FLAVORS
Jam the cake with strawberry preserves and roll it up to make a jelly roll.
Make a strawberry cream swiss roll by spreading the cake with jam and cream and rolling it up.
To make a chocolate whipped cream filling for a vanilla swiss roll, simply add some cocoa powder to the whipped cream.
REASONS WHY THIS RECIPE IS IDEAL
- Really tender cake roll here. Sponge cake is the epitome of tenderness, lightness, and airiness. Absolutely not thick or sticky.
- To the point of perfection in sweetness. This swiss roll is perfectly sweet, and the vanilla flavour is pleasant. Hence, the cake isn’t overly sticky.
- An infallible formula. There are a few more stages than usual in this recipe, but they’re all worth it because the end result is perfect every time.
- Intuitive, easy-to-follow instructions for making a dish. I’ve given you a step-by-step guide that should make everything a breeze. For this reason, it is imperative that you read the recipe and the tips before beginning.
- If you want excellent outcomes, there’s no need to separate the eggs. This sponge cake recipe calls for using whole eggs to form the cake’s froth. Genoise sponge is another name for it. There is no need to separate the egg whites from the yolks, as is the case with some other recipes.
Download the article in PDF Format