Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake (with step-by-step photos) (2024)

For the Chocolate Swiss Roll Sponge Cake

• Eggs - provide structure and, more importantly, moisture to the sponge. Make sure to whip them for the required time.
• Sugar - to sweeten the cake roll.
• Vanilla extract - to add extra flavour.
• Plain flour - To provide structure. Weigh the flour so that you don’t add too much, which will cause a dry sponge that will crack. Substitute with self-raising flour, but omit the baking powder if doing so.
• Cocoa powder - use Dutch or natural cocoa powder in this recipe.
• Baking powder - adds a little additional lift to the sponge.
• Salt - balances out the sweetness.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese - I recommend Philadelphia cream cheese. If using cream cheese from a tub (rather than brick/block form), pat the cream cheese with a paper towel to remove some moisture. (Refer to notes in How to make cream cheese frosting)
• Unsalted butter - adds taste and structure to the frosting. Beat it for long enough to create air.
• Vanilla extract - adds flavour.
• Powdered icing sugar - sift into the frosting to ensure a smooth consistency

For the Chocolate Ganache

• Dark chocolate - I recommend 70% chocolate for the perfect balance.
• Double cream - this ganache is thick, so add 60ml (¼ cup) more cream for a more pourable consistency.
• Butter - the magic ingredient to give your ganache shine, even when the chocolate sets. Salted or unsalted will do.

📖 Variations

There are many different variations to a Swiss Roll, and I can’t wait to share more here on the blog. Other types I’m hoping to make in the future are:

• Raspberry Swiss Roll: Raspberry Conserve and creme fraîche filled lemon sponge roll, perfect for Springtime.
• Simple Vanilla Swiss Roll: Filled with sweetened whipped cream, this is refined simplicity at its best!
• Espresso Swiss Roll: Rich chocolate sponge filled with an espresso buttercream that would make a perfect base for a Christmas time yule log.
• Cookies n’ Cream Swiss Roll: For the ultimate treat for the kiddies, fill your chocolate Swiss Roll with whipped cream and crushed Oreos.
• Strawberry Swiss Roll: Vanilla sponge roll filled with roasted strawberry buttercream and decorated with fresh strawberries and mint leaves.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

There are three steps in making this Chocolate Swiss Roll.

• Firstly, you have to make the sponge and then once it’s baked roll it up and let it cool.
• Secondly, while the sponge is cooling, it’s time to make the cream cheese filling; unroll the sponge, slather on the filling and then re-roll the sponge for it to set in the roll.
• Lastly, the roll needs to be decorated and today we’re doing this by making a luscious chocolate ganache and coating the Swiss Roll in it.

Chocolate Cake Sponge

TIP: How to slice the roll neatly

Before serving, slice the two ends off to neaten up the Swiss roll. There are two ways to do this effectively.

1. With a knife: Heat the knife's blade by running it under hot water, wiping it dry, and slicing through. Heat and wipe the blade for every cut.
2. With dental floss: Cut a long piece of dental floss, and holding each end, manoeuvre it under the Swiss roll to where you want the cut. Bring the two ends up around the roll to crossover on the top and pull together to slice through the cake roll.

💡Troubleshooting

Why is my Chocolate Swiss Roll rubbery?

This boils down to how you mix your chocolate cake batter. If you over-mix the batter, then the flour causes gluten strands that cause the batter to tighten and toughen when baking and resulting in a rubbery sponge. Fold the dry ingredients with a light hand and mix just until the flour is combined.

What happens if the sponge cracks?

If it has cracked slightly, don’t worry; keep going. Fill and roll as per my instructions, and the chocolate ganache will hide those cracks. It will still taste gorgeous.

❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions

To store: Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Unfilled, a rolled sponge can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before filling and continuing with the recipe instructions.

🍫 More Chocolate Recipes

5 from 10 votes

Metric - US Customary

Chocolate Sponge

• ▢ 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated and at room temperature.
• ▢ 100 g caster sugar (super-fine)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 65 g plain flour (all-purpose)
• ▢ 35 g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting the tea towel
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fine salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 220 g Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
• ▢ 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 200 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)

Chocolate Ganache

• ▢ 200 g dark chocolate 70% , finely chopped
• ▢ 240 ml double cream (heavy cream)
• ▢ 15 g unsalted butter

To Serve

• ▢ blackberries to decorate, optional

Chocolate Sponge

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F)

  Prepare your pan. Grease with butter or spray with non-stick spray the base and sides of a 25x38cm (10x15-inch) baking pan /swiss roll pan/jelly roll pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, ensuring the paper overhangs the pan's sides. This will help you later when trying to remove the sponge from the tin. Grease the parchment paper with butter, as this will help with peeling the paper off once the sponge has baked.

• Whisk egg whites. Using handheld electric beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium to high speed until soft peaks form.

• Whip the egg yolks and sugar. In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high for 5 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy. When lifting out the whisk, you want to see trails of the mixture on the surface of the batter for a few seconds.

• Sift dry ingredients. Into a separate bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and whisk together.

  Add dry ingredients and add egg whites in two parts.

  Add half the cocoa flour mixture directly to the egg yolk mixture in the bowl. Add in half the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture until the flour and egg whites are just incorporated.

  Then, add the remaining cocoa flour mixture and the remaining egg whites. Again, fold through until just a few flour streaks remain. This will ensure that you don't overmix. Fold them in with a light touch to maintain all the trapped air. This is one of the reasons why the sponge is so light and airy.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake/wiggle the pan to help guide the batter into the pan's corners. Use an offset spatula if necessary to help smooth out the batter.

  Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean and springs back when pressed lightly.

  Cool: Remove the baking pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes until the sponge is warm and not steaming hot. It's important not to miss out on this step.

• Prepare your tea towel. Whilst the sponge is baking, lay a tea towel or piece of parchment paper on your work surface and dust generously with cocoa powder. (Alternatively, sprinkle with caster sugar or dust with powdered icing sugar).

• Invert the sponge onto the tea towel. Once the sponge has baked, remove it from the oven and immediately invert the sponge onto the tea towel whilst it is still hot.

  Peel off the parchment paper. Gently peel off the parchment paper on the bottom of the sponge.

  Roll sponge up. Starting from the sponge's short end, using your hands, roll the sponge up gently but firmly until it is totally rolled into the tea towel (or parchment paper). Set the roll aside with its seam side down to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Whilst the sponge roll is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.

  If you are using Cream Cheese from a tub, place the cream cheese into the centre of two pieces of paper towel. Fold the paper towel around the cream cheese and pat it firmly to remove some of the moisture. Repeat this on another two pieces of paper towel. Set to one side. (There is no need to do this step if using Philadelphia in brick/block form).

• Whip the butter and vanilla extract. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and vanilla extract and beat on high for 4 minutes until pale and creamy. Add in the powdered icing sugar and beat until mixed in. Continue to beat for another two minutes. Add in the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until mixed through. The frosting should be smooth but firm enough to hold its shape. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

• Unroll, fill and re-roll. Gently unroll the sponge once it has cooled. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the sponge's surface, leaving a 2cm (1-inch) gap around the edge. Re-roll the sponge up again and wrap it in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap for the roll to hold its shape. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours for the filling to firm up.

Chocolate Ganache

• Before serving, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream gently on low heat until simmering around the edges. Pour the cream over the chocolate into the bowl and sit for a couple of minutes. Then whisk continuously until the chocolate is smooth and the butter has melted.

• Cover swiss roll. Place the swiss roll onto a wire rack set on a baking tray. Slowly pour the ganache to coat the roll. Use an offset spatular to smooth the chocolate all over. Decorate with blackberries if desired and let the chocolate set for 20 minutes before slicing ends to neaten up the roll before serving. See tips below for slicing.

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store:Swiss roll can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To freeze: An unfilled, rolled sponge can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before filling and continuing with the recipe instructions.

Alternatives:For a variation on the fillings, try jams, buttercream, whipped cream or creme fraîche. For variation in toppings, dust with icing sugar, roll in caster sugar or drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Tip 1:To prevent the sponge from cracking: Ensure that you don't over bake as this will create a dry sponge.

Tip 2:Ensure the cream cheese filling is firm enough: The cream cheese filling has to be thick enough to smooth evenly onto the sponge. Leave a gap all the way around the edge so that it doesn't squeeze out all over the place when rolling.

Tip 3:For neat, clean cuts. Use a hot bladed knife wiped clean between each cut or use dental floss to slice through.