A nod to a classic childhood favorite, this chocolate cake roll combines light chocolate sponge cake with sweet vanilla whipped cream and dark chocolate ganache. Rich and totally irresistible, this beautifully spiraled dessert just might hypnotize you into reaching for another slice! You are getting very… hungry…
I love recreating nostalgic treats, like the packaged ones that were always a thrill to find in your lunchbox. Making childhood favorites from scratch—like brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, mini animal cracker cookies, rice krispie treats, cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, and, of course, oatmeal creme pies!—is so rewarding, because not only do they bring back happy memories, but also the homemade versions invariably taste even better (and definitely fresher) than the store-bought packaged originals. This chocolate cake roll—aka Ho Ho, Swiss Roll, and Yodel—is another nostalgic favorite.
I first published this recipe in 2019, but recently revisited it and retested it to see if I could improve it. I always like to continue to work on recipes, including ones that have been published and may not have the best reviews.
In the case of this Swiss roll recipe, some reviewers reported that their chocolate sponge cake was dry, cracking or breaking when they tried to roll it, and didn’t have enough chocolate flavor. When I see a pattern of reviews with concerns over the same thing, I will revisit the recipe and try making various tweaks until I’m confident I’ve fixed the issues readers have been having.
The updated recipe is below, and similar to a cake roll recipe I worked on over the past year that will be in my forthcoming cookbook. Different flavors, but I met some of the same challenges while developing the recipe.
After making many (many!) more chocolate cake rolls, I’m proud to announce this chocolate cake roll is better than ever! You’ll notice a few ingredient tweaks in the updated recipe, including swapping out the melted butter for vegetable oil, and the addition of buttermilk, both of which add extra moisture to the sponge cake crumb.
Key Ingredients for Chocolate Sponge Cake:
- Cake Flour or All-Purpose Flour: You can use either. My team and I extensively tested the recipe and there is no difference either way.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: You can use either Dutch-process cocoa powder OR natural cocoa powder.
- Separated Eggs: Eggs are the workhorse of this recipe, mostly providing structure and moisture. You need 4 separated eggs. You’ll whip the egg whites into medium peaks to introduce a hefty amount of air into the light batter.
- Oil: As I tested this recipe, one of my main avoidances was a dry sponge cake. Oil makes for a moister chocolate cake than if you were to use butter (which is what the old recipe called for). It’s what we use in these super-moist chocolate cupcakes, too.
- Buttermilk: Another key moisture provider that makes a big difference in the texture of this sponge cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, whole milk works instead.
- Espresso Powder: Just a small amount heightens the cocoa flavor; it doesn’t taste like coffee at all.
Step-by-Step Photos
You need a few bowls, a sifter/sieve, and a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
Whip egg whites & some of the sugar into medium peaks: This takes at least 4–5 minutes, so don’t get discouraged if you think it’s taking too long, especially if it’s humid where you live. Keep beating!
Separately, beat egg yolks and remaining sugar, then add vanilla, oil, buttermilk, and espresso powder.
Then you’ll fold in the egg whites in 2 additions, making sure not to deflate the batter. At this point, the batter is light & foamy:
Sift dry ingredients: One of the most important steps in this recipe is to sift the dry ingredients together. Pick up a large sieve. If you bake often, it will come in handy!
Then sift them into the egg white/yolk mixture. Fold the batter together gently to combine and then spread the batter into the 12×17-inch baking pan.
Bake for only around 13–14 minutes. This is a very thin cake.
Invert the warm cake: No time for cooling! Immediately invert the warm cake onto parchment paper or a clean thin kitchen towel dusted with cocoa powder.
Cool in rolled-up shape: Gently roll the cake up with the parchment/towel. Let it cool at room temperature in the rolled-up shape so when it’s time to roll it up with the whipped cream filling, it’s already “familiar” with the shape. (And won’t resist or crack as much!)
Assemble: Once cool, unroll the cake, add whipped cream, roll back up (without the parchment paper this time), then top with ganache.
Swiss Roll Cake Filling
The whipped cream filling inside the cake roll is billowy and soft with deliciously sweet vanilla flavor—a light and lovely contrast to the rich chocolate ganache we’ll spread on top. Because the ganache is pretty dark, I use a bit more sugar and vanilla extract compared with my usual whipped cream recipe. You can use either confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar in the whipped cream—see my recipe Note. And this is optional, but I always add some store-bought marshmallow creme (“fluff”) to this whipped cream filling, which gives it the most remarkable flavor. Taste testers were raving over it!
Roll the cake back up (without parchment this time), then set it aside as you prepare the chocolate ganache.
In lieu of the whipped cream, a pastry cream filling would also be fantastic.
Chocolate Ganache Topping
The only thing simpler than homemade whipped cream is homemade chocolate ganache. Simply combine warm cream with finely chopped chocolate, then stir the two together until completely smooth. I like to add a teaspoon of corn syrup for an extra glossy finish, but that’s totally optional.
I have 2 chocolate ganache success tips for you:
- Use real chocolate such as Baker’s or Ghirardelli baking bars found in the baking aisle. I prefer the bars labeled Bittersweet (60% cacao). Avoid chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers to prevent them from melting completely.
- Chop up the chocolate into super-fine pieces. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it melts and the smoother it tastes.
Chill the cake roll so the chocolate ganache sets, which makes slicing a bit neater. (Though there’s still plenty of lick-your-finger moments!)
Chocolate Cake Roll Success Tips
- Prevent the cake from cracking: Cake rolls can crack when you roll them; this is completely normal. In fact, the pictured cake roll above cracked! Do not get discouraged, because you can piece it back together easily, then cover it with filling. What I find helps prevent cracking is rolling it up initially when it’s still warm, and rolling it up slowly. Also, let the cake roll cool at room temperature for that initial cooling (before unrolling and adding the filling). If it’s cold when you unroll it to spread the filling on, it usually cracks.
- Make it thicker: I use and recommend a 12×17-inch half sheet pan. You can also use a 10×15-inch pan, like we use for pumpkin roll, but note that the bake time is 5 minutes longer and the cake is thicker. I prefer the thinner cake with this chocolate/fluffy whipped filling combo. I also find the thinner cake isn’t as prone to cracking.
- Make them mini size (pictured below): You can also make mini chocolate cake rolls, which are closer in size to the Hostess or Little Debbie snack cakes we love. If you’re making the mini size, cut the cake into 4 equal pieces. Roll each up, then slice in half to yield 8 mini cake rolls.
