This easy Chocolate Cake Roll recipe features a light cake with creamy filling and coated with a delicious ganache. It makes the best chocolate Swiss cake roll!
This delicious chocolate cake roll is reminiscent of one of my childhood favorite treats – the chocolate Swiss Roll! It was always a special treat to find it tucked into my lunch box during the week at school and was most certainly an item that wasn’t up for trading! Did you do that, too? This incredible chocolate cake roll recipe reminds me so much of those individually wrapped treats and I love that this is a homemade, made-from-scratch version of chocolate cake based on my best chocolate cake recipe filled with my favorite sweetened whipped cream and then frosted with silky ganache frosting! I think it tastes even better than those childhood favorites!
How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake Roll Recipe (Chocolate Swiss Roll)
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For the Chocolate Cake Roll, you’ll need flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, oil, and milk.
For the Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling, you’ll need heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract.
For the Ganache Frosting, you’ll need heavy cream, butter, chocolate chips, brewed coffee (optional), and salt.
Key Ingredient Notes
Espresso Powder: As I recommend with most chocolate recipes, the espresso powder is optional but highly recommended. The espresso powder enhances the flavor of the chocolate, but I do not find that it leaves an aftertaste. If you do not have it, you can omit it.
Eggs and Milk: Make sure that these ingredients are at room temperature to ensure that they combine well in the cake batter.
Oil: I recommend using oil in my chocolate cake recipes as the oil coats the cocoa powder and provides for the most tender and moist chocolate cake. You can use your favorite type of oil for baking vegetable oil, canola oil, or even melted coconut oil.
Brewed Coffee: In the ganache frosting, I use brewed coffee. It is optional. If you’d prefer not to use it, add an equal amount of heavy cream to the recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake
Prep. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet (17×12) with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray or grease well with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder in a medium mixing bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the eggs with a whisk or an electric mixer until pale and thick. Then, mix in sugar and vanilla extract followed by the oil and milk until combined.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Slowly, mix in the flour mixture until well combined.
Bake the cake. Spread the cake batter in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until the top springs back when touched about 10 to 12 minutes. Take care not to overbake.
Cool the cake. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 2 minutes. Loosen the bottom parchment with a knife. Top the cake with another piece of parchment paper and turn the cake out onto the new piece of parchment paper. Carefully remove the piece of parchment paper that the cake was baked on and discard it. Roll the cake into a loose roll and allow it to cool completely.
Make the Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling
As the cake cools, beat together the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Assemble the Cake
Carefully unroll the chocolate cake roll onto a serving platter and discard the parchment paper. Spread with the cream filling and carefully roll the cake.
Frost with ganache frosting. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Storage Tips
To store. Chocolate cake roll is best the same day, but can last up to two days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To make ahead. Prepare the cake through rollings to cool. Wrap in a tea towel and then with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to serve, allow the cake to reach room temperature before unrolling to fill with the whipped cream. Note that the cake roll can easily crack if not stored properly and if it doesn’t reach room temperature before being unrolled.
To freeze. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw, slice, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can omit the frosting all together and dust with confectioners’ sugar, use a buttercream frosting, or use my Grandmother’s Fudge Icing recipe. All are delicious.
You can also use my vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting for the chocolate cake roll.
Here’s my Chocolate Cake Roll Recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Chocolate Cake Roll Recipe (Swiss Roll Cake)
Equipment
- Baking Sheet 17×12 rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2/3 cup (79.2 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.4 g) kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.57 g) espresso powder
- 4 large (200 g) eggs
- 3/4 cup (148.5 g) sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.9 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (49.5 g) vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (56.7 g) milk
Cream Filling
- 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (28.3 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract
Ganache Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (28.2 g) butter
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips, milk, semi-sweet, or dark
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) brewed coffee, optional
- pinch (0.35 g) kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet (17×12) with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray or grease well with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder in a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the eggs with a whisk or an electric mixer until pale and thick. Then, mix in sugar and vanilla followed by the oil and milk until combined.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Slowly, mix in the flour mixture until well combined.
- Bake the cake. Spread the cake batter in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until the top springs back when touched about 10 to 12 minutes. Take care not to overbake.
- Cool the cake. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 2 minutes. Loosen the bottom parchment with a knife. Top the cake with another piece of parchment paper and turn the cake out onto the new piece of parchment paper. Carefully remove the piece of parchment paper that the cake was baked on and discard it. Roll the cake into a loose roll and allow it to cool completely.
Make the Cream Filling
- As the cake cools, beat together the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Assemble the Chocolate Cake Roll
- Carefully unroll the chocolate cake roll onto a serving platter and discard the parchment paper. Spread with the cream filling and carefully roll the cake.
- Frost with ganache frosting. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Frost the Chocolate Cake Roll
- Add heavy cream and butter to a small saucepan and heat on low heat until the butter has melted and the cream is warmed throughout. Add chocolate chips to a large glass or nonreactive bowl. Pour the warmed cream and butter mixture over the chocolate chips. Add in the brewed coffee and a pinch of salt. Allow to stand for about 3-5 minutes to soften the chocolate chips completely. Stir briskly to combine and until smooth.
- Once cooled, use an electric mixer or a wire whisk, to whip the ganache to incorporate air and increase the volume of the ganache. Spread on the outside of the chocolate cake roll.
Notes
Key Ingredient Notes
Espresso Powder: As I recommend with most chocolate recipes, the espresso powder is optional but highly recommended. The espresso powder enhances the flavor of the chocolate, but I do not find that it leaves an aftertaste. If you do not have it, you can omit it.
Eggs and Milk: Make sure that these ingredients are at room temperature to ensure that they combine well in the cake batter.
Oil: I recommend using oil in my chocolate cake recipes as the oil coats the cocoa powder and provides for the most tender and moist chocolate cake. You can use your favorite type of oil for baking vegetable oil, canola oil, or even melted coconut oil.
Brewed Coffee: In the ganache frosting, I use brewed coffee. It is optional. If you’d prefer not to use it, add an equal amount of heavy cream to the recipe.
Storage Tips
To store. Chocolate cake roll is best the same day but can last up to two days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To make ahead. Prepare the cake through rollings to cool. Wrap in a tea towel and then with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to serve, allow the cake to reach room temperature before unrolling to fill with the whipped cream. Note that the cake roll can easily crack if not stored properly and if it doesn’t reach room temperature before being unrolled. To freeze. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw, slice, and serve.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
