Chocolate Cake Roll Recipe

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 originally published this recipe in 2019 and have made a few small updates to produce a moister, deeper flavored cake.

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.

This New & Improved Chocolate Cake Roll Has:

• A light, fluffy, and moist texture
• More pure cocoa flavor
• A sweet vanilla whipped cream filling
• A rich dark chocolate ganache topping

It’s also easier to roll up, and much less prone to cracking as you roll.

Key Ingredients for Chocolate Sponge Cake:

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.. 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