Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake Recipe

Cake roll flavoured with ginger on serving plate

4.88 from 8 votes

Ginger spiced sponge rolled with cream cheese frosting makes this Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake the perfect dessert for your Festive entertaining this holiday season.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Baking Tray
Stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Offset spatula

Ingredients

Gingerbread Sponge

4 large eggs yolks and whites separated, room temperature
65 g light brown sugar
50 g molasses
50 g golden syrup
100 g plain flour (all-purpose)
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
50 g granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Filling

120 g Philadelphia cream cheese room temperature
75 g unsalted butter room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) plus extra for dusting

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Gingerbread 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.
Whip the egg yolks & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg yolks and light brown sugar and whip until the mixture is light and creamy, about 4 minutes. When lifting out the whisk, you want to be able to see trails of the mixture for a few seconds.
Add molasses and golden syrup. Add the molasses and golden syrup into the egg yolks and whip until well combined. Note: scrape down the sides and in particular, the base of the bowl a couple of times during this process. Molasses is heavier than the whipped yolks and tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl where it sticks.
Sift in dry ingredients. Sift in the flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt directly onto the egg yolk mixture into the bowl and mix at low speed until just a few flour streaks remain.
Whip egg whites. In a separate clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then add the white sugar. Continue to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and they're firm and glossy.
Fold egg whites into the egg yolk batter. Add a quarter of the whisked egg whites into the batter and fold through well to loosen the mixture. Add the remaining egg whites and, using a large spatula, fold through gently until well combined.
Pour batter into baking pan and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and wiggle/turn the pan to move the batter to the pan's corners. Tap the pan firmly on the work surface a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Use an offset spatula if needed to smooth out the surface.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the centre springs back and the sponge is golden.
Cool. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and set the tray on a wire rack for ten minutes (no longer though as the sponge still needs to be warm when it gets rolled later on.)
Prepare your tea towel. Whilst the sponge is resting, lay a tea towel or piece of parchment paper on your work surface and dust lightly with powdered icing sugar. (Alternatively, sprinkle with caster sugar.)
Invert the sponge onto the tea towel. After ten minutes of the sponge being out of the oven, run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the sponge onto the prepared tea towel whilst it is still warm.
Peel off the parchment paper and roll. 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 Filling

Whilst the sponge roll is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
If you are using Cream Cheese from a tub, then 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 ingredients. 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 (sift it in if the sugar is particularly lumpy) 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.

To Assemble

Unroll, fill and re-roll. Gently unroll the sponge once it has cooled.
Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the surface of the sponge, 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.
To Serve. Remove the cake roll from the refrigerator, discarding the plastic wrap and baking paper. Cut the two ends off with a sharp knife- this will neaten up the ends. Set the Swiss Roll onto a serving plate and liberally dust with powdered icing sugar. Slice and serve immediately.

Notes

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

To store: Gingerbread 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.

Alternatives: For a variation on the fillings, try a Simple Pear Compote, spiced whipped cream, buttercream 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. Invert and roll up when the sponge is still warm as this is when it’s the most pliable.

Tip 2: Ensure the cream cheese filling is firm enough. The cream cheese filling must 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.

Nutrition