Light chocolate sponge with whipped cream cheese and strawberry filling!
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Trade your Valentine’s day chocolate-covered strawberries for this delightful chocolate and strawberry swiss cake roll. The cake is a light, airy chocolate sponge that takes just 10 minutes to bake, and the filling is fluffy, creamy, and full of fresh strawberries. I combine whipped cream with cream cheese for a depth of flavor, and adding the strawberries makes every bite fresh. It’s perfect for a new Valentine’s day tradition or any special occasion.
Why it’s the perfect dessert
Soft, moist, chocolatey cake
Creamy vanilla filling
Tangy cream cheese
Fresh strawberries
Fudgy chocolate ganache
The perfect combination of chocolate cake, vanilla cream, fresh strawberries, and chocolate ganache!
Everything you need
The Cake
- Eggs -separated
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil -light olive oil or your favorite light vegetable oil
- Pure vanilla extract
- Instant coffee -espresso powder
- Salt
The Dry Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder -this ensures the cake rises
- Unsweetened cocoa powder -if your cocoa powder is sweetened, your cake may be too sweet.
The Syrup
- Sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract -good quality for the best flavor
Ganache Topping
- Heavy whipping cream
- Semi-sweet chocolate -baking chocolate works best, so the ganache is thick
- Instant coffee powder
- Vegetable oil -light flavored oil
Filling
- Fresh strawberries -diced, plus 2-3 more for garnish
- Cream cheese -softened to room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract
- Confectioner’s sugar -divided
- Heavy whipping cream
How to make Chocolate and Strawberry Swiss Cake Roll
Bake the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
- Spray the paper with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a tabletop mixer with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and beat until frothy.
- Add half of the sugar and beat on high speed until a stiff meringue is formed.
- Transfer the meringue to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, oil, vanilla, coffee, and salt to the mixer and beat on high speed until thick and pale.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the yolk mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.
- Then, add a third of the meringue to the mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture into the bowl with the meringue and gently fold it together until there aren’t any white steaks left.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan with parchment.
- Bake for 10 minutes, being sure to avoid over-baking, or the cake will be dry.
Prep the cake
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan.
- Dust the top of the cake with confectioners sugar and place a piece of parchment paper on top.
- Place another pan over the cake, and while wearing oven mitts, carefully flip the hot pans over.
- Carefully remove the parchment that the cake was baked on and discard it.
- Dust the back of the cake with confectioners sugar and roll it up with the parchment that was placed on top of it when it came out of the oven.
- Set aside to cool completely.
**Baker’s tip!** Do not freeze the cake before filling it in hopes of assembling the roll later. The cake will be too dry and fall apart when you try to assemble the roll.
Boil the Syrup
- Combine the sugar and water and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Set aside to cool.
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the cream until scalding hot.
- Place the chocolate, coffee, and oil in a bowl and pour the hot cream on top, whisking together until smooth and shiny.
- Set aside.
Make the Filling
- Beat the cream, vanilla, and half of the sugar until thick and the consistency of whipped cream.
- Transfer it to a bowl.
- Add the cream cheese, remaining sugar, and another teaspoon of vanilla to a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Then, add two-thirds of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and beat until incorporated and fluffy.
- Transfer the remaining whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip.
- Right before assembling the cake, place the diced strawberries in a bowl and toss them to coat in a tablespoon of sugar. Doing this step right before keeps the strawberries from releasing any juices.
Assemble the swiss roll
- Carefully unroll the cake.
- Brush with simple syrup and spread the filling on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the strawberries on top of the filling.
- Carefully roll the cake back up tightly.
- Brush the top and sides of the cake with simple syrup.
- Place the roll in the freezer and chill for at least an hour.
Decorate the Cake Roll
- Slice a half-inch piece off of the front and back end of the cake roll.
- Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake.
- Decorate the top of the cake roll with whipped cream rosettes and place a strawberry slice into the center of each rosette.
Make Ahead Freezer Instructions
You can freeze sponge cakes once they are filled! This swiss cake roll will keep fresh in the freezer for up to a month. All you have to do is bake the cake, fill it, and roll it up. Then, brush the roll with syrup and set it in the freezer for at least an hour or until firm. Carefully wrap the cake with plastic and store it in the freezer. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw the night before your dinner party. Then, decorate with ganache, cream rosettes, and berries before serving.
Serving
This swiss roll cake is just beautiful. It looks and tastes better than anything you’ll get at a bakery because of all the fresh ingredients. If you have another favorite berry paired with chocolate, just swap the strawberries out. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries would all be delicious. I can’t wait for you to try this, and if you prefer vanilla over chocolate, try my vanilla swiss roll! Kali Orexi!
More Cake Recipes:
Chocolate & Strawberry Swiss Cake Roll
This Chocolate Strawberry Swiss Cake Roll features a light chocolate sponge filled with fluffy vanilla cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries. Finished with glossy chocolate ganache and whipped cream rosettes, this beautiful chocolate roll cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Sponge Cake:
- 4 eggs, separated
- ½ cup (127 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup (65–70 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
For the Simple Syrup:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- ¼ teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the Strawberry Cream Filling:
- 9–10 fresh strawberries, diced
- 2–3 fresh strawberries, for decorating
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for the strawberries
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, divided
- 1 and ½ cups heavy whipping cream
For Rolling the Cake:
- Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Prepare the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment with baking spray.
Make the Meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a tabletop mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until frothy.
Add half of the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until a stiff meringue forms.
Transfer the meringue to a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the Chocolate Batter: Add the egg yolks, remaining granulated sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, instant coffee, and salt to the mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until thick and pale.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder together in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg-yolk mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Add one-third of the meringue and beat until incorporated.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to the bowl containing the remaining meringue. Gently fold until combined and no white streaks remain.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan.
Bake the Cake: Bake for 10 minutes. Do not overbake or the sponge cake will become dry and difficult to roll.
Roll the Warm Cake: Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan.
Lightly dust the top of the warm cake with 1–2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar and place a clean sheet of parchment paper over it.
Place another baking pan over the cake. Wearing oven mitts, carefully flip both pans over.
Remove and discard the parchment paper that the cake was baked on.
Dust the exposed side of the cake lightly with confectioner’s sugar.
Starting at one short end, roll the warm cake with the clean parchment paper. Set it aside to cool completely in its rolled shape.
Make the Simple Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves.
Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set it aside to cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Ganache: Heat the heavy whipping cream until scalding hot.
Place the chocolate, instant coffee, and vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over them.
Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and shiny. Set it aside.
Make the Strawberry Cream Filling: Beat the heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and half of the confectioner’s sugar until thick and whipped. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl.
Add the softened cream cheese, remaining confectioner’s sugar, and remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixer bowl. Beat until smooth.
Add two-thirds of the whipped cream to the cream-cheese mixture. Beat until incorporated and fluffy.
Transfer the remaining whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip. Refrigerate until needed.
Immediately before assembling the cake, place the diced strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and toss to coat.
Assemble the Cake Roll: Carefully unroll the cooled sponge cake.
Brush the cake with the cooled simple syrup.
Spread the strawberry cream filling evenly over the cake.
Sprinkle the diced strawberries over the filling.
Carefully roll the cake back up tightly.
Brush the top and sides of the cake roll with simple syrup.
Place the roll in the freezer for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Decorate the Cake Roll: Trim approximately ½ inch from both ends of the cake roll.
Spread the chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake.
Pipe whipped cream rosettes over the top. Place a strawberry slice in the center of each rosette.
Serve chilled. Kali Orexi.
Notes
Avoid Overbaking: Bake the sponge for approximately 10 minutes. An overbaked cake will be dry and more likely to crack when rolled.
Roll While Warm: Roll the sponge with clean parchment paper shortly after it comes out of the oven. Allow it to cool completely in its rolled shape.
Dusting the Cake: Use approximately 1–2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar to keep the warm cake from sticking to the clean parchment paper.
Prepare the Strawberries Last: Toss the diced strawberries with sugar immediately before assembling the cake so they do not release too much juice.
Do Not Freeze the Unfilled Sponge: Freezing the sponge before filling it may cause it to dry out and crack during assembly.
Make Ahead: Fill and roll the cake, brush it with syrup, and freeze it for at least 1 hour or until firm. Wrap it carefully with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
Thawing: Transfer the frozen cake roll to the refrigerator the night before serving. Decorate it with ganache, whipped cream rosettes, and fresh berries after thawing.
Berry Substitutions: Replace the strawberries with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or another berry that pairs well with chocolate.
Filoxenia Hosting Tip: Prepare and freeze the filled cake roll ahead of your gathering. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then add the ganache, whipped cream, and strawberries before your guests arrive.
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So I tried this, and the roll cracked. The cake seemed too moist and stuck to the parchment – how much icing sugar is to be sprinkled? I gave it a dusting, which seemed to just be absorbed into the cake while it cooled.
It sounds like the cake might have been too moist, which can cause cracking and sticking. Here are a few tips to improve the process:
1. **Icing Sugar:** A light dusting of icing sugar (about 1-2 tablespoons) is usually enough. If you find it’s getting absorbed quickly, you might want to increase the amount slightly or add it in layers as the cake cools. You could also try using a thicker sifted layer before rolling.
2. **Moisture Control:** If the cake is too moist, it might be underbaked or too wet when rolled. Ensure the cake is baked through, and allow it to cool completely before dusting. You could also try rolling it tighter with a clean kitchen towel, and the next time, avoid overfilling it with the frosting.
3. **Parchment Paper Tip:** Try lightly greasing the parchment before rolling, and make sure it’s not sticking to the cake. You can also carefully peel it off after the cake has cooled.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes next time.