This delicious Lemon Roll Cake (Lemon Swiss Roll) combines light lemony sponge and sweet creamy mascarpone filling. Totally irresistible dessert for all lemon lovers and perfect for all seasons, but especially in spring and summer.
Lemon Roll Cake (Swiss Roll)
Lemon desserts are perfect for spring and summer. First of all, they are refreshing, flavor-filled treats that will make your taste buds really happy, believe me, especially if you are a lemon lover. And finally, while they are baking, your house will smell heavenly.
Summer is only a month away, so let’s welcome summer with this tangy and refreshing treat.
This Lemon Cake Roll aka Lemon Swiss Roll is easier to make then you think. For the sponge you need only a handful of simple ingredients and lemony whipped mascarpone filling is ridiculously easy to make.
The swiss roll cakes look impressive, don’t they? But don’t let that gorgeous spiral fools you into thinking this is hard to make or complicated because it’s anything but!
If you’ve ever wanted a delicious dessert that looks absolutely amazing, then this Lemon Roll Cake is one for you. Perfect for spring or summer, this whipped lemon mascarpone filling-filled lemon cake looks just as good as it tastes.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON ROLL CAKE (LEMON SWISS ROLL)?
Following this step-by-step tutorial will ensure perfect results every time.
Firstly, let’s gather all the ingredients we need:
- eggs (separated), they are the basic ingredients of this recipe. While whipped egg whites provide structure, yolks with its containing fat, help give moisture and soften the cake’s texture.
- granulated sugar for sweetening the cake
- vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt for flavor.
- all-purpose flour with the addition of cornstarch to achieve that soft and melt-in-your-mouth light texture.
- oil for moisture
- baking powder as a leavening agent, to lift the cake.
First and most important is to make sure eggs are at room temperature. Warmer egg whites whip faster than cold ones. Egg whites right out of the refrigerator will not whip well.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the egg whites with half of the sugar and pinch of salt on high speed for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Beat egg yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until pale and creamy, which is usually around 2 minutes. Beat in the oil.
Sift dry ingredients. Sifted flour is much lighter then unsifted flour, it is easier to mix into other ingredients, and since we use cornstarch here, therefore it helps to combine them evenly before they are mixed with other ingredients.
Add in half of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula gently fold in beaten egg whites until half-incorporated, then gently fold in rest of dry ingredients until fully combined and there are no visible streaks of flour or egg whites. In any case, please, avoid over-mixing.
Spread the batter in a prepared baking pan. Since this is a very thin cake bake for 9-10 minutes or until the top of cake springs back when touched.
Dust your kitchen towel with powdered sugar, and as soon as you take the cake out of the oven, gently turn baked cake onto it and peel off the top layer of baking paper. Roll it up real tight, then let it chill. Once it’s fully cooled, unroll your cake, frost it, and re-roll it. Easy-peasy!
I use a 15×10 inch jelly roll pan. Since this is a really thin sponge cake, if you use a larger pan, the cake will be too thin, and if you use a smaller one it will be too thick. Either way, you will probably have a bit of a hard time rolling it up, but it should work.
How to make whipped lemon mascarpone filling?
You will need: heavy cream, cold, straight from the fridge; mascarpone cheese, since we want it to incorporate well, take it out of the fridge around 15 minutes before making the filling; confectioners’ sugar for sweetening; lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla for the flavor.
This whipped mascarpone filling is light and very delicious, with just a perfect amount of tangy from the lemons.
To be sure you make the perfect whipped mascarpone filling, heavy cream must be cold. Warm heavy cream won’t turn into whipped cream since fat becomes ineffective as a stabilizer and your cream will fall flat.
Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large, preferably cold mixing bowl, and whip on high speed until soft peaks form, add the mascarpone, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE LEMON ROLL CAKE?
The cake cools in the rolled-up shape. I usually let it cool on room temperature, but if you’re in a hurry pop it into a refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Once the cake is cooled, slowly and gently unroll the cake and spread whipped mascarpone filling into an even layer onto the top, then gently roll the cake back up, without the towel this time. Set it aside as you prepare the lemon glaze. Or you can skip it and sprinkle the cake roll only with icing sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.
How to make the simple lemon glaze?
Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Add more milk if you want it thinner, or more powdered sugar if you want it thicker.
FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS LEMON ROLL CAKE RECIPE
I always suggest using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, buy it! They are cheap and you will always ensure the same results in baking.
I use Large eggs which are around 55-60 grams without a shell. In the US it would be an XL egg.
Swiss rolls are best eaten on the day of baking, but the unfilled sponge can be frozen, rolled up in its paper. Defrost for 2-3 hrs at room temperature before filling.
Rolling up the Swiss roll while still hot will prevent it from cracking. So long as you roll your cake while still hot, you shouldn’t experience sponge cracking.
I used only one teaspoon of lemon zest in the filling, but by all means, you can put even more, if you are crazy for lemon flavor.
When life gives you lemons, make every dessert on the list below…
Lemon Loaf Cake
Sweet Lemon and Orange Rolls
Lemon Bundt Cake with Berry Jam Filling
Lemon Tart
→If you make this Lemon Roll Cake, please leave a comment, rate it, and tag @mihaela_biteitquick on Instagram! I would love to see what you baked!
Happy baking!
Lemon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 eggs separated, at room temperature
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup), divided
- 80 grams all-purpose flour (2.82 oz, 2/3 cup)
- 20 grams cornstarch (0.7 oz)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 45 grams oil (3 Tbsp)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 200 grams mascarpone cheese (7.05 oz)
- 150 grams heavy cream (5.3 oz)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 75 grams powdered sugar (2.65 oz)
Glaze
- 120 grams powdered sugar (4.23 oz, 1 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2-3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Sponge
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F). Grease 38x26 cm (15x10 inch) baking pan with butter, then line it with baking paper so the cake seamlessly releases. Grease the baking paper too.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the egg whites with half of the sugar and pinch of salt on high speed for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until pale, about 2 minutes. Add in oil and beat 30 seconds. Add in half of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula gently fold in beaten egg whites until half-incorporated, then gently fold in rest of dry ingredients until fully combined and there are no visible streaks of flour or egg whites. Avoid over-mixing.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until the top of cake springs back when touched.
- Place a kitchen towel on a flat surface and cover it with a piece of baking paper dusted with powdered sugar. Gently turn baked cake onto a prepared kitchen towel, peel of the top layer of baking paper. Slowly roll the cake with a kitchen towel, rolling from the short end to the other short end. Let the cake cool completely.
Filling
- Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form, add the mascarpone, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
- Gently unroll the cooled cake, and spread the filling into an even layer onto the top (you may not spend all the filling, I have had a few tablespoons left). Then carefully re-roll the cake, without the towel this time.
- Pour the glaze over the cake or simply dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Add more milk if you want it thinner, or more powdered sugar if you want it thicker.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply