How does one get to my age without having made a Swiss Roll? It’s such a classic cake! Rest assured that I’ve already begun making amends for this shameful oversight… I’ve made two in the past week and with the flattering comments flying from the mouths of my boys, you can be sure I’ll be making these regularly in future.
Such a simple procedure that yields beautiful results… whether it be a classic jam-filled roll or a delicious combination of chocolate and hazelnut as you see here! The options for flavouring the sponge and the filling are endless. With our lemons ready for the picking, I can feel a Lemon Curd Swiss Roll coming on!
Recipe from the ‘River Cottage Handbook No.8 – Cakes’ by Pam Corbin.
Chocolate Swiss Roll with Nutella Cream
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 50g (⅓ Cup) Plain Flour
- 25g (scant ¼ Cup) Cocoa Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 3 Free-Range Eggs (at room temperature)
- 75g (½ Cup) Caster Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Warm Water
For the Filling:
- 100ml (⅓ Cup + 1 Tablespoon) Pouring Cream
- 100g (⅓ Cup) Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut spread)
To finish:
- Caster Sugar (for rolling the warmed cake in)
- Icing Sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Grease and line a Swiss Roll tin (20x35cm) with baking/parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a small mixing bowl and set aside for the moment.
Place the eggs and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. The mixture should almost quadruple in volume and be able to hold it’s shape.
Add the tablespoon of warm water to the egg/sugar mixture and using a large metal spoon, fold it in carefully. Sift in half of the dry ingredients and continue to fold lightly and carefully (keeping as much air in the mixture as possible), before doing the same with the remaining half.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and spread out gently and evenly (using a spatula) to ensure it reaches into all four corners. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, until firm to the touch in the centre.
While the sponge is in the oven, place a large piece of baking/parchment paper (about 10cm larger all round than the swiss roll tin) onto a clean work surface and lightly dust it with caster sugar.
As soon as the sponge comes out of the oven, run a knife around the edges (to ensure it won’t stick to the tin), then turn it out onto the sugared baking paper. Remove the tin and carefully peel away the baking paper that the sponge was cooking on.
While its still hot, roll up the cake from the short side, rolling the sugared paper inside the cake as you go. Place the rolled up cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
To prepare the filling: Stir together the cream and Nutella in a mixing bowl until well combined and then using a whisk attachment whip until the mixture reaches soft peaks.
Carefully unroll the cake and spread the Nutella cream over the top. Using the baking paper as a guide, re-roll the cake. Place it seam side down on a serving plate and dust the top with a little icing sugar before serving.
* Because of the cream filling, this cake is best eaten on the day it is made… any leftovers should be refrigerated and eaten the following day.
** For a traditional Swiss Roll, omit the cocoa powder and up the amount of flour to 75g. Fill with a layer of your favourite jam and some whipped cream.
Gather & Graze 
Thanks for sharing your recipe, it looks fab!
I’m just wondering what pouring cream is; or the fat content percentage based on your definition?
Some sites I’ve checked call it simple cream (18% fat) or the one with 35% fat. Would whipping cream be a good substitute?
Thanks very much for your kind comment. The pouring cream I use is 35% fat, but you could absolutely use whipping cream instead, which usually just has a stabiliser added. Cheers, Margot
utter perfection. I have only attempted a swiss roll once and it was fraught – all that rolling and unrolling. Yours is immaculate.
Thanks HM! This recipe has worked several times for me now – would you consider trying it again? Such a yummy cake and really so versatile with filling options and flavours!
OH….MY ((drooling))
😀 Thank you!
OK, you have started late making Swiss roll cakes, but…. looking at those pictures it seems that you a master making them! And I’m not saying this because you’ve used nutella… ; )Can’t wait to see future version of this roll!
That’s very sweet of you to say Margherita – thank you. So many different variations of this cake possible… could perhaps become a new series on Gather and Graze! 😉
Wow! Your roll looks absolutely divine! It would definitely be a treat for me, but when it’s the right time I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
Thanks so much Mary! With 2 very active, growing boys, afternoon tea treats make an appearance in our home more than they would otherwise… Eek, not sure what my excuse will be once they’re all grown up and left home! 😉
Stunning, Margot! My mom used to make it for my brothers when we were kids! I have never made one! A must-try for her Majesty! 😜
Thank you Francesca! 🙂 My two boys adore these cakes, so I hope her Majesty will too! A rather special afternoon treat… Hope you had a wonderful weekend and a fab dinner with Anatoli and his wife!
I love Swiss roll cakes and do make varieties of them. I like your recipe and your photos are perfect! Next time I make one, it is going to be your nutella recipe. Yum!
That’s great to hear Fae! I love how simple they are to make, but then they look so beautiful to present at the table! 🙂 Cheers, Margot
This looks so so yummy. Would love a slice right about now!!
Cheers! 🙂
The next time I’m in Germany I’ll make this for my niece. She is a real Nutella fan. Swiss Rolls are very common in German Bakeries but I have never seen them filled with Nutella cream. I have been looking for a good sponge cake recipe and yours looks great. Thank you!
That’s lovely to hear Gerlinde! Thanks so much for your kind comment. Cheers, Margot
Get to my age! Actually, when you get to my age you’ll have forgotten the excuse! 🙂
Yeah, I knew about the rolling bit whilst still warm. I’d love to make this over the w/end as I’ve loads of cocoa to use. Alas, no tin. Huh, I do have a s/s roaster I could butter well. I just can’t imagine mine will be anything as neat, though! Your cakes and that always look perfect. You really do have that Midas touch. Loving the photos, too (esp 3).
Haha, though I’ve noted that neither one of us is coming clean with their true age here! 😉
The roaster should be fine, though it will have slightly further to fall when you turn it out of the tin onto the paper… just be careful it doesn’t fall apart in the process.
Thanks re the photos… I’m actually having something of a love/hate relationship with my camera at the moment – just can’t predict what I’m going to get each time I take a shot. Tempted to try and find a photographer who’ll do a 1 on 1 lesson with me, to give me a little more confidence in what I’m doing. Despite often getting enough shots to use that I’m happy with, the hit and miss aspect of it all can wear a bit thin! 😦 Oh and 3 was my favourite shot too! 😀 Let me know how you go with the recipe over the weekend!
I ain’t for tellin’ (about ‘coming clean’)! What I will say, though, is to have a look at online tutorials before making any decision. With the DOF, light and composition you’re getting you might find that you need to learn less than you realise and take more shots. Even for my photos I sometimes take more than 30 each time. And, even then, if I happen to think a particular photo could be reshot that’s what I do.
My s/s roaster is quite shallow, so I would be more worried about it sticking to the base. It might not be long enough to really gain a full roll. So I might do it thinner and bake the remaining batter in something else.
Ooh that looks gorgeous and I love the idea of the Nutella! haven’t made a swiss roll for ages and it’s reminded me of a savoury one I often used to make for veggie friends with spinach in the sponge mix, filled with mozzarella and served with roasted tomato sauce 🙂
Wow Tanya, I’ve never heard of a savoury sponge before! The flavours sound wonderful… perhaps you’ll make it again sometime soon and post the recipe for us all!? 😉
This looks and sounds fabulous!
Cheers! Kind of you to say so!
Cheers to you as well. Happy Spring!
Ahh, wishing it WAS spring… but alas, we’re nearing the end of autumn! Happy Spring to you though! 🙂
😦 Darn.. Well, here is wishing you a fabulous Autumn!
This just sounds and looks so amazing.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Beautiful photos and it looks delicious! I’ve never made a swiss roll yet either, although I have made sponge cake with almost the same recipe except for the tablespoon of hot water. What happens if you leave that out? I guess I will have to make amends, too. I was already thinking of making one when I made a sponge strawberry cake recently, and now you’ve convinced me 🙂
Stefan, I’ve tried googling to find the reasoning behind the addition of hot water, but unfortunately to no avail. Many recipes have the inclusion of water and many others seem to use butter (which I imagine would give a slightly heavier crumb)… I guess it’s just a matter of finding a method that works best for you. Love to hear your thoughts, if you give it a try! Thanks for your kind comment. 🙂
The recipe for sponge cake I use is from Cees Holtkamp, a retired famous patissier from Amsterdam. He uses eggs, sugar, flour, and corn starch (with salt and lemon zest added in for flavor), no butter or hot water. He does however say to whisk the eggs with the sugar au bain marie, which I substitute by warming up the eggs in hot water (of about 50C or about 120F, I don’t want to cook them) instead.
Perhaps I’ll do a side-by-side experiment with and without water to compare.
That would be an interesting experiment indeed Stefan! Do let me know if you try it. 🙂
My Mum also just mentioned a cake that she used to make many years ago that was a flour-less hazelnut roll cake with a chestnut cream layered in-between – I doubt that my children would like it as much as this one, but keen to give it a go sometime all the same…
Would love to read about that one on your blog. Or how about vice versa: flourless chestnut roll cake with nutella?
This Swiss Roll looks fantastic! I’m a huge fan of Nutella, so I’ll have to give this a try 😉
Cheers Kristen! I really hope you give it a go… please let me know if you do!
Oh, that looks amazing! I love rolls, such super easy recipe and the result is a tasty thing! My husband would love this nutella cream. 😀 but I prefer ‘white’ creams, like vanilla. 🙂
So kind of Mila, thanks so much! 🙂 It’s great to mix it up with different flavours for the cake and filling… so very adaptable!
This looked so good I had to bookmark the recipe for later! As we would say it in french, “Une Petite Merveille”. I haven’t made a Swiss roll in years, I can’t wait to try it, Margo! Thanks for sharing! xx
Tu es très gentille Linda, merci beaucoup! Je te souhaite un bon weekend mon amie! 🙂
Bravo! Looks utterly delectable! BTW, I’ve gotten this old w/out making one myself. 🙂
I was hoping I wasn’t the only one! Thanks dear Azita! xx
Nutella is my new favourite ingredient – this looks delicious Margot 🙂
Cheers Karen! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Swiss cake roll is delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Cheers!
It is indeed Julian! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind comment.
I have had disasters with swiss rolls Margot. I think their success is all about the quality of the cake recipe and the light hand of the cook and you got it in one! Great job, love the chocolate hazelnut combo, but I would be happy with vanilla sponge and berry jam too!
😀 My favourite is the traditional one with jam and cream, but the boys enjoyed one as much as the other. So pleased to have found this recipe, which works for me… it always makes baking that much more enjoyable when you have the confidence that all will turn out well. Hope you have a great weekend Sandra!
Gorgeous… and not one crack!!! I’m yet to make one also… mostly out of fear, as I’ve always thought swiss rolls were entirely temperamental and difficult. You’ve encouraged me Margot! So lovely xxx
Ha, I thought exactly the same way Laura! 🙂 I pretty much held my breath while rolling, un-rolling and re-rolling, dreading that it was going to crack… but this technique of rolling it within the paper as soon as it comes out of the oven and then allowing it to cool all rolled up, seems to avoid that happening! Thanks for your sweet comment! M.xx
Oh my goodness Margot. I just read your method three times over. I really I think I can do this…well, let’s just say I must. As you can tell from my blog I don’t really do much baking but every now and then I see something (like Johnny’s flapjacks too) and I get a surge of inspiration to give it a go. What really inspires me here is the method of rolling the cake, unrolling, spreading the filling and rolling again. So engaging and fun!
Seana, it really is a fun cake to make… rolling up that first time (while it’s still hot) helps to avoid any cracking and keeps the cake nice and moist until it’s cooled and you’re ready to fill it. I’d love you to give it a try! Our family found it hard to decide on which one was more delicious… the traditional (filled with raspberry jam and cream) or this one. Both winners in my book! 😀
I’m going to make it today and would love to fill it with jam and cream. I imagine just spreading the jam in a layer, then the soft peaked whipped cream? Or, as you did with the nutella, stir them together then whip into soft peaks? Can you tell I am a very inexperienced baker? I’m trying. 🙂 I love that you have a lemon tree…
Like you I need to make this! Partly as I have those ingredients. Now, what to fill it with…
I have homemade pomegranate jelly (my sister made) and I thought it may just work, although it’s a bit sweeter than I prefer. Hmm. If I ask the young man of the house he’d vote for strawberry…but that would be store-bought!
Would you be able to mix the jelly with double/heavy cream, over low heat to combine both? I’m toying with using one of my jams, but I’m running low! Not because I’m selling them – I’m not – but purely as I keep dipping into them. 🙂 I do have a small jar of the first strawberry jam that I made. It may have to be opened…
I would do the same! ..keep dipping into them. 🙂 I’m not sure how to proceed using jam and cream. I need to do some internet searching….the more I think about it I think strawberry jam would be best rather than pom jelly.
When I made the traditional version about a week ago, I used pretty much a full jar of raspberry jam (about 370g) and was a little enthusiastic with the cream… as I rolled it back up, it was like a wave of cream oozing in all directions. I’d recommend only using about 100ml cream and whipping it to soft peaks. Layer the jam on first and then the cream. Oh and I keep thinking how lovely it would be to have some thinly sliced strawberries dotted through it to! Hope that helps Seana… let me know if you have any other questions! M.xx
Perfect! I’m really looking forward to making it Margot! Tomorrow. I’ll report back. 🙂
My one other tip is to use a large metal serving spoon when you fold in the dry ingredients… turn the mixing bowl a quarter turn with each folding motion. The flour needs to be completely mixed in, but at the same time you want to keep as much air (that was whisked into the eggs) as possible.
Can’t wait to hear how it goes! 🙂
To test it, Just melt a tablespoon of jelly or jam over low heat, add a drizzle of cream and stir. Let it cool, and add more cream to your liking. If using heavy cream you might be able to beat it, although I’ve never tried that.
I had been looking frantically for the Swiss roll cake recipe since last 2 days…the authentic one without butter and lesser flour than the eggs weight.
My Japanese friend used to make similarly but used to beat the egg whites n yolks separately.
That cake looks amazing. I am saving it to make this week. Gorgeous work! ❤️
Ohhh Sonal, I’m so happy to know that this post came at just the right time for you! 🙂 I’ve made both a traditional version of this, as well as the above Chocolate Nutella version and both turned out beautifully light sponges. I think as long as you fold in the flour/cocoa carefully and don’t lose too much air, then you really can’t go wrong. Please let me know if you try it out – love to hear how it works for you! Cheers!
I certainly would. Made a vanilla sponge for my daughter’s bday this week. It came out good but I felt that I could have used lesser flour. All the recipes online are using butter and I vividly remember that original one doesn’t have butter going!
This is perfect. 😘
Sonal, this was a recipe that a blogging friend of mine (Karen, from The Lemongrove Cake Diaries) linked through to a while ago, which I’ve used a couple of times when making a traditional Victoria Sponge Cake – worked really well and no butter included. It’s Merle Parrish’s Never-fail Sponge Cake – http://www.dailylife.com.au/dl-food/food-features/home-delights-20120301-1u582.html
Hope it might come in handy for you too! M.xx
You are the best darling! I am checking it out and saving it!!! 😘😘😘
Margot
You heard my heart today
🙂
Gorgeous cake Margot, delicious and elegant I love swiss cake roll.
Thank you Suzanne! My sponge making skills have been improving slowly but surely, thanks to your inspirational ‘Genoise’ post. 🙂
Looks delicious, Margot!
Thanks Anatoli! It disappeared fast! 😀
Stunning, absolutely must try one of these Cakes lol
Thank you so much Stephy and a warm welcome to Gather and Graze! 🙂 Cheers, Margot
Oh I love your name, beautiful
Thanks!