Strawberry Roll Cake

5 from 2 votes

The strawberry roll cake boasts a moist strawberry-flavored cake encasing a velvety cream cheese filling, topped with a light whipped cream and sweet strawberries.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Chill Time1

Total Time1 32

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Strawberry Roll Cake Recipe

Servings: slices

Calories: 255kcal

Equipment

Linen tea towel, that is 2 inches longer at the top and bottom than the cake pan
cutting board

Ingredients

Cake

¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons strawberry flavoring
3 to 5 drops red liquid food coloring
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ to ⅔ cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipped topping

Topping

1½ cups whipped topping
6 strawberries (washed, dried, and cut in half)

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set it aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
Using a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on high, beat the eggs for 5 minutes until the eggs are a light yellow frothy texture.
Add the sugar, strawberry flavoring, red food coloring, and vegetable oil, then continue beating until well incorporated.
Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
Evenly pour and spread the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven. Using a sharp knife, carefully run the tip along the sides not covered by parchment paper.
Heavily dust the top of a tea towel with powdered sugar.
Immediately place the powdered tea towel powdered side down on top of the cake.
Lay the cutting board on top of the tea towel. The cake pan will still be hot, so you will need to be very careful to protect your hands. Quickly flip the cake over so that the cake is lying on top of the dusted towel.
Carefully and slowly, peel the parchment paper off the cake and heavily dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.
Flip one end of the tea towel over one of the short ends of the cake. Carefully begin to roll one end towards the other. Once rolled, set it aside to cool completely.

Filling

Using a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer set on medium-high, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until smooth.
Fold in the whipped topping. Set it aside.

Strawberry Cake Roll Assembly

Once the cake completely cools, slowly unroll the cake. If there are a few small cracks, it will be okay.
Using a silicone spatula or an offset spatula, spread the filling over the top of the cake, avoiding the edges.
Slowly, with gentle even pressure, carefully roll the cake back into a “roll”. Tightly wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap to ensure it holds its shape. Allow the cake to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to overnight. When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap encasing the cake roll.
Fill either a decorator’s bag or a quart-sized Ziploc with a corner snipped off, with the 1½ cups of whipped topping.
You can pipe the whipped topping down the length of the top of the cake roll. Hold the tip of the bag ½ inch above the cake and pipe the whipped topping. Place the halved strawberries on top of the whipped topping.
Slice ½-inch wide servings.

Notes

Make sure you do not use any fabric softener when washing the tea towel. It will transfer to the cake and cause the flavor to be off. Do not use a terry cloth towel as the lint will transfer to the cake.
Make sure you are using an actual jelly roll pan. You cannot substitute a cookie sheet for a jelly roll pan as it will not produce the cake you are hoping for.
Keep a very close eye on the cake. If it overcooks, it will dry out and won’t roll properly.
Make sure to wrap the cake in the towel right out of the oven to prevent the cake from cracking when you roll it up.
Be very patient and slow when rolling and unrolling the cake. Rushing can cause cracks.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so that you don't end up with lumps in your creamy filling.

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