Fauzia's Kitchen Fun

Swiss Roll

200

Swiss Roll

A light delicious cake, made this for my birthday and it has turned out beautifully, light and soft and fluffy!! So I dedicate my birthday cake to all of you, my wonderful KF family!! Love you all to pieces, and wish I could share slices of cake with everyone here!
The recipe is a very very easy one, and the cake will be done and ready to serve within half an hour or less. I have added detailed instructions with tips to help make it easier to understand and in order for everyone to have the best results possible!
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 medium eggs at room temperature
  • 75 gm castor/grinded sugar 1/3 cup
  • 90 gm plain all-purpose flour 3/4 cup
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp. warm water

Instructions
 

  • This recipe makes a PLAIN vanilla sponge swiss roll. To make a chocolate one (like mine), after measuring out the flour, remove 1 and a half tbsp. of flour, and replace it with 1 and a half tbsp. cocoa powder. Sift together and proceed with the recipe as directed below.
    Filling of your choice. (I used whipped cream, but you can use warmed up jam, chocolate, buttercream frosting, even ice-cream…etc.)
    Pre-heat the oven at 200 C.
    Prepare a swiss roll baking tray (13″ x 9″ x ½”) by greasing it, lining it with greaseproof paper, then greasing on top of the paper again.
    Sift the flour with the salt (and cocoa if you’re making a chocolate roll) three times. Set aside.
  • Put the eggs and sugar in a large heat-proof or glass bowl. Place the bowl on a pan quarter-filled with boiling water. The water must not touch the bottom of the bowl of eggs/sugar. Whisk/beat the eggs with the sugar over this double boiler, the steam from the boiling water helps make the eggs fluff up much faster and you get better volume this way.
    Whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy. Take the bowl off the pan of boiling water, continue whisking the eggs until the trail left behind by the whisk lasts around 3 seconds. This means the eggs will be thick and creamy/fluffy.
    Sift the flour into the egg mixture in 3 installments and FOLD in using a spatula or flat spoon, taking care and being very gentle so as not to deflate the eggs too much during mixing of the batter. The eggs WILL deflate a little bit, so don’t worry about that, but you don’t want to be too vigorous. Gentle hands. 🙂
    When adding the last of the flour, add in the warm water and vanilla essence. Fold in and then spread this batter on your prepared baking sheet.
    Bake on the middle rack of the oven. This cake is thin so it won’t take long to be done. It took me about 5-6 minutes! If you over-bake the cake, it will end up being too hard and will crack when you roll it. So don’t wait for the cake to brown, once it looks firm, get it out of the oven!
    Whilst the cake is baking, dust some icing sugar or caster sugar all over a clean towel or on a sheet of baking paper. This will be used to help roll the cake once it’s out of the oven.
    When cake is done, remove the tray and turn it over on the towel/greaseproof paper. Lift the tray off and gently peel the paper used to line the baking tray. If it sticks to the cake, just wet your fingers slightly and then dampen the paper and lift it off. Discard.
    Now trim the edges of the cake with a sharp knife to get rid of hard or brown edges. You need to do this fast whilst the cake is still warm.
    Then, gently roll the cake away from the shorter side using the towel/greaseproof paper. Roll gently but make sure you make it a tight roll. Let the towel get rolled with the cake. Keep going until you reach the end. Hold the roll in shape for a few seconds to help it stay in that shape.
    Now, if you’re using whipped cream or ice-cream for a filling, let the cake cool completely before you unroll it and add the filling because whipped cream and ice-cream do not work well in a warm cake. But if you’re using warm jam, you can just apply the jam on the cake when it comes out of the oven, then roll it using the towel to help push it into a tight roll, this time you don’t fold the towel in the cake as there will be jam already inside the roll.
    Decorate the cake with whatever you like, whipped cream, or just dust it with icing sugar, or use frosting or ganache.
    I’ve decorated mine with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, heart sprinkles and edible pink and blue glitter dust.
    Enjoy! 🙂

Notes

  1. Make sure the eggs are COMPLETELY at room temperature. Cold eggs will not yield best results. Also, sift the flour THREE times. Sifting the flour this many times results in a lighter and more airy sponge cake.
  2. If possible, put the flour on a baking sheet and put it on TOP of the oven so that it gets a little bit of heat. Warming the flour helps give better results for the cake. Not too much, just for a little while.
 

Join the Conversation

  1. Assalam alaykum fauzia

    u doin a great job … Allah jazae khair de tumko for all the recps… fauzia jus a suggestion is it not possble fr you to upload videos of yr cake recps atlst .. bc as beginners we would like to c it to make it easier ….

    jazakallah …. without vdos also its a great job …

  2. ASSALAM ALAYKUM ….
    FAUZIA…u r doing gr8 job sis ….i love ur recipes….i tried some of them n they was very yummy…can u plz do me a favr…plz post step by step recipe of swiss roll adding mango in it plzzzzzzzz i really want to make it…but im not getting it right…plz upload as soon as u can….
    ALLAHIFZ…

  3. Salam Fauzia..Of all the recipies sites i have searched and liked,i feel ds one is awesome.I feel satisfied…easy methods..thnkx

  4. Assalamu alaikum Fauzia, I am planning inshallah on making the cake today. my question is will the cake last for days?will the cake be saggy? as I am also planning on using whip cream.and do i keep it refrigirated everyday until done?

    Thanks and jazakiAllah khair

  5. Assalamu alaikum fauzia, I tried the cake but it turned out so rubbery and it ended up breaking while rolling :(. I don’t know what I did wrong. Inshallah will give it a second try tmrw and I hope will look like urs :). Do we roll the the cake when it’s hot( straight out of the oven) or I let cool a little?

    Thanks

    1. W/Salaam, a rubbery cake would mean you either over-mixed when adding the flour OR over-baked the cake. It needs to be rolled when still warm, if left to cool it will break/crack when you roll it.

  6. Aslm alkm dear:) if we use whipped cream as filling, how do we fill it in ..i mean could u plz explain the procedure of doing it..

    1. W/Salaam, first roll the cake whilst warm with a towel. Then allow it to cool completely, unroll it again and spread the whipped cream. Don’t spread it too close to the edges as it will spread some more as you roll the swiss roll. Roll it back and either add more cream on top or serve with just the filled cream.

  7. hi, fouzia i want to know the recipe of fondant. how to make fondant at home? n i also want to know the difference between confececioner suger n home made grided suger. thnx

    1. Sorry no fondant recipe at the moment. Icing sugar has cornflour added to it, grinded sugar is known as castor sugar.

  8. salam,
    can i grease the tray wit oil n flour like we make normal cakes, instead of using baking sheets and wen roling da cake wil it b ok if i use foil
    thanks

    1. W/Salaam. There is a chance the cake might stick, but you can give it a try and see how it turns out.

  9. Salam. Thanks for the recipe. Fauzia please let me know if i am using icecream filling then i’ll have to freeze this cake. Please reply soon as i’ve to prepare this tomorrow for my first anniversary. Thankyou.

  10. W/Salaam, yes you will have to freeze the cake, take it out about 10 minutes before serving. Slice using a warm knife to get clean cuts.

  11. Salam! I wanted to know if we should use whip cream that comes in the container like Cool Whip or make it at home with cream and sugar? Also wanted to know how Nutella would be in the filling as well with the whip cream? Nutella doesn’t spread so easy so is there a special way to make it spread?

    1. W/Salaam, I prefer making the whipped cream at home (by adding sugar and vanilla to store-bought liquid cream and then whipping it). You can use cool whip though if you like. Nutella should be able to spread easily, if it doesn’t then just place the jar of nutella in a bowl of warm water to soften it so it becomes more spreadable. 🙂

  12. Salaam Fauzia,
    I encountered a few problems. Please guide me. Firstly,I did not have a baking sheet in hand, so I used a 9/13″ pyrex glass dish. The baking time took longer around 12-15 mins. When I tried to roll the cake, it cracked and the cake was dense instead of of light & spongy.
    I know because of the above changes, something might have gone wrong. Please do let me know how much would be the baking temperature & time if I am using the pyrex dish?
    Thanks

    1. W/Salaam, using a deeper pan (like the pyrex glass dish) would mean that it takes longer for the cake to get baked. That makes it dry out faster thereby causing it to crack. You need to use a shallow swiss roll pan for best results. I would also not recommend a glass dish for this cake as glass takes longer to heat up which also contributes to the drying out of the cake.

      1. Thank you so much for replying to my query. Insha Allah I will get a Swiss roll pan and then give it a try again. 🙂

  13. Aoa. appi plx help me out with whipped cream. it always come out disastrous ;( thick honey ki jaga patli hojati hai 🙁

    1. W/Salaam, please check my notes on how to whip cream, it is also in the cakes and frostings album.

  14. AoA .. How r u fauzia api? i tried ur recipes they all got excellent results alway… i lv ur website its fantabulous i got a chance to learn alot from ur site…but i got stuck into a problem while making swill roll .. i.e the eggs didn’t get pale and fluffy as i beat them well but they din’t get volume can u plz help me y dis happens to me :/

    1. W/Salaam, thank you. Were the eggs cold or at room temperature when you started? Also was the bowl dry and clean without any oil in it?

  15. Eggs were at room temp api n bowl was also clean n dry.. n i use electric beater so kindly tell me the duration of beating eggs n speed as well .. thanx for reply fauzia api 🙂

  16. a.a fauzia plz do u mind showing a step by step method on how to make swiss roll cake plz. mostly on the rolling and cutting. thank you. please reply me soon. jazaakallahu kheir

    1. W/Salaam, inshaAllah the next time I make it I shall take step by step pics for you Sauda. 🙂

  17. fauzia can i use cookie baking tray for it?as i dont have swiss roll baking tray right now and i wanted to give it a try today in sha Allah…so if u responded today so i can make it today 🙂

    1. The baking tray is normally quite shallow, but you can definitely give it a try. Let me know how it turns out.

  18. Hi Fauzia,
    Tried this recipe out!… We all enjoyed it soooo very much. Sent you some picts too… Searching for something else to try out 😉

  19. salams…we recommend you to
    salams…we recommend you to upload videos of the recipes with demonstration so that is more easier for us to know the way of making.

  20. Salaams…DEAR MAM,I HAVE A
    Salaams…DEAR MAM,I HAVE A DOUBT WITHOUT USNG BAKING POWDER WHETHER D CAKE WILL RISE
    ? PLS LET ME NO.AS SOON AS POSIBLE.

    1. W/Salaam, this is a sponge
      W/Salaam, this is a sponge cake so baking powder is not required. The cake will rise with the eggs. Make sure though that you follow the instructions VERY carefully. Overwhipping can end up with a flat-cake result.

  21. salams….dear mam, i made d
    salams….dear mam, i made d cake wth d ice cream filling & i coverd wth merrang.its very tasty too.Thanx mam.

  22. S.a fauzia.. I luv the way ur
    S.a fauzia.. I luv the way ur swiss role luks.. I tried it 2de for eid.. buh my result wsnt gud.. it turnd out so rubbery.. n dint rise at al.. I gave ut a 2nd try..tried 2 follow each n every instruction.. buh still the reslt ws jus the same.. plz help me .. I jus cnt mke it out wer m goin rng.. plzz helpp.. jjazakallah!!

    1. W/Salaam, the cake would turn
      W/Salaam, the cake would turn rubbery if the batter was overmixed after flour was added. Try to avoid overmixing and it will be fine.

  23. Hi Fauzia, I came accross
    Hi Fauzia, I came accross your site by chance and im glad that it was a very important chance. I love the way you explain everything . I tried the swiss roll. there was one little problem, the cake did not give the look like yours when i cut it. its as not too soft to get dissolve in the mouth. where have i gone wrong? i followed every instruction nit pickily 🙁

    1. Hi, sounds like the batter
      Hi, sounds like the batter might have been overmixed or you may have baked the cake slightly longer. Even a minute more could end up drying the cake as this is a thin layer cake and needs minimal baking. Please do try it again. 🙂

  24. Aoa Fauzia:
    Aoa Fauzia:
    I am interested in making this cake but I wanted to find out that firstly will this cake stick to the towel when i roll it warm? Should i sprinkle anything on it before rolling or will it stay fine? and secondly will this cake be fine if i want to make individual cakes using cookie cutters? Because the regular cake is too fluffy. This one seems fine but will it dry out? Please do let me know. Thank you.

    1. W/Salaam, as mentioned in the
      W/Salaam, as mentioned in the recipe, dust the towel with powdered sugar before rolling the cake. This is not a regular cake so best to stick to the method for best results instead of cutting individual cakes that may end up drying out quickly.

  25. Assalamu Alaikum,
    Assalamu Alaikum,
    hei can i skip the part where it does placing a bowl above the boiling water.and instead of that ill beat the eggs till it becomes creamy.will it turn out good?

  26. Asalamu alaikm
    Asalamu alaikm
    FAUZIA your recipes are so delicious and yummy MASHALLAH. ..
    I love to make them.
    I tried swiss roll today but unfortunately it did not turned out well.
    I used wipped cream
    it broke when I was rolling. I baked this roll just 6 minutes n came out from the oven… I don’t know what happened. .. plz guide me I want to make this again bcz I like swiss roll very much

    1. W/Salaam, sorry the swiss
      W/Salaam, sorry the swiss roll did not turn out well for you! Did you happen to overmix the batter after adding the flour? Was the oven preheated? Which rack of the oven did you use for baking? Hopefully middle?

  27. Thank you for replying me…
    Thank you for replying me…
    Yes oven was preheated… I used lower rack for baking… eggs were at room temperature…. so one thing remains I think I over mixed the batter…

    1. Ok, try and use the middle
      Ok, try and use the middle rack, it is usually where the baking is most even. And yes, probably the overmixing did it, hopefully next time it will be perfect. 🙂

  28. salam
    salam
    thanks for sharing such a wonderful n detailed recipie.i made it n it was liked by everyone at home.. i want to make it for guest but before a day of serving.plz tell me should i cover the swiss roll with whipped cream before a day or at the day of serving…what is best to do also kindly inform me that since these r winter days should i ve to keep the swiss roll in refrigerator or it will remain set in fridge too..waiting to see reply of my both questions 🙂

    1. W/Salaam, thanks! Yes you can
      W/Salaam, thanks! Yes you can bake and frost the cake and then refrigerate until the next day. Just make sure to get the cake out of the fridge about an hour before serving.

  29. Asalam Aliakum
    Asalam Aliakum

    i want to make two swiss roll at a time..i know i have to double the amounts mention in the ingrediants..my question is that since i ve one baking dish n also my oven allows one dish to be placed in middle rack will it effect the battar as it has to wait outside untill one swiss roll is baked n then i can place the another batter for baking..kindly suggest.

    1. W/Salaam, yes it might affect
      W/Salaam, yes it might affect the result but it is all a matter of trying and testing to see what method/timing works best for your oven. Since they do not take that long to bake you could try leaving one out while the other bakes rather than putting the two on separate racks in the oven at the same time.

  30. salam
    salam
    i ve made the two swiss roll cakes n both turn out so well n liked by everyone…thank you soooo much for sharing such wonderful recipies with all of us,

  31. I made cupcakes using this
    I made cupcakes using this recipe but it turned slightly rough not soft cake wt could be the reason?

    1. That is because this is a
      That is because this is a light sponge cake mainly for swiss roll. Cupcakes would turn out dry as the recipe is not meant for cupcakes. Please try one of the other recipes to make cupcakes that will turn out soft and moist. 🙂

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