Strawberry Lemonade Swiss Roll Recipe

Despite its name, the Swiss roll didn't originate in Switzerland but may have British or American roots. In Switzerland, these rolled cakes are known as "roulade," a French word that simply means "roll." In the U.S., this type of cake is often known as a jelly roll, even if it's not actually filled with jelly. Whatever it may be called, a Swiss roll is a pretty and impressive dessert that involves a thin sheet cake rolled up with a variety of tasty fillings, making it a great opportunity to find the perfect combination of flavors and textures. One creamy and chocolatey version is the bûche de Noël or Yule log. A Yule log might be the epitome of winter celebrations, but developer Jessica Morone's lemon roll cake with a fluffy strawberry-lemon cream filling is the embodiment of summer fun.

Morone tells us, "I love lemonade, but I like strawberry lemonade even better." In her opinion, the sweetness of strawberries balances out the tartness of lemon and this favorite flavor combo inspired a delightfully summery dessert recipe. As Morone describes the cake, "It's a really light and fluffy lemon cake, and then the filling is both strawberry and lemon-flavored, and the whole thing tastes a lot like strawberry lemonade in cake form." Its cheery pink and yellow color scheme will remind you that sunny days lie ahead even in the middle of winter.

For the cake batter, you'll need eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, vanilla, and flour. Additional ingredients used in the filling include cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and strawberries.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spray a jelly roll pan with nonstick spray, then add parchment paper to the bottom of the pan and spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Set the pan aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, salt, baking powder, and baking soda on medium-low speed until combined and fine bubbles start to form throughout (about 3 minutes).

Increase the speed to high, and continue whipping until the mixture becomes pale yellow, doubles in size, and becomes thick and glossy looking (about 10 minutes).

Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the bowl and beat on medium-low until just combined.

Add the flour and beat on medium-low until just incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is light golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake.

Invert the cake onto a clean tea towel on top of a cutting board. Carefully peel off the parchment paper on the cake.

While the cake is still warm, carefully roll it into a tight log shape using the tea towel, starting from the short side. Let the cake cool completely while rolled up with the seam side facing down.

While the cake cools, in a large bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until combined and creamy.

Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat until it is thick and fluffy.

Mix in the diced strawberries until just combined.

Carefully unroll the cooled cake from the towel.

Spread the cream cheese filling over the surface of the cake. On the curled-up short edge of the cake make sure the filling goes all the way to the edge, but leave a ½-inch border around the long edges without filling and leave about 1 ½ inch on the other short edge of the cake without filling.

Gently roll up the cake tightly with the filling until the seam side is down.

Transfer to a serving platter, dust with more powdered sugar if desired, then slice and serve.

If you don't yet own a jelly roll pan, you should be able to purchase one at a budget price, and it can do double-duty as a sheet pan. If you can't wait to try the recipe, though, you can always make do with a 9x13-inch baking pan, although your cake will be a bit thicker so it might need a few more minutes in the oven before the cake tester comes out dry. If you happen to have an 18x13-inch half-sheet pan, this will also work, but in this case, the cake will be thinner so will cook more quickly.

Yet another option you have is to bake the cake in two layers in round cake pans. That way, you can convert this from a roll cake into a layer cake and either use the cream as both filling and frosting or keep it in the middle and top the cake with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. Once again, the cake layers will need extra time in the oven — anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes more.

The only really tricky part with a Swiss or jelly roll is the rolling part — you need to detach the cake from the pan so it comes out intact, then roll it up around the filling and hope it won't crack or tear. In order to help ensure trouble-free rolling, use both grease and parchment paper in the pan, then grease the paper for good measure. Run a knife around the pan edge, then remove the cake and roll it up while it's still warm. You won't be using the filling the first time, since you're just "training" the cake to assume the position once it's cooled.

When you do fill the cake, don't get too upset by any small cracks since these can easily be covered by a generous application of powdered sugar and some judiciously placed strawberries. If the cracks are a bit more dramatic, you always have the option of adding a frosting or glaze — perhaps a chocolate one, to turn this into a grown-up, strawberry-lemon version of the Little Debbie Swiss roll snack cakes. If the cake's a real mess, though (which shouldn't happen if you've followed all of the directions), there's no need to waste it. No matter what it looks like, it can still be repurposed as cake pops or a trifle.