Anyone up for a slice of cake?? Have I ever told you how much I love cake, as in I actually tell people it was my first love. This probably explains a lot, like why I’m a pastry chef, how I consider bakery hopping a legitimate sport and why I was such a chubette as a child… Anyway, so yeah, cake – birthday cake, layer cakes, ice cream cake, cheesecake, mini cakes, cupcakes, bundt cake and then there’s cake rolls. Why is it that I always get this nervous look on my face as soon as I even think about making a cake roll? And due to the amount of requests I’ve received for a great cake roll recipe plus success tips, apparently I’m not alone!
I actually wanted to make another cake roll since I posted the espresso swiss rolls a few months back, but was waiting for the right time. Inspiration just has to hit me for these things, and inspiration hit with the arrival of meyer lemons. As soon as I made that first batch of meyer lemon curd, aka liquid gold, I knew it was time for the cake roll to make an appearance.
So I dug out my go-to recipe, added some meyer lemon zest for even more flavor and said a little prayer. Dramatics aside, the most important thing when making a cake roll is to roll the cake while it’s warm – as in 4-5 minutes out of the oven. I placed a tea towel on the counter, dusted it with a good amount of powdered sugar, inverted the cake onto it, peeled off the parchment paper and rolled it up. When it cools like that, it takes on that shape as you can see below.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s chat about this filling. Normally when I want to lighten lemon curd, I go for whipped cream, but this time I used mascarpone instead. What a good idea!! The creamy mascarpone mixed with the bright lemon curd is a fabulous combination that you do not want to miss! Once I filled the cake, I popped it in the fridge so it had a little time to set up.
I topped the cake with some raspberry whipped cream and then piled on over a pound of blueberries! This is some serious business here and the end result was awesome! The lemon curd paired with mascarpone all tucked into a light airy cake is like a slice of sunshine in the middle of winter. The instructions for this cake are a bit on the long side, but don’t be intimidated, I just wanted to be as detailed as possible. I also added some helpful notes, and just remember to roll the cake while it’s warm! I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 & 1/4 cups sugar
- zest of 1 meyer lemon
- 3/4 cup meyer lemon juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup sugar
- zest of 2 meyer lemons
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 16 ounces lemon curd (1 batch)
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- Berries for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and strain.
- Once curd is cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a half sheet pan with non stick, line with parchment, and spray again.
- Sift cake flour and set aside.
- Whip 4 egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar on medium high till stiff peaks form and set aside.
- Whip 4 egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon zest till eggs turn light in color & get thick. This will take about 5-6 minutes on medium high speed & I used a hand mixer.
- Add canola oil and vanilla extract to egg yolk mixture & continue to mix till incorporated.
- Add cake flour, baking powder and salt to egg yolk mixture in 2 additions just till dries are combined. You will notice the mixture start to get thick.
- Take 1/3 of the egg whites and stir it in to the egg yolk mixture. This will lighten the egg yolk mixture.
- Next, gently fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Pour batter in prepared pan, spread evenly and bake at 375 degrees for approx. 10 minutes.
- Allow cake to cool for 4-5 minutes max. While the cake is cooling place a tea towel on your counter and dust with powdered sugar.
- Invert cake on tea towel and peel off parchment paper. Using tea towel, roll cake up quickly and allow to cool.
- Mix chilled lemon curd with mascarpone.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes so filling can firm up before you fill cake.
- Unroll cake.
- Spread lemon mascarpone filling over cake in an even layer within a 1/2 inch of edges.
- Roll cake up again and with seam side down refrigerate till ready to serve. Make sure you cover the cake so it doesn't dry out.
- Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with berries.
Notes
The key to this cake is to roll it while it is warm.
You can lighten the lemon curd with whipped cream instead of mascarpone if you choose. You can also choose to not lighten it at all, and just use the curd for a stronger lemon flavor.
If you put the filling to close to the edges, or the filling isn't firm enough and starts to peek out the edges, don't worry. Simply place the cake roll in the fridge so it can set up and then trim the edges so it looks clean.
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
Man oh man…roll cakes! They look and TASTE so good but they’re so scary! I need to conquer this fear…
Patricia @ ButterYum says
Yes, Please!!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
I have always wanted to make a roll cake! This looks amazing! I love lemon and blueberries together.
bblondie says
Thanks Jen!
Carol | a cup of mascarpone says
Oh my goodness gracious, Meghan!!! This is incredible! I need to make this for my blog!!! 🙂 It’s incredible!!!
bblondie says
Thanks so much, Carol! Yes, it would be perfect for your blog!
amy @ fearless homemaker says
What a lovely, delicious-looking cake. You know I’m a huge fan of citrus, so this cake looks totally like my type of sweet. YUM!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
This looks absolutely beautiful! Seriously makes me want some NOW!
Terra says
I opened this up on my phone today on a break, and my first thought was “this is the prettiest cake!” I think I did a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling when I was in my teens. But have not made a cake roll since. I really need too, they look challenging and DELICIOUS! This is beautiful, Hugs, Terra
bblondie says
Thanks Terra! I haven’t done a pumpkin roll in years either – might have to add that to my list!
Jen @ Savory Simple says
This is such a beautiful roulade! Meyer lemon and mascarpone? Total perfection.
ashley - baker by nature says
I am SO up for a slice of this!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Gorgeous! Perfect flavor combination!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
This could not be prettier, Meghan. I love Meyer lemons in desserts, so good with blueberries too. I just love this!
LIz says
Whoa, a cake roll filled with lemon curd would stop me in my tracks! So gorgeous, Meghan…and the whipped cream topping and berries just make this even more enticing!! Another winner!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
Um, this is gorgeous!!! Cake rolls scare me. I haven’t tried one, but I feel like I would screw it up!
bblondie says
Thanks girl & you wouldn’t screw it up!
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says
This is absolutely stunning! Your photographs are breathtaking … and now I’d like to take a bite of that cake 🙂
bblondie says
Thanks so much Kelly!
JanetFCTC says
Lemon…mascarpone and then blueberries? I am pretty sure that this is my idea of Heaven on a plate… oh heck with a plate, just hand me a spoon!
bblondie says
I”m with ya girl – just hand me a spoon!
Jackie l FoodWineFashion.com says
So in love with this cake roll! I am a sucker for anything meyer lemon and I love the idea of adding raspberry whipped cream on top as an added flavor. And as usual – the pictures are amazing! Can’t wait to see your next creation 🙂
xo Jackie
bblondie says
That is very sweet of you to say! Thank you Jackie!
Stephie @ EYHO says
No words! This is just so beautiful! And those flavors? Shut the front door.
bblondie says
Thanks Stephie!
Medeja says
Oh it looks so gorgeous! Divine!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
That pic is just quite amazing…I look at it expecting a blueberry to roll off but it never happens 🙂 Fantastic Megan…
SJP says
Hello, I made this and it was lovely. The sponge was light and the mascarpone was divine, much better than using fresh cream as a filling. I cheated and used shop bought lemon curd instead 🙂
bblondie says
Fantastic! So happy you enjoyed it Sophia & thank you for the positive feedback 🙂
A London View says
Gorgeous, I love the look of this cake! Last time I made a roly poly was in home economics at school…let’s just say your version is a bit more sophisticated. Thanks for the inspiration!
bblondie says
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Grieta says
Please can you tell me how much is 1 stick of butter? In my country we buy 500gram blocks of butter to be cut when used.
Also, what is the size of a half sheet pan?
Thanks
bblondie says
Sure, 1 stick of butter is 4 ounces. The half sheet pan is about 18 x 13.
Anastasia says
It’s perfect!
Kelly @ IdealistMom.com says
I’ve never tried making a cake roll! But Meyer lemon AND mascarpone…mmm!
Pinning this now 🙂
Lianne says
This looks divine. What size pan do you use for the cake?
Kathryn says
This cake turned out perfectly! Love the recipe and the size. I’m trying to figure out what adjustments to make for it to be a chocolate cake. Any suggestions? All the other roll cakes I’ve seen use a small jelly roll pan & make too small a cake! My goal is to fill it with ice cream. Thank you so much for any tips you can give me to convert this recipe.
Merry Christmas!