Swiss Roll (2024)

FAQs

What is a Swiss roll called in America? ›

Recipes for cakes rolled around a layer of jam appeared in both England and the United States around the mid-nineteenth century under various names. Americans typically refer to rolled cakes as jelly rolls, while British bakers refer to rolled cakes as Swiss rolls.

In spite of the name “Swiss roll”, this iconic dessert is believed to have originated in Central Europe, likely Austria. And like many other countries, France adopted this dessert and made it part of its classic baking repertoire.

Why did my swiss roll sponge cake crack? If your sponge cracks when you try to roll it, it could be two things: it was over-baked and dried out on the surface, and/or it was too cold when you tried to roll it.

The terminology evolved in America for many years. From 1852 to 1877 such a dessert was called: Jelly Cake (1852), Roll Jelly Cake (1860), Swiss Roll (1872), Jelly Roll (1873), and Rolled Jelly Cake (1876). The name "Jelly Roll" was eventually adopted.

Ho Hos are small, cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled chocolate snack cakes with a pinwheel design based on the Swiss roll. Made by Hostess Brands, they are similar to Yodels by Drake's and Swiss Cake Rolls by Little Debbie. Sold two or three per package, they contain about 120 calories per roll.

This happens when you are not gentle enough when folding the dry ingredients into the wet. A genoise sponge requires very gentle and slow folding. You need to preserve as much air in the batter as possible, otherwise it can become rubbery. Why did my cake crack during the first roll?

Score a line along the bottom of the sponge, approximately 2.5cm away from the edge. Don't cut all the way through. Using the line scored, roll the sponge up tightly and leave to cool completely. When the sponge is cool, unroll it gently.

For my Swiss Rolls I either use a 9″ x 13″ cookie sheet or a standard 13″ x 18″ cookie sheet. If you are using the smaller cookie sheet I recommend using the half batch of batter (the one that starts with 6 egg yolks) like we use in this blog here.

Cracks upon rolling:

Simply slice your cake into small squares and pipe buttercream or whatever filling you had planned on top of one square then sit another piece of cake on top and pipe some more buttercream – lots of buttercream. Happy days.

Starting at the shorter edge of the cake, roll the cake and greaseproof paper up together, making sure that it is especially tight at the beginning. It's important that the cake is warm so it can set in the right shape. If it's too cold, it won't roll properly. Once rolled, leave it to cool completely.

Why is my Swiss roll sticky? ›

Sticky cake and cupcake tops are from a reaction with sugar and water. Sugars are hygroscopic, meaning they attract water. Within baked goods, sugars help maintain a moist and tender crumb. Sugar on the exposed tops, however, will grab water from humid air, creating a wet or sticky top.

Jelly Cake, Roll Jelly Cake, Swiss Roll, Jelly Roll, and Rolled Jelly Cake were all names given to this dish from 1852 until 1877.

While both desserts feature a thin layer of cake and fluffy filling rolled into a log, the difference between a yule log and a Swiss roll is how the two are decorated. Swiss rolls are typically kept plain while yule logs are cut, frosted, and adorned to look like, well, logs!

Jam swiss rolls are typically a soft vanilla sponge perfectly complimented by smooth vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam. Whereas, Jam roly poly is traditionally made as a suet pudding wrapped in muslin or foil and steamed, then filled with jam and served with hot custard.

European-style Swiss roll is the most common one to this day and among the simplest: just a layer of sponge cake covered with a comparatively thin layer of filling, most often fruit jam or a dense cream.