Description
This Gingerbread Swiss Cake Roll is a festive and delicious holiday dessert featuring a soft, spiced cake rolled with a creamy ginger cream cheese filling. Perfectly balanced with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, and sweetened with molasses, this cake roll is a delightful centerpiece for Christmas celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 3 eggs (separated and at room temperature)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- ¼ cup sugar
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Garnish
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Gingerbread cookies to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) to ensure it is ready for baking the cake.
- Prepare Pan: Grease a 13x18x1 inch half-sheet baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking and allow easy removal of the cake.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, and kosher salt until well combined.
- Beat Egg Yolks and Molasses: In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed for about 3 minutes until thickened. Then add the molasses and melted butter, mixing until smooth.
- Whip Egg Whites: In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until the sugar dissolves and glossy peaks form.
- Fold Mixtures: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the molasses and egg yolk mixture. Follow by folding in the whisked dry ingredients carefully to keep the batter light.
- Pour and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 12 minutes until the cake springs back to the touch.
- Cool and Roll Cake: Allow the cake to cool for 5 to 8 minutes. Then, turn it out onto a tea towel lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Carefully roll the cake inside the towel starting at the short side, and let it cool completely rolled up.
- Prepare Filling: While the cake cools, beat together the softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, minced crystallized ginger, kosher salt, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble Cake Roll: Once the cake has cooled, gently unroll it and spread an even layer of the cream cheese filling over the surface. Roll the cake back up, this time without the towel.
- Chill: Place the cake roll on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve to allow the filling to set and flavors to meld.
- Serve: Before serving, sprinkle the cake roll with confectioners’ sugar and optionally garnish with gingerbread cookies. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into even slices. Store any leftovers refrigerated.
Notes
- Whether called a swiss roll, cake roll, or yule log, this Gingerbread Swiss Cake Roll is a must-make Christmas dessert, celebrated for its perfectly spiced cake and creamy ginger cream cheese filling.
- You can garnish with gingerbread cookies or any festive decoration of your choice to enhance presentation.
- Rolling the cake while warm helps prevent cracking and makes filling easier.
- Make sure eggs are at room temperature to achieve the best volume in beating.
- Refrigerate leftovers to maintain freshness and slice cleanly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 347 kcal
- Sugar: 39 g
- Sodium: 309 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 87 mg
