Blueberry Swiss Roll
This blueberry Swiss roll cake makes a stunning dessert and is simple too! It’s an airy sponge roll filled with blueberry filling and whipped mascarpone cream.
The sponge is a genoise. It’s airy, light, pliable, and the perfect cake for a roll. The sponge is a bit plain by itself but pairs wonderfully with the fruity blueberry cake filling. I’ve made it using my simple blueberry cake filling recipe.
The blueberry flavor is enhanced with a little lemon and vanilla extract. There is also a creamy layer of whipped mascarpone cream. It’s like a more stabilized version of whipped cream, so it holds up beautifully.
I also use it in my strawberry Swiss roll and lemon Swiss roll recipes. The lemon one uses homemade lemon curd, which is also so good in a cake roll!
Ingredients
Find all the ingredient amounts listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here is a rundown of the main ingredients needed.
- Large eggs – The eggs will be separated. First, the egg whites will be whipped with sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. After this, the yolks will be whipped with the remaining sugar, oil, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until this egg mixture triples in volume. Whipping the egg yolks enough is key for an airy sponge.
- Sugar and vegetable oil– These are added to the sponge for flavor and texture. There’s only a very small amount of oil in the cake, which helps to bring in some moisture.
- Cake flour – Thanks to its low protein content, cake flour makes the most tender sponge. If you have no cake flour, you can make some using all-purpose flour mixed with a little cornstarch. There are notes on this in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Blueberries– You can use fresh or frozen blueberries to make the filling. However, fresh blueberries are best for decorating the sponge cake at the end.
- Mascarpone cheese – This is whipped with vanilla, powdered sugar, and heavy whipping cream to create a stable, creamy, delicious filling. You could mix cream cheese instead if you don’t have mascarpone cheese. This will bring a tang to the filling.
Equipment
You will ideally use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for the sponge. Alternatively, you can use a handheld electric mixer but be prepared to whisk for a long time. This recipe is not suitable to make by hand.
You’ll also need a clean kitchen towel to roll the sponge in and a 15x10x1 inch Swiss roll tin/jelly roll pan.
Method
The cake
Grease a jelly roll cake pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Greasing the tray first helps the parchment stick and keeps the bottom surface flat.
Separate 4 large eggs. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set them aside.
Add the egg whites to the large stand mixer bowl and turn it on, whisking at high speed until the mixture becomes foamy.
Add half the sugar while whisking until the egg whites form medium-stiff peaks.
The peaks should hold their shape well, but if you lift the beater from the mixture, they will flop to the side.
Transfer the whipped egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and set them aside. Add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla, oil, and salt using the same stand mixer bowl.
Whisk the egg yolks on high speed for approximately 4 minutes until they triple in volume and become thick and pale. The light yellow egg mixture should drop thick, flowing ribbons back into the bowl when lifting the beater out of the mixture.
Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg whites into the beaten yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the air bubbles in the egg whites.
Gently bring the spatula through the middle of the mixture, up the side, and fold it over the top. You can rotate the bowl as you do this. Repeat this process two more times with the remaining egg whites.
Balance a sieve over the bowl of eggs and sieve in roughly half of the flour mixture.
Using a gentle folding motion, carefully incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture, being cautious not to deflate it too much. Repeat this process once more with the remaining flour.
Baking
The final sponge mixture should have a light and airy texture and be thick. Pour batter into a prepared pan. Use an offset spatula or dough scraper to carefully spread the batter out into an even layer on the tray. Spread it out to reach the sides of the pan.
Bake the sponge for around 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown on the top, and the tip of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
While baking the cake, lay a clean kitchen towel horizontally on a work surface so the long edge is closest to you.
Generously dust it with powdered sugar. Once the sponge has finished baking, carefully tip it upside down onto the towel with the long edge closest to you.
Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Dust the cake with more powdered sugar, then starting from the short side, roll the cake and the towel up together into a spiral.
Leave it to cool on a cooling rack until it’s at room temperature.
The blueberry filling
Combine cold water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Mix it into a slurry. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla, and salt.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly as the mixture begins to warm up.
As the mixture boils, it will thicken, become jelly-like, and lose its cloudy appearance. Let it boil for around 2 minutes, stirring continuously before removing the heat.
Tip it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator until needed.
Mascarpone cream
Combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, starting on low speed, to mix until everything is combined.
Slowly increase the speed to medium and gradually pour in the heavy cream while continuing to whisk until the mixture becomes thick and holds stiff peaks, but don’t overbeat it.
Assembling
On a clean work surface, carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread over 3/4 of the mascarpone cream mixture and use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving a ½ inch border on all sides.
Dollop over the cooled blueberry filling, then spread it over the cream with an offset spatula.
Carefully re-roll the blueberry cake roll, without the tea towel, back into a spiral.
Now gently wrap the towel around the rolled cake and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Serving and storing
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and cut off the ends of the roll with a serrated knife (about ¼ inch of each end) to neaten them up. Scoop the remaining mascarpone cream into a piping bag and pipe dollops on top of the cake.
Press in some fresh blueberries, then dust with powdered sugar.
Leftover blueberry cake roll can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Blueberry Swiss Roll
This blueberry Swiss roll cake makes a stunning dessert and is simple too! It has an airy sponge filled with blueberry filling and whipped mascarpone cream.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 4 large eggs
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 28g (2 tablespoons) neutral vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 90g (¾ cup) cake flour*
Blueberry filling
- 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 Tablespoon water
- 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 125g (1 cup) fresh or frozen blueberries
- 25g (2 Tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Mascarpone cream
- 140g (5oz) mascarpone cheese
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300g (1 1/4 cup) heavy cream
Topping
- Fresh blueberries
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C with a rack in the center. Grease a jelly roll cake pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Separate the eggs. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set them aside. Add the egg whites to the large stand mixer bowl.
- Whisk the egg whites at high speed until the mixture becomes foamy. Add half the sugar while whisking until the egg whites form medium-stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and set them aside.
- Add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla, oil, and salt using the same stand mixer bowl. Whisk the egg yolks on high speed for approximately 4 minutes until they triple in volume and become thick and pale. The light yellow egg mixture should drop thick, flowing ribbons back into the bowl when lifting the beater out of the mixture.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg whites into the beaten yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the air bubbles in the egg whites. Repeat this process two more times with the remaining egg whites.
- Balance a sieve over the bowl of eggs and sieve in roughly half of the flour mixture. Using a gentle folding motion, carefully incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture, being cautious not to deflate it too much. Repeat this process once more with the remaining flour.
- Pour the thick batter into a prepared pan and use an offset spatula or dough scraper to carefully spread the batter out into an even layer on the tray. Bake the sponge for around 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown on the top and the tip of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
- While baking the cake, lay a clean kitchen towel horizontally on a work surface so the long edge is closest to you. Generously dust it with powdered sugar. Once the sponge has finished baking, carefully tip it upside down onto the towel with the long edge closest to you. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Dust the cake with more powdered sugar, then starting from the short side, roll the cake and the towel up together into a spiral. Leave it to cool on a rack until it's at room temperature.
The blueberry filling
- Combine cold water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Mix it into a slurry. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla, and salt.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly as the mixture begins to warm up. As the mixture boils, it will thicken, become jelly-like, and lose its cloudy appearance. Let it boil for around 2 minutes, stirring continuously before removing the heat.
- Tip it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator until needed.
Mascarpone cream
- Combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, starting on low speed, to mix until everything is combined.
- Slowly increase the speed to medium and gradually pour in the heavy cream while continuing to whisk until the mixture becomes thick and holds stiff peaks, but don't overbeat it.
Assembling
- On a clean work surface, carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread over 3/4 of the mascarpone cream mixture and use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving a ½ inch border on all sides. Keep the remaining mascarpone cream for the topping.
- Dollop over the cooled blueberry filling, then spread it over the cream with an offset spatula.
- Carefully re-roll the blueberry cake roll, without the tea towel, back into a spiral.
- Now gently wrap the towel around the rolled cake and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Serving
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and cut off the ends of the roll with a serrated knife (about ¼ inch of each end) to neaten them up. Scoop the remaining mascarpone cream into a piping bag and pipe dollops on top of the cake.
- Press in some fresh blueberries, then dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Leftover cake roll can be stored in the refrigerator in an airight container for up to 3 days.
* If you don't have cake flour, you can make your own by combining 80g of all-purpose flour with 10g of cornstarch.
This recipe is written using grams as the main measurement. US cup equivalents are also included if you don't have a scale. Note that these are smaller than metric cups.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
perfectly delicious. will definitely make this again.
I plan to make this for Sunday! I have a stupid amount of cream cheese. I also have mascarpone, but if you had an abundance of cream cheese to use up, would you swap any in this recipe? Just to waste not, want not.
Cream cheese makes a great substitute 😀