Matcha Swiss Roll
Jump to Recipe
Super fluffy matcha sponge cake filled with fresh strawberry cream and strawberry jam. Transform your kitchen into your own personal cafe with this Matcha Swiss Roll.
What is a Swiss Roll Cake?
A swiss roll is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream. It gets its name from how the cake is made. Instead of stacking layers on top of each other like traditional cakes, a single long sheet of cake is rolled over itself to create a log-shaped cake. Yule log cakes are one of the most notable swiss roll cakes.
Also known as a jelly roll, roll cake or roulade, it’s an extremely popular dessert in Asia. Although the cake is believed to have originated in Europe, you can find them at almost every cafe or bakery in Hong Kong, Japan and in most Chinese bakeries here in North America.
Matcha Swiss Roll Cakes started off in Asia but have grown in popularity here in North America.
Types of Roll Cakes
Just like any other cake, there are hundreds of variations. Some regions have their own unique flavours and fillings and you can get quite creative with them. Roll cake decorations have even become somewhat of an art form!
In Japan and Hong Kong, roll cakes often have fresh fruit in them. The majority of them use a whipped cream filling that has been stabilized with gelatin. Some are fancier and use chiffon cake and mousse fillings instead.
Popular swiss roll cake flavours include classic vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee and of course, matcha. You can create new flavours by combining different sponge cake and filling flavours too. Following the recent matcha trend, the Matcha Swiss Roll has become increasingly popular.
Decoration
We’ve kept it plain and simple in this Matcha Swiss Roll Cake recipe. Roll cakes are beautiful as is but you can change things up if you’d like.
Here are some decoration suggestions:
- Spread a thin layer of the cream filling over top of the finished cake and sprinkle matcha over it
- Add dollops of cream and top with whole fresh strawberries
- Slice strawberries and layer inside before rolling
If you try this Matcha Swiss Roll recipe, share your beautiful designs with us on social media at Dumpling Connection on both Instagram and Facebook.
You can always change up the sponge cake or filling flavour. Use this recipe as a starting point in discovering more roll cakes! And if you like desserts like this, check out our Mango Pomelo Dessert. Or read our article “Must-Try Asian Desserts in Toronto” for more desserts.
Matcha Swiss Roll Recipe
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp matcha (green tea powder)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk
Strawberry Cream Filling
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp strawberry jello powder
- 2-3 tbsp strawberry jam or puree
Instructions
- Begin by gathering all your ingredients in the right amounts. Line a 15” x 10” pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Then separate the egg yolks from the whites into two bowls. Store the egg whites in the fridge and leave the yolks at room temperature. Cool egg whites will help when making the meringue.
Sponge Cake Batter:
- To make sure the batter is nice and fluffy, you will need a fine-mesh sieve. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and matcha powder 3 times to make sure everything is well incorporated and there are no clumps. Set aside.
- Add the egg yolks to a bowl and break them.
- Add in half the sugar (¼ cup) and whisk the yolk and sugar together until it doubles in volume. When you lift the whisk into the air, the mixture should fall back into the bowl in ribbons which then slowly disappear back into the mixture.
- Next, make the meringue. Take the egg whites out of the fridge and add them to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cold egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in the remaining sugar (¼ cup) over 3 separate times while mixing. Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are glossy.
- Once the meringue is finished, gently whisk ⅓ of it into the egg yolk mixture until it is all incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture back to the remaining meringue and using a silicone spatula, gently fold everything together.
- Add in the sifted dry ingredients. Again, using the silicone spatula, gently fold until just incorporated.
- Microwave the milk until it is warm to the touch and then add it to the batter and keep folding to combine. Be careful to not overmix or the sponge cake will not be fluffy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
Baking:
- Tap the pan a few times on your working surface to remove any trapped air bubbles inside. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also tell it is finished when the top of the cake springs back when touched. It’s important to not overbake the sponge cake or it will be too dry and crack when rolling.
- Once it’s finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and drop the pan on your working space once to prevent the cake from shrinking.
- Remove the cake from the pan while it’s still hot by placing a piece of parchment paper over a cutting board and use it to flip the cake over. Then use a spatula or knife to lift the pan to reveal the cake.
- Gently remove the parchment paper stuck to the sponge cake. This side of the cake will be the exterior of the roll cake.
- Flip the cake over again so that the brown side is facing up. Diagonally slice off ¼ inch off the shorter end of the cake. This will help you roll the cake up later.
- While the sponge cake is still warm, roll it up on parchment paper starting from the side you did not slice off.
- Once the cake is rolled up, set it on top of a wire rack to cool. Cover it with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. It will take about 30 minutes for the sponge cake to completely cool to room temperature.
Strawberry Cream Filling:
- Place a metal mixing bowl and metal beaters of your electric hand mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will help the cream whip faster.
- After the 15 minutes has passed, add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and strawberry jello powder into the bowl. Beat with your electric hand mixer for about 4 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. It should be scoopable with a spoon and able to hold its shape.
Assembly:
- Remove the sponge cake from the wire rack and unroll it. It’s okay if the ends curl up a bit.
- Use a spatula to spread the strawberry cream evenly over the cake. Leave a ½-inch border on all sides. Tip: Spread slightly less toward the last ⅓ of the cake (closer to the side where we sliced some off) as the cream will spread out when rolling the cake up.
- Spread a line of strawberry jam about 1-inch from the end that was not sliced.
- Carefully, but tightly re-roll the cake starting from the side with jam. The sliced end should be on the bottom. Once the cake is rolled up, use some parchment paper to secure it by wrapping it around and twisting the ends (like a candy wrapper). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up the cream
- After 2 hours have passed, remove the roll cake and unwrap. Slice off about ½-inch from both ends of the cake to reveal the beautiful swirl. Transfer the entire cake to your serving dish and decorate any way you’d like.
- Best served with a hot cup of green tea or coffee. Enjoy!
