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Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam

Are you in the mood for a simple but super yummy dessert? Here’s how to make the best vegan vanilla swiss roll with jam! So flavorful!

A Swiss roll may come by in a lot of different names, some of them including jelly roll, roll cake or cream roll. By far, though, the most inventive is Swiss Log – and I’m sure you can see why. But, throughout this recipe, I’m going to call it a Swiss roll.

First of all, I want to talk a bit about the origins of the Swiss roll. Before you *roll* your eyes in anticipation (pun not intended), let me baffle you with this information: it’s not from Switzerland! Nope. The Swiss roll is not actually Swiss.

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam dessert

Instead, it is more likely to have originated in Austria, during the nineteenth century – a great culinary period which left us with more than one amazing inventions such as the doughnuts and the Victoria sponge. So, as with a lot of great things in life, we’re left in quite a mystery regarding the Swiss roll’s name.

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam recipe

The earliest mention of the Swiss roll seems to have been in 1852, in a New York journal called Northern Farmer, so we can safely say that this is quite an old recipe – which, in my opinion, makes it better, because it carries such a heritage. What I find most fun about this is that, as with any old recipe I believe, different countries have different approaches. Variations of the Swiss roll can be found pretty much everywhere, from China (the famous Hong Kong roll) to The United States, Philippines, the Nordic Countries of Europe, Spain, and so on.

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam homemade

So, what exactly is the Swiss roll? It’s basically a really light and fluffy sponge cake with a creamy filling, sometimes consisting of whipped cream, sometimes jam or jelly, sometimes a mixture of the two.

Keywords here are sweet, airy, and fluffy. Popular flavors throughout the world are vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, or chocolate. More unusual (but equally delicious) flavors would be dulce de leche, matcha, or milk cream.

Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam dessert

The traditions around it are pretty diverse as well. In Sweden, Finland and Norway, the Swiss roll is called roulade, rullekake, or rulltårta, and perfectly integrates into the wonderful tradition called Fika – a small coffee break where you are invited to slow down, have something sweet and share a few minutes with your coworkers. The Brits prefer to have their Swiss roll in the afternoon, as part of their 5 o’clock tea.

Making a Swiss roll from scratch might seem intimidating. And while it’s not the easiest dessert ever, it’s not the hardest either! If you measure everything correctly and have a little patience, you’ll find that nothing can go wrong. Not to mention that you’re going to have one of the lightest, most subtle, and delicious desserts that everyone is going to love.

Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam

For this vanilla swiss roll I used a neutral cake base which is going to result in the most wonderful, warm yellow color. For the filling, I chose vanilla and jam. You can choose any jam you like, as long as you like the flavor. Among the jam types that go really well with vanilla are strawberry, raspberry, and forest fruit. The color is going to be really pretty as well.

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll recipe

You need to wait for the Swiss roll to cool down before you can slice it. Otherwise, you might get uneven, crumbly pieces. And you should aim for a really pretty, even appearance when it comes to this dessert. You want to go as delicate and fancy as it gets. Once you’ve sliced it, make sure you choose your favorite saucers. You can serve the Swiss roll with additional whipped cream on the side, and add fruit (berries are still the best and the prettiest in this combo, in my opinion).

I tell you, this makes for such an amazing dessert. It’s so subtle, sweet, but not too sweet, and bound to make you feel really fancy and delicate.

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll step by step

If you want to go one level higher, brew a cup of specialty coffee or a really nice Earl Grey tea. They go wonderful together. Then sit down and enjoy the thing slowly, try to really taste it. This is the most difficult part when it comes to the Swiss roll – it takes you a while to prepare it, and then it’s gone in minutes. You have been warned! 🙂

Yield: 6-8

Vegan Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam

Vanilla Swiss Roll with Jam rulada de vanilie cu gem

Are you in the mood for a simple but super yummy dessert? Here's how to make the best vegan vanilla swiss roll with jam! So flavorful!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

  • 200g all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 100g powdered sugar
  • ⅓ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients:

  • 125ml grapeseed oil
  • 180ml almond milk
  • 200g vegan yogurt
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For filling:

  • 160g (½ cup) strawberry jam

Instructions

  1. Combine all your wet ingredients in a bowl and mix.
  2. Add the dry ingredients and mix well using a hand mixer for 3-5 minutes until well incorporated.
  3. Transfer to greased and lined baking tray and bake at 170 degrees C for 20 minutes. It should turn golden brown.
  4. As soon as it is ready, remove from the oven and let it rest until cool to touch.
  5. To put it together, evenly apply the jam on the cake, maintaining a clean border of about an inch at the edges. Carefully yet firmly roll up the cake, gradually peeling off the parchment paper as you proceed. Keep a section of the parchment paper wrapped around the cake's exterior, especially over the uncovered area. Then, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.
  6. Once you take it out of the freezer, remove the remaining parchment paper. Use a large serrated knife to slice off the ends of the cake, exposing a neat spiral pattern inside.
  7. Dust some icing sugar on top.

Notes

Pan size: Roll Cake Type of Pan (15 inches - ~40cm long)

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Amount Per Serving Calories 390Total Fat 14.2gCarbohydrates 60gProtein 5.7g

I strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. I encourage you to make your own calculations using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Lou

Tuesday 19th of December 2023

Hi Ruxandra, thank you for the recipe :) You mentioned using egg replacer but there's no egg replacer listed in the ingredients. Would you mind sharing which you used and how much?

Ruxandra

Thursday 18th of January 2024

Hi Lou! I updated the recipe with some tweaks. I forgot to remove that paragraph from the description. :)

Eloise

Wednesday 29th of November 2023

Hi, have you updated this recipe? In the article it states you use an egg replaced eg. Psyllium husks or flax. But I don't see this in the recipe? Thanks 😊

Ruxandra

Thursday 18th of January 2024

I updated the recipe with some tweaks. I forgot to remove that paragraph from the description. 🙂

maaria

Saturday 8th of April 2023

hi thnks for the lovely recipe, May i know what pan size we use for this recipe pls so that we get a nice thin cake as you have? <3

Ruxandra

Monday 13th of November 2023

Pan size: Roll Cake Type of Pan (15 inches - ~40cm long)

Ramonita

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Have you ever done this with egg replacer? I have one that contains psyllium husk.

Ruxandra

Friday 3rd of February 2023

It should work just as well.

Nicole

Saturday 18th of December 2021

Think I could use ground flax instead of psyllium husk?

Ruxandra

Wednesday 19th of January 2022

Sure!

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