This Snow White Swiss Roll Cake is an all-white soft and tender cake filled with vanilla whipped cream.
In celebration of National Whipped Cream Day (yea! there’s such a day… January 5!), I wanted to do a completely white Swiss Roll Cake.
WHAT IS A WHITE SWISS ROLL CAKE?
If you’re new to Swiss roll cakes, you’ll want to read up on my post for the Perfect Swiss Roll Cake.
A white Swiss roll cake is a sponge or chiffon cake made with only egg whites.
The Swiss roll cake is usually rolled up with a filling of whipped cream, chocolate ganache, or jelly.
However, for a Snow White Swiss Roll Cake, I’ve chosen to fill the cake with whipped cream, since it is also white.
INGREDIENTS IN THE WHITE SWISS ROLL CAKE
The White Swiss Roll Cake uses only egg whites for the cake, rather than whole eggs.
This is a great recipe to use up any leftover egg whites you may have from making ice cream or custard buns.
You’ll need:
- avocado oil: (or any light vegetable oil) adds moisture to the cake
- milk: (or dairy-free alternative)
- granulated sugar: the sugar is divided into 2 portions — one with the cake batter, and the other with the egg whites; beating the sugar gradually with the egg whites produces a more stable meringue
- vanilla extract: use a good quality vanilla — adds flavour to the cake
- all-purpose flour: adds structure to the cake; if you have cake flour on hand, you can certainly use that and omit the cornstarch
- cornstarch: keeps the cake light and tender
- egg whites: keep the egg whites at room temperature to ensure whip up with enough volume
- cream of tartar: helps stabilize the egg whites; if you don’t have cream of tartar, add a squeeze of lemon juice (about ¼ tsp)
INGREDIENTS IN THE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
The whipped cream consists of 3 ingredients:
- heavy whipping cream: use a whipping cream with at least 36% milkfat (MF) and keep the cream nice and cold to help with its emulsification.
- vanilla extract: adds flavour to the cream
- powdered/icing sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to the cream
HOW TO KEEP THE CAKE SNOW WHITE
A low baking temperature is needed to keep the cake pale and white.
Each individual oven will vary in temperature, so you may need to adjust accordingly.
Tip: If the cake begins to brown, reduce the oven temperature and place aluminum foil over top of the cake to cover.
HOW TO MAKE THE WHITE SWISS ROLL CAKE
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Prepare a 9″ by 12″ baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour and cornstarch into a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, sugar, vanilla.
In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk, add in 4 egg whites and beat on low-medium speed until foamy.
Gradually increase the mixer speed and add in the cream of tartar.
When you begin to see lots of bubbles, add in the granulated sugar gradually and continue beating until egg whites reach firm peaks. (How to tell it’s at firm peaks? When you remove the whisk, the egg whites will hold their shape but the tip will fold back slightly).
Transfer about 1 C of the whipped egg whites to the flour mixture and fold it in. Once lightened, add the remaining egg whites to the flour mixture to incorporate. Be careful not to overmix.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking sheet and smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Drop the pan from a height of 1 foot to release any trapped air bubbles. (You may need to drop it a few times, until no bubbles appear at the surface of the cake).
Bake at 325F for 12-15 mins, or until the cake is springy and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and drop the pan from a height of 1 foot to prevent the cake from shrinkage.
Let the cake cool on a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly warm to the touch.
HOW TO MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
TIP: Chilling the bowl in the fridge ahead of time will help the heavy cream whip up with volume.
Add the cold heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to a large bowl.
Use a balloon whisk and whip until the cream is light and airy.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Peel the parchment paper off the cake.
Transfer the almost completely cooled cake onto a clean piece of parchment paper.
Spread the whipped cream onto the entire surface of the cake.
Carefully roll the cake with the cream.
Wrap the cake up with the parchment paper and twist the ends to secure. Place onto a large plate and wrap with plastic wrap.
Set into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
Use a clean serrated knife to trim off the edges.
Garnish the cake with whipped cream and berries, and serve in slices.
TROUBLESHOOTING & FAQs
Why did my cake crack?
Check that you didn’t overwhip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Stiff peaks leads to a dry meringue which can lead to cracks in the cake.
Also, try rolling the cake while it is slightly warm. Don’t wait for the cake to cool completely, or the cake might crack.
Can I use whole eggs for this cake?
No, to keep the cake pale, only egg whites are used.
For a cake that uses whole eggs, try my Perfect Swiss Roll Cake instead.
Why did my cake turn brown?
Your oven temperature could be running hotter; next time, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees.
You can also add a piece of aluminum foil over top to cover the cake while baking.
Can I use a different filling?
Yes, you can use whatever filling you like in the cake. Try a pastry cream, or chocolate ganache.
Why does the cake need to chill for 4 hours?
This is so the cake has time to firm and set up (and hold it’s shape).
How do I slice the cake neatly?
Use a clean serrated knife, have a tall glass of warm water and paper towel near by.
Once you slice the cake, dip the knife into the warm water and wipe the knife with clean paper towel. Repeat with every slice to achieve neat slices.
ADAPTABLE AND VERSATILE CAKE
This Snow White Swiss Roll Cake is soft, spongy and delicious.
It’s adaptable and you can certainly add any flavour you like to it.
Add fruit to the cream filling for a pop of colour or variation.
I love using fresh fruit in these roll cakes. I used blackberries since I had some on hand, but raspberries or strawberries would be just as delicious.
OTHER ROLL CAKE RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE
If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out my other roll cake recipes:
Blackberry Earl Grey Cream Roll Cake
As usual, if you’ve made this recipe — I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Snow White Swiss Roll Cake
Ingredients
- 40 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g cornstarch
- 15 ml avocado oil or neutral vegetable oil
- 60 ml whole milk or dairy-free alternative
- 20 g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 140 ml egg whites (appx 4) at room temperature
- 35 g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar or ¼ tsp of lemon juice
Cream Filling:
- 125 ml heavy whipping cream cold
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 15 g powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a 9" by 12" baking sheet with parchment paper. Have another large piece of parchment paper ready for later use.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch into a bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, 20g granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
- In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk, add in 4 egg whites and beat on low-medium speed until foamy.
- Gradually increase the mixer speed and add in the cream of tartar (or lemon juice). When you begin to see lots of bubbles, add in the 35g granulated sugar gradually and continue beating until egg whites reach firm peaks. (When you remove the whisk, the egg whites will hold their shape but the tip will fold back).
- Transfer about 1 C of the whipped egg whites to the flour mixture and fold it in. Once lightened, add the remaining egg whites to the flour mixture to incorporate. Be careful not to overmix.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking sheet and smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Drop the pan from a height of about 1 foot to release any trapped air bubbles. You may need to drop it a few times until no bubbles appear on the surface.
- Bake at 325°F for 12-15 mins, or until the cake is springy and firm to the touch.
- Remove cake from the oven and drop the pan from a height of about 1 foot to prevent the cake from shrinkage.
- Cool the cake on a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly warm to the touch.
Make the whipped cream:
- Add the cold heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to a large, chilled bowl.
- Use a balloon whisk and whip until the cream is light and airy.
Assemble the cake:
- Peel the parchment paper off the cake.
- Transfer the almost completely cooled cake onto a clean piece of parchment paper.
- Spread the whipped cream onto the entire surface of the cake.
- Carefully roll the cake with the cream. (You can roll it lengthwise or widthwise, your choice).
- Wrap the cake up with the parchment paper and twist the ends to secure. Place cake onto a large plate and wrap with plastic wrap to seal.
- Set into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
- Use a clean serrated knife to trim off the ends.
- Garnish cake with whipped cream and berries, and serve cake in slices.
Wait – there’s a National Whipped Cream Day!? And I’m in luck since it’s today! This is such a fun dessert – no matter the day. I do love a good Swiss roll cake, and I’m a huge fan of vanilla everything. I know this would be a huge hit here in our house!
Yeah! Such a fun holiday… no excuse not to have whipped cream today! Thanks David! 🙂
That looks so perfect! the thickness, the lightness. It looks like those ones I used to enjoy a lot in HK.
Thanks Raymund! Swiss roll cakes are the best! 🙂
What a beautiful cake, Michelle! It’s elegant and delicious. I haven’t made a roll cake in forever, I think it’s time that changed!
Thanks Katherine! Yes, you need to make them! 🙂
Wow, this is such a gorgeous Swiss roll cake! So elegant, light and fluffy!
Thanks Catherine! 🙂
This is one gorgeous cake! It is so pretty with that snow white colour! Looks so fluffy too!
Thanks so much Christie! 🙂
I’ve only made a Swiss roll cake once and it did not look this neat and perfect! It’s gorgeous Michelle!
The roll definitely gets easier with practice, thanks Leanne!
This is such a gorgeous Swiss roll cake Michelle! I love everything vanilla and know I would love this one!!
Thanks Tasia! The all-white is very effective! 😉
This looks amazing, I have not tried to make this yet, but every recipe I have tried on your site is just amazing! 🙂
Aw thank you for the kind words!