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A Christmas Cake Roll is the perfect Christmas Cake Recipe! A fluffy yellow cake roll with whipped cream filling and chocolate ganache on top – plus lots of holiday sprinkles – it’s a fun twist on a traditional cake recipe (pun intended).
The Perfect Christmas Cake
I first made this cake for my daughters 6th grade class – the teacher had asked if I would to accompany a book they were reading about Yule logs and Christmas cakes. Over the years following I made several (including my famous Oreo Cake Roll and Birthday Cake Roll), until Jordan was long out of elementary school.
This version combines those two – a fluffy yellow cake rolled with whipped cream and holiday sprinkles, topped with chocolate ganache and more sprinkles! It’s a modern version of a Yule Log and while it looks hard, it’s actually easy. Wow your family with this cake – and sit back knowing it was easier than it looks to make!
How to make a Christmas Cake
This cake roll is so festive. Red and green is such a fun and happy color combination, and the pop of colors in that filling is magical.
- Mix the eggs for at least 5 minutes, until they are thick and yellow and doubled in volume – this is the leavened for the cake and will make the cake fluffy (or not). This is an important step! It’s easiest to do this with a stand mixer.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients and pour the cake batter into a jelly roll pan (it’s a 10×15-inch pan with 1-inch sides). I like to prepare my pan with foil and nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour). Parchment paper will work too.
- Bake the cake until it springs back when touched.
- Immediately after the cake comes out of the oven, flip it over onto a kitchen towel coated in powdered sugar. Roll the cake up and let it cool. Rolling the cake hot allows it to cool in the shape of a roll, so it’ will roll up easier when filled.
- The filling is my whipped cream frosting which is a stabilized whipped cream with cream cheese. I also stir in some Christmas sprinkles. Fill the center of the cake with the filling.
- The topping is chocolate ganache, but thinner so you can pour it over the top of the cake. Then while it’s still wet, add sprinkles. Chill to set the cake.
Expert Tips
- Over bake the cake rather than under bake it. With a cake roll there is a sweet spot when the cake is done but not too much (or it’ll crack) and not under done (or it’ll crack). That is when the cake bounces back when you touch it.
- Roll it while it’s hot – that’s the secret to getting the cake to roll with the frosting.
- Check out my cake roll tutorial as well as the rules for cake roll making.
- If it cracks, no problem. Glue it back together with the filling. If you’re worried about how it will look, make extra filling and frost the outside like I did my strawberry shortcake cake roll.
Why do cake rolls crack?
Cake rolls crack for so many reasons: it’s under done or over done, it’s humid or dry, the eggs weren’t beaten enough…so many reasons. Here are some ways to avoid cracking:
- Beating those eggs is SO important. While cake rolls are thinner and not as fluffy as a regular yellow cake, if the eggs aren’t beaten enough the cake will be thin and dry.
- Make sure you bake the cake until it bounces back when touched. It’s better to err on the side of a little over baked.
- Make sure to roll it while it’s hot.
- Let it cool completely before unrolling.
If your cake roll cracked, that’s okay! Just glue it together with the filling and make sure to frost it with the ganache and add sprinkles. No one will know!
FAQ
You roll cake rolls hot in a powdered sugared kitchen towel or parchment paper. Let it cool and then unroll and fill it.
Not exactly. You can, but it requires a different recipe and makes two rolls. See my Turtle Cake Roll for instructions.
Yes, you need a “jelly roll pan” which is a 10×15-inch (approximately) baking sheet with 1-inch sides. This is the one I use.
Yes you can freeze this! I recommend freezing before putting on the ganache, but you can do it after too, I’ve done it both ways.
You need to slowly add the sugar while mixing and then make sure it’s mixed enough. See my tutorial here.
Christmas Cake Roll Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar to aid in rolling
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Christmas colored sprinkles plus more for topping
Topping, optional
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 10×15” or 10.5×15” cake/jelly roll pan with foil and spray with floured nonstick cooking spray.
- Place eggs in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed with mixer for 5 minutes until foamy and yellow. Add sugar and mix for 2 more minutes, until the mixture is thickened slightly. Mix in oil, baking powder, salt, and vanilla, then add flour and mix slowly until just combined. Pour into prepared pan, spreading as needed with a spatula. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is browned and the cake springs back when touched lightly. (Mine took 12 minutes, but all ovens differ.)
- While the cake is baking, lay out a clean kitchen towel onto the counter. Spread with about 1/4 cup powdered sugar.
- Remove the hot cake from the oven and carefully, using oven mitts so you don’t burn yourself, flip the cake onto the towel. This might make a mess, but that’s okay. Carefully remove the pan and foil (they’re hot!) and then, using the towel, roll up the cake from the short side. The towel will be rolled into the cake. Let this cool completely before continuing.
- Note: you can wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight before finishing.
- Make the filling: place cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Use mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until it’s smooth and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream, then turn the mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Halfway through mixing, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir sprinkles into the whipped cream.
- To fill cake: Carefully unroll the cake. Spread with the whipped cream mixture. Carefully roll the cake back up as tight as possible, unsticking it from the towel as you go. Wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap and chill until ready to top and serve.
- To top: place chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl. Heat on high power for 60-90 seconds or until the cream is hot, then whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Place cake roll on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake evenly. Top with rmore sprinkels. Chill until set.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Over bake the cake rather than under bake it. With a cake roll there is a sweet spot when the cake is done but not too much (or it’ll crack) and not under done (or it’ll crack). That is when the cake bounces back when you touch it.
- Roll it while it’s hot – that’s the secret to getting the cake to roll with the frosting.
- Check out my cake roll tutorial as well as the rules for cake roll making.
- If it cracks, no problem. Glue it back together with the filling. If you’re worried about how it will look, make extra filling and frost the outside like I did my strawberry shortcake cake roll.
Recipe Nutrition
Tools for cake roll making success:
- Cake Roll Pan – 10×15 is perfect!
- Kitchen towel for rolling
- Hand mixer for making the frosting
- Christmas sprinkles, of course!
Thank you for posting this recipe..it was delicious! For the filling i substituted the granulated sugar with icing sugar. The granulated sugar readily available in the supermarket where I live is not as fine as i like for baking (didnt have time to take a 1 hr drive to buy castor sugar at the one that does carry fine sugar!). Whipped this up in a jiffy and it was devoured by my guests in record time. Will definitely be making this again …five stars!
Is it really on 3/4 cup of flour? I’m wondering if it needs.
Can this finished cake be frozen? Thinking of baking, filling, and ganache then freezing to transport to holiday gathering.
I can’t wait to make this for the whole family!
Basic sounds great! Love this.
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