Description
The secret to an EASY cake roll cake is to simply alter how the eggs are incorporated into a regular store-bought box cake mix, turning it into a sponge cake. Smoothing out the batter in the rimmed baking sheet before baking will ensure the cake bakes evenly, making for a beautiful and easy cake roll. Simply bake, roll, cool, fill, and roll again.
Ingredients
- 4 room-temperature eggs, yolks and whites separated
- Box cake mix any flavor (except angel food cake)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1–2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped small
- Optional: garnishes for the top such as fresh fruit berries, cookies, sprinkles, etc.
Instructions
Bake the Cake
- Set your oven to bake at 350 degrees F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth and lightened in color. Whisk in the vegetable oil and water until smooth.
- Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups of cake mix. Sift the cake mix into the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in approximately 1 cup of whipped egg whites to the cake batter mixture. Set the whisk aside. Using a spatula, gently fold in the rest of the egg white to the batter until fully incorporated and no white streaks remain.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking sheet. Smooth out evenly. Bake for 10-11 minutes (or just until the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger) and remove.
Roll the cake
- While the cake is still warm, generously dust the entire surface with powdered sugar.
- Gently run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides. Lay a clean kitchen towel over the top of the cake. Place another baking sheet or large cutting board over the top and invert, removing the parchment paper from the cake.
- Generously dust the cake again with powdered sugar. Tightly roll up the cake from the short side to the short side with the towel. Set the towel-wrapped cake aside on a cooling rack to cool completely, for about 2 hours.
Fill the cake (Here I am using Stabilized Whipped Cream)
-
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the cream and sugar to the cream cheese and continue to beat until fully incorporated. (You may need to scrape the bowl with a spatula.) Beat in the vanilla, then beat the mixture on high until whipped and light, about 3-5 minutes.
- Spread evenly onto the unrolled cake, all the way to the edges. (Optional: set aside some whipped cream to pipe decorations on the cake later.) Sprinkle chopped strawberries evenly over the filling. Tightly roll the cake back up and set it on a serving dish. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
Notes
You can use any type of filling or frosting for this roll cake- for example, you can use strawberry jam and make it a jelly roll cake. Or fill it with store-bought whipped topping if it’s more convenient than the stabilized whipped cream I used in the recipe above.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American