Red Velvet Cake Roll
This light red velvet cake roll is filled with cream cheese filling rolled in a soft sponge cake. Easily made gluten Free for the perfect dessert.
Guys, you can’t get much better than a chocolatey, sweet, tangy dessert – this Red Velvet Cake Roll is everything and more!
Without a doubt, red velvet is a crowd favorite. No other cake tastes as good with cream cheese filling.
Treat yourself to a decadent dessert, that looks super fancy, but is super simple to make.
If you like this recipe, you’ll also probably like my Pumpkin Roll and my No Bake Red Velvet Cookie Dough Bites.
Generally, a Swiss Roll is a type of cake consisting of a thin layer of sponge cake rolled around some sort of jelly, jam, or icing.
Newer interpretations of Swiss rolls, such as chocolate variations often contain buttercream, whipped cream, nut butter, chocolate ganache, and other delicious fillings.
In this case, we are using a whipped, cream cheese frosting. However, if you ever feel like experimenting, the options are endless!
Can I make this Red Velvet cake roll dairy free?
Yes!
In this case, the cake itself is dairy-free if you use vegan cream cheese. I love using my Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese for the filling to make this red velvet both gluten and dairy free.
Let’s Make This Red Velvet Cake Roll
First, mix the melted butter and sugar in a bowl.
Then, add the eggs one at a time while mixing.
After, add buttermilk, the red coloring, and white vinegar and mix well.
Combine with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix through.
Next, pour into lined 10×15 jelly roll pan.
Finally, bake 350F for 10 – 11 minutes.
Following that, take the cake out of the oven and cover it with another baking pan or tin foil to retain the moisture. Loosen the edge a little bit if it appears to be sticking at all.
Then, while it’s still warm, gently roll it from the short edge. You’ll want to wrap it with a small piece of tin foil to keep it in place.
Cream Cheese Filling
Afterward, whip together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter into a bowl until smooth.
Once the cake has cooled for an hour or so, gently unroll it and spread the cream cheese filling evenly, leaving a little bit around the edge.
Then, gently roll it back, but not too tight. It should be easy to roll because of the pre-rolling.
Following, wrap it with plastic wrap tightly and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Finally, sprinkle powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy this red velvet delight!
Tips for making the best red velvet cake roll
- Prevent cracking! – First, pre-roll the cake without the filling while the cake is still warm. Second, don’t overbake. Third, don’t roll too tight!
- Measure Your Flour – In brief, the best way to measure flour is using a scale. However, if a scale is not available to you, my number one rule is DO NOT pack your flour in – you want the natural air within to remain.
- Sticky Dough? – If you find that the dough is sticky there are a few options. First, you can sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar as you roll. Second, you can oil your hands while rolling to prevent the stick. Third, you can bake the cake on parchment paper and then use the parchment paper as a base to help you roll.
How to spice up this red velvet cake roll
Who doesn’t love a little extra deliciousness? Here are some ideas:
- Use red and white sprinkles either on top or in the icing
- Drizzle melted white chocolate on top
- Mash some berries up and add into the cream cheese – raspberries and chocolate? Yum!
- Additionally, you can experiment with different types of extract in the cake or the cream cheese – peppermint, mocha, pumpkin, and more! Usually, a teaspoon will suffice.
How to Store a Red Velvet Cake Roll?
You can leave the Velvet Rolls on the counter for a day and then I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze cake rolls?
Yes, they freeze well up to a month. In this case, I like to wrap them into individual serving sizes.
How do I defrost cake rolls?
In brief, simply take them out of the freezer and allow them to thaw before serving.
Generally, it only takes 1-2 hours to thaw
Get the recipe:Red Velvet Cake Roll
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour, 100 grams – all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder , 20 grams
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 whole eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar, 135 grams
- 2 tbsp melted butter, vegan butter or coconut oil, slightly cooled
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar to mix with milk, mix this with the 2 tbsp of milk and let sit
- 2 tbsp milk, you can also use 2 tbsp of buttermilk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp red coloring , 1 oz if using gel food coloring, 1/3 to ½ of the 0.67 oz tube
- 2 tsp vanilla
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz block cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature or softened
- 3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Mix the melted butter and sugar in a bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time while mixing.
- Add butter milk, the red coloring, and white vinegar and mix well.
- Combine with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix through.
- Pour into lined 10×15 jelly roll pan.
- Bake 350F for 10 – 11 minutes.
- Take the cake out of the oven and cover it with another baking pan or tin foil to retain the moisture. Loosen the edge a little bit if it appears to be sticking at all.
- While it’s still warm, gently roll it from the short edge. You want to wrap it with a small piece of tin foil to keep it in place.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Whip together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter into a bowl until smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled for an hour or so, gently unroll it and spread the cream cheese evenly, leaving a little bit around the edge.
- Gently roll it back, but not too tight. It should be easy to roll because of the pre-rolling.
- Wrap it with a plastic wrap tightly and leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy this red velvet delight!
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
I tried the recipe and i did it exactly and it turned out horrible. It tasted bad it was dry and cracked. Definitely not worth the time.
Hi Bailey,
We are so sorry you had this experience. A few things we do want to ask:
1) Were you using fresh ingredients? Primarily the baking soda or flour?
2) Is there a possibility that there was too much flour used? If flour was packed while measuring and not weighed, or gently spooned into the cup- this may have caused too much flour, resulting in it being dried and cracking.
3) We have invested in an “in oven” thermometer you could get off of amazon- this helps to allow you to know the true temperature, rather than what the actual oven is set too
Best,
Constance and Shuang
Can I use a red velvet cake mix
Hi Fran,
You are always welcome to make substitutions, however we cannot guarantee the result of what you bake, unless following all components of the ingredients and full recipe!
Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
Happy Baking,
Constance