The Best Jelly Roll Cake
Jelly Roll Cake is a classic treat that is truly easy to make. Light and airy vanilla cake is the perfect wrapping for sweet, tangy raspberry preserves. This is a great make-ahead recipe.
Table of contents
Why This is The Best Jelly Roll Cake
The light and airy cake at the heart of this recipe is a chiffon cake. Chiffon is one of my favorite sponge cakes because it’s so versatile in the kitchen.
Eggs, along with the flour, create the structure for the cake. The whipped eggs make the cake light and flexible. In other words, spongy.
But a sponge cake without a proper balance of structure builders and tenderizers can quickly become a rubbery cake.
Chiffon cakes always have oil as the fat component and a relatively high proportion of sugar. The oil coats the flour which prevents gluten formation and the sugar holds moisture.
Even without a smidge of butter, this cake is tender, soft and not at all rubbery. That perfect texture allows us to make a nice tight cake roll that doesn’t crack or fall apart and just melts in your mouth.
Process Photos
Here’s what the recipe process looks like at each stage. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and exact instructions.
- Whip the yolks and combine with the flour. Whip the whites.
- Fold the whites into the batter just until combined.
- Do not over fold the batter. It should still be light and fluffy.
- Spread the batter into the pan and bake just until the center springs back when pressed.
- Be careful. Overbaking can cause cracking.
- Cover the cake with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to cool.
- The cake will be quite thin, which allows for a nice spiral when it’s rolled.
- Peel the parchment off the cake and use the parchment and towel to help flip the cake.
- Spread the jelly over the cake and use the parchment to lift and roll the cake.
- After rolling the cake, wrap it in the parchment and then in plastic.
- Leave it at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
FAQS
First, make sure you’re using a balanced recipe. A recipe with oil and water will make a moist and flexible cake.
Be careful not to overbake the thin cake as it will dry out and loose its flexibility.
Cool the cake under a clean kitchen towel to retain moisture. Assemble the cake soon after it cools while it is still soft enough to roll without cracking.
Make sure to tightly roll the cake. You can use the parchment paper to help tighten the roll. Wrap the parchment around the cake with a slight overlap along the bottom edge. While holding the top edge, pull on the bottom edge to tighten it around the cake.
Let the cake sit for several hours before cutting. This gives the jelly time to absorb into the cake so the slices won’t unravel.
A Jelly Roll Cake will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature, covered.
Yes. Roll, wrap and freeze for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature in the wrapping.
If you love chocolate you might want to make Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake.
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Jelly Roll Cake
Ingredients
- 2 oz vegetable oil (¼ cup)
- 3 each large eggs (separated)
- 2 oz water (¼ cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 oz all purpose flour (1 cup, see note)
- 6 oz granulated sugar (¾ cup, divided)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 oz seedless raspberry preserves (1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine 2 oz vegetable oil, 3 egg yolks, 2 oz water and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract in a mixer bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Sift 5 oz all purpose flour with 1/2 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to yolk mixture. Whip on high speed for 1 minute, then set aside
- Whip 3 egg whites on medium speed to soft peak. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, increase the speed to medium high and whip to full peak. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture in three increments.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth until level. Bake until the middle of the cake springs back with lightly pressed, about 12 minutes.
- Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and cool the cake completely in the pan.
- Run a small knife around the edges and flip the cake out of the pan onto the towel. Peel the parchment off the back of the cake. Use the towel and the parchment to flip the cake back over onto the parchment paper.
- Remove the towel and spread 12 oz seedless raspberry preserves over the cake. Use the parchment paper to lift the long side of the cake then roll the cake tightly.
- Wrap the parchment paper around the cake and let it overlap at the bottom. Grab the top edge with one hand and the overlap piece with the other. Pull on the overlap to tighten the parchment around the cake. Wrap with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to allow the jelly to meld into the cake. At this point the cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.
- Unwrap the cake and trim the ends at a slight angle. Transfer it to a serving tray, seam side down. Generously sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature. The cake will keep covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
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Can I use a jelly roll pan instead of half sheet?
A standard half sheet pan is 13″x18″x1″ deep. So you’d have to know the measurements of your jelly roll pan. If it’s close to those measurements you can use it. Some jelly roll pans may be closer to a 1/4 sheet size (13″X9″X1″). If you have the smaller size you should divide the recipe in half.