A tender red velvet cake meets a luxurious white chocolate raspberry buttercream filling in this decadent roll cake recipe! This Red Velvet Cake Roll is beautiful for any occasion, from holidays to casual weeknight dinners! If you love this, you will also love this Red Velvet Lava Cake, Red Velvet Raspberry Cupcakes, and my Red Velvet Cake with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting.
Ho ho ho! Happy Holidays to my GBC family! Before I share today’s recipe, I’d like to take a moment to thank you all. This year has been quite the ride, truly crazier than I ever imagined. From home building to shopping preschools, there hasn’t been a single boring moment!
But, through it all, I’ve relied on this platform to keep me grounded and connected to myself, as well as to you all. Thank you for revisiting GBC week after week, for trusting my recipes enough to invite them into your kitchen, and for contributing your own creativity! I couldn’t do any of this without y’all!
Okay, now that the gushy stuff is out of way, let’s talk cake! Holiday cake recipes are what I live for and today’s recipe is a true Christmas miracle. Y’all, this cake would even make the Grinch’s heart grow a couple more sizes!
This Red Velvet Cake Roll is light and tender but doesn’t fall apart when you roll it into a log. It’s a showstopping, flavorful dessert made in less than an hour! With each bite you’re transported to a Winter wonderland. Well, only if that wonderland includes moist red velvet cake and fluffy cream cheese frosting of course!
WHAT’S A CAKE ROLL?
A Swiss Roll, jelly roll, roll cake, cream roll, roulade, or Swiss log is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream, jam, jelly, or icing. Sliced thin, each piece of cake is light, tender, and flavorful. If you’ve ever had one of Lil Debbie’s chocolate Swiss roll cakes, you know just how good one of these cakes can be!
CLASSIC RED VELVET CAKE
Dark, decadent, and flavorful, red velvet cake is truly made for royalty. Every moist bite is better than the last! Today’s recipe features a classic red velvet sponge; it’s the perfect base for a delicate and delectable filling.
WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY FROSTING
When it came to the filling for this recipe, I knew I wanted something a little different. I needed an icing that would cut through the richness of red velvet, while still offering its own unique touch.
So, what else was I to do but add an extra layer of chocolate? White chocolate is creamy and sweet on its own but add in a bit of cream cheese and you’ve got a tangy, luscious buttercream.
To add the final touch, I incorporated some raspberry puree. Tart and fruity, raspberries add a delightful brightness to this recipe, as well as a gorgeous color. Put it all together and you’ve got a smooth, decadent frosting ready to rock and roll!
TIPS FOR BAKING RED VELVET CAKE ROLL
- Make sure you use the correct sized pan. A 10×15 jelly roll pan is necessary for this recipe. This ensures that the cake is the perfect thickness, which prevents breaking or cracking while rolling.
- Do not overbake the cake! This will result in a cracked and chewy cake. I’d start checking for doneness after about 10 minutes.
- Make the frosting while the cake bakes, then refrigerate it as the cake cools. This will give the filling time to firm up before spreading.
- Be patient! Don’t rush through the process of rolling, you’ll want a tight and neat result.
- If the cake cracks a little, don’t worry, it’s fixable. Once the filling is added and you roll the cake back, it’ll sort of “glue” back together.
- Any additional imperfections can be covered with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cocoa powder!
CAN THIS CAKE BE REFRIGERATED AND FROZEN?
Yes! This cake can be stored in the fridge, if wrapped tightly, for up to 3 days. To keep your cake as fresh as possible, I’d recommend using 2 layers of plastic wrap.
If you’d like to freeze a prepared cake roll, wrap it in plastic wrap and add an extra layer of heavy duty foil or place it in a zip top freezer bag. Your cake will freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before slicing and serving.
GRANDBABY CAKES’ BEST RED VELVET RECIPES
Let the good times roll! After you’ve made this delicious cake, go ahead and stir up more of GBC’s most ravishing red velvet recipes:
- RED VELVET LAVA CAKE
- RED VELVET MARBLE CAKE
- RED VELVET MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE
- RED VELVET CAKE WITH BLACKBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Red Velvet Cake Roll
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cake Roll
- powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cake flour sifted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 oz red food coloring
For the Raspberry White Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries divided
- 4 oz white chocolate chopped
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar up to 2 cups/ sifted
- pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Line the pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper.
- Sprinkle a large rectangle of parchment paper or a thin kitchen towel with powdered sugar and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine the buttermilk, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a large bowl and an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs for five minutes. Slowly add the sugar and oil, then beat until well combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and red food coloring and beat again.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two increments and beat on low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to reach all edges. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched.
- Immediately turn the cake out onto the prepared parchment paper or towel and peel off the paper. Very carefully roll up the cake and paper (or towel) together, starting at the narrow end. Place the cake, seam-side down, on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
- While you wait for the cake to cool, prepare the filling.
For the Raspberry white chocolate filling
- Blend ½ cup of raspberries until smooth in a heavy duty blender or food processor. Press through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- Pour the raspberry puree in a small microwave proof bowl and heat until hot but not boiling. Add the white chocolate and stir until smooth. If lumps remain, return for a few seconds to the microwave. Allow to completely cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a medium-sized bowl and a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the raspberry and white chocolate mixture, then continue to beat until the chocolate is completely incorporated into the cream cheese. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl at least once.
- Add the butter and beat until the butter is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, in intervals of half a cup at a time, along with the salt and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Start with just the 1 ½ cups, adding the additional ½ if the filling is not thick enough.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To Assemble
- Once cake is completely cooled, unroll the cake and spread the filling over the cake from edge-to-edge, leaving about ¼” on each end. Spread the remaining cup of the fresh raspberries over the top of the filling, making sure to disperse them evenly.
- Re-roll the cake without the towel. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Place cake seam-side down on a serving plate of your choice. Sprinkle it with extra powdered sugar and serve!
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This looks gorgeous! I love the sound of that white chocolate buttercream. Can’t wait to make this!
My red velvet cake turned out so fluffy and delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
Who doesn’t like red velvet?? I want to try these soon! Thanks for the idea!
I love this dessert for Valentine’s Day!
Ohhh yes. this red velvet cake roll is so perfect. What a great recipe!