Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (VIDEO)
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This melt-in-your-mouth fluffy and moist Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (a.k.a. Swiss Roll) is easier than you think! The cake batter has just 4 ingredients and the whipped blackberry frosting is ridiculously simple to make.
This cake only looks like it took forever but really it has simple ingredients, comes together quickly and is definitely a show-stopping cake! Take a bite of this Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll and you’ll have no words, only sound effects…. mmm…
Watch the Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll Video:
The combination of blackberries and lemon just makes my mouth water. P.S. You can make this cake roll a day in advance, cover and refrigerate and it will be just as good the next day. Hooray for make-ahead desserts!
That topping looks so lovely but it’s the easiest part of the cake!!
Tools You Will Need (affiliate):
Flour Sifter or fine mesh sieve
18×13 (half sheet) rimmed baking sheet
parchment paper to line baking sheet
clean tea towel or linen towel
flexible spatula
High powered stand mixer*
Piping Bag and Large Open Star Wilton 1M Tip
*If using a good electric hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, add 2 min to eggs/sugar mixing time.
The Ingredients are surprisingly really simple but the results are awesome!
⬇️Print-Friendly Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll Recipe:
Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (VIDEO)
Ingredients
Sponge Cake Ingredients:
- 5 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Lemon Syrup:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 med/large lemon
For the Blackberry Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 Tbsp 113 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 oz blackberries, chopped (reserving 6 whole berries to garnish)
Optional Garnish:
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 lemon slices, cut into triangles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of an 18x13 baking sheet with parchment paper (do not grease).
- Add 5 eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat on high speed 1 min, or until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat on high 7 min. It will be thick, fluffy and tripled in volume**
- Whisk together flour and baking powder and sift into egg batter one third at a time, folding to incorporate between each addition and scraping from the bottom to catch hidden flour pockets. Stop mixing when you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Transfer to lined baking sheet and bake right away at 350˚F for 13-15 min (mine took 15 min) or until top is golden. Remove from oven and right away run a thin edged spatula or knife around edges of your cake to loosen from the pan. While cake is hot***, invert cake face down onto a clean, dry linen towel, remove parchment paper then roll cake into the towel. Let cool to room temp (30 min - 1hr) in a draft free room.
- Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for lemon syrup (water, sugar, lemon juice), stir to dissolve sugar and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 8 Tbsp softened butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat together starting on low speed to incorporate sugar, then turn the mixer up to high speed for 2-3 min or until whipped, white and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add coarsely chopped blackberries and stir into cream with mixer on low, just until incorporated.
- Carefully Unroll cake and loosen from the towel. Brush the top evenly with your lemon syrup. Put dollops of blackberry frosting over the surface and spread evenly. Roll the cake tightly in the same direction you rolled it the first time. Slice off the edges if desired and dust generously with powdered sugar.
- For the topping, beat together 3/4 cup heavy cream with 1 Tbsp powdered sugar for 2 min on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Transfer to a large piping bag with a large open star tip and pipe 6 flowers over the top, placing a fresh blackberry and lemon triangle into the center of each one.
Notes
***To prevent cracks in cake roll, it should be rolled in the linen towel right after it comes out of the oven.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This sponge cake base in this blackberry lemon cake roll is amazing! It takes on moisture really well and won’t get soggy for several days. Hungry for More? Check out all of my many cake recipes using this easy European sponge cake base.
Ready, Set,… Bake!! Enjoy this my friends! 🙂
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Can you add different extracts to the cake , extracts such as vanilla or almond? And how much extract, 1 teaspoon? I would like to use the cake as base for several different fillings. Also if I bake the cake today should I fill it tomorrow before serving? If yes should the rolled cake be refrigerated overnight?
Hi Jo. Yes, you can experiment with different extract flavors. I think 1 tsp would be a good start. Yes, the roll cake should be refrigerated once filled.
This looks delicious. Could I use fresh blue berries in this instead of blackberries?
Hi Mary, I won’t be able to advise unless I personally test it. It will be an experiment for you if you give that a try! But I saw one of our readers shared that they used blueberries and loved it.
Can I use this recipe to make a round cake (birthday cake)? If so, what measurements do I need?
Hi Basia! You can use my Blackberry cake recipe instead.
I will try that. Thanks:)
Your recipes are great by the way👍
I am a horrible baker and followed directions to the letter and IT WAS AWESOME!! So so yummy. (oh except I used Blueberries)
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sindy! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hey Natasha! I love to make this cake every once and a while, so it’s pretty good, but the reason I’m giving this 3 stars is because first of all, the cake was sticking to the towel and even broke a little, and second of all, the lemon syrup did nothing. I followed the recipe exactly and there was no lemon taste. I wish this recipe could have a lemon cake with blackberry frosting instead. Was still delicious without lemon though!
Hi Gigi! This can be due to humidity or moisture in your area or kitchen causing a wet and sticky top.You can use powder sugar your on your towel before putting the cake onto it! This will prevent it from sticking. Also, if you’d like to add more lemon flavor, you can add lemon extract to the batter (just be careful not to over mix the batter). I hope you try again and have better results!
Hi! I really want to make this, but I live in a condo and the oven is small, I can’t fit a baking a sheet bigger than 9×13. If I use that, do I need to do anything different?
Hi Sharmeen! Because this is a roll cake, it would be difficult to roll it if you made it any smaller than the suggested size pan. You will need to adjust the recipe to fit your pan and likely bake it for less time.
I made mine with strawberries, and it’s our favorite desert so far!!!!
Thank you so much for all you recipes and videos!
My family enjoys everything I made followed your recipes!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comment, Jelena!
Just made this today. I followed the instructions to a T, made sure to whip eggs/sugar for 7 minutes until tripled in size, bake until golden, roll while hot, etc. I used a clean/dry linen towel to roll, I use this towel for other rolls as well, and it stuck so badly! I was super disappointed. I couldn’t even salvage it. I ended up trying a bit just to see how it tasted and the taste was phenomenal!! But looked horrible after a half for it had stuck to the towel. Some got stuck on the parchment as well while turning it out onto the towel (yes I used parchment, I don’t ever buy wax paper). Have been reading the comments and it looks like a lot of people have had this issue. Oh well 🤷🏼♀️
Hi Sarah! Just made this recipe as well! All you have to do is heavily powder sugar your towel before putting the cake onto it! It will prevent it from sticking! Hope you try again and have better luck!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Immediately after removing the cake sprinkle the top with confectioner’s sugar. It may help to prevent stacking to towel.
Hi Natasha I made the cake roll today and it is delicious BUT, it turned out to be a trifle😂😂, after getting the roll to room temp I unrolled and it stuck to the towel, maybe it should have cooled a little before rolling or maybe a linen towel, not sure but it was fun, and the trifle is very good.
Thought you would get a chuckle out of this, any ideas on what happened would be appreciated.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
Fondly,
Betsy
Hi Betsy, usually I like to roll the cake right away while it’s hot. If you haven’t already, it might help to watch the video tutorial to see what our process was in rolling the cake. Another trick that I’ve been employing lately is to dust the linen with powdered sugar before rolling and that also seems to help.
Did I need to use all the lemon mixture?
Mine is nowhere near as neat as yours, but it tastes great!
Hi Janet, I used it all, you’re welcome use as much as you’d like 🙂 I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Natasha
For the blackberry lemon roll cake can I try it with strawberries. I just can’t get the fresh blackberry but i have the frozen pack? It can I use frozen blackberry ?
That should still be ok to use frozen blackberries, but thaw them according to package instructions and pat dry with a paper towel so they are not overly juicy. You probably wouldn’t want to decorate the top with frozen though.
this looks great! i’ve been trying to find a good roll recipe for a summer pot luck and it looks like this one will be it (i made a pumpkin one for fall last year and everyone loved it) i wanted to ask if the syrup gives it a very lemony flavor or if i could/should put zest in the cake or the filling to make it more pronounced?
Hi Elyshia! I think it has a good lemony flavor but you can add zest if you’d like.
okay sweet thank you! 🙂 i’m sure it will turn out great. have a good weekend
You’re welcome!
Hi Natasha, I hope you and your family are doing great.I love your videos … I was wondering can I make the blackberry lemon cake roll (Swiss roll) and the blueberry pie (including your pie crust) 2 days in advance? My husband’s grandpa b-day is this August 4 of 2022 but I won’t have time tomorrow or the 4th, so I was hopping to make them today August 2nd of 2022 is that possible or it will destroy the desserts?. I will really appreciate you getting back with me to the best of your convince. May the Lord Jesús Bless your entire family.
Thanks
Hi Viviana. You can make this cake roll a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate and it will be just as good the next day. It might be fine the 2nd day as well. 🙂
Hi Natasha…. I wanted to do a swiss roll for a friends mother that does’t like very much. I thought of using blueberries. Fresh…. Will it bleed to much in the cream frosting
Hi Terri, I won’t be able to advise unless I personally test it. It will be an experiment for you if you give that a try!
Hi Natasha!
Can I bake sponge cake day before and roll with cream next day?
Hi Malgorzata, You would want to roll it into shape after it’s baked if you try to roll it the next day it will likely crack and break.
Can this be made today and refrigerated to serve tomorrow. Or will it be soggy?
Hi Dee, I have refrigerated it overnight and served the following day. It’s best enjoyed within a day but it will stay good in the fridge up to 3 days or depending on how fresh your berries are.
Hey Natasha,
All you recipes are amazing and delicious. I was wondering how tall is your sheet pan? Thanks for the answer in advance.
Hi Emily, I used a rimmed baking sheet, about 1”.
I’ve made this twice. This time the cake stuck to the parchment paper and then stuck to the towel
It isn’t very pretty but I suspect it tastes delicious. I’ll just cover it with whipped cream and apologize to my guests for the way it looks. I think they will be too busy eating it to care how it looks.
Hi Mary, make sure to use parchment paper and not wax paper. Also “while the cake is hot and just out of the oven” is key to help get the parchment off easier. If you wait until it cools, it’s a little more challenging. I hope that helps and I hope you love the cake roll.
What is the secret for the roll not to stick to the towel? Is there a special towel you use? Thanks
Hi Marya, I usually use a clean tea towel or linen towel.
Oh my goodness… what a delicious dessert. I have to say, I thought it might be good, but this is the tastier roulade I ever had in my life. Thank you Natasha for sharing these beautiful and easy recipes with us. I make so many foods based on you recipes and this one is definitely going to be our number 1 dessert now. It’s so easy to make, few ingredients, and soooo yummy.
Thank you again.
You’re welcome, Eugenia. Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this yesterday. It turned out beautifully, but smelled really, really eggy. I’m thinking of trying it again and adding vanilla to see if I can cut down on that eggy smell. Have you experienced the smell and have you added vanilla to this? I really enjoy your videos and recipes. I’ve made several of your things and love all of them, just a little disappointed in this one.
Hi Priscilla! This is a sponge cake that relies heavily on the eggs for structure and texture. It is extremely important to beat the eggs and sugar for the time stated to get the whipped volume needed. If not beat long enough it can be eggy. The vanilla may help reduce this. Be sure to use fresh eggs as well and check the size of eggs you used. I used large eggs for this recipe. I hope this is helpful and I hope you try it again and have better results.
Use the zest of an orange or lemon & that will cut out that eggy smell & taste . I hate that eggs smell also
Is it okay to use FROZEN blackberries? Or will it add too much liquid to the filling? Thanks!
Hi Kelly, that should still be ok, but thaw them according to package instructions and pat dry with a paper towel so they are not overly juicy. You probably wouldn’t want to decorate the top with frozen though.
Hi, could I make it like a cake? Do you have a suggestion of what measures would be and how much crust to make and in what round cake pans, what sizes? Thank you
Hi Jovanka, I have not tested this recipe in cake pans. This cake is best in thinner layers. I am not sure how the frosting would hold up if you tried to use it for a cake. You’d have to experiment with it.
Hi Natasha,
I love your recipes. As of yet I have not made this but plan too soon. Can I use cake flour instead of APF or will it be too light?
Thank you
I have not tested it. You’d have to experiment. If you try it, please let us know how it works out for you.
Hi Natasha! I’ve made this cake twice and both times it was a HIT! I love it…and the friends I shared it with did too! I did lightly butter the parchment and put powdered sugar on the tea towel the second time and that helped a lot with sticking! I will be making this again…. probably today!! 🙂
Hi Joyce, that’s so great! I’m happy to know that you and your friends loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha,
I am not new to baking and I have made this cake about four times now and each time this is what I face: cake sticking to parchment paper, cake sticking to towel, flat thin cake with lots of air pockets in it. When I fold in the sifted flour and fold enough to see streaks disappear, upon pouring it into the pan I will find clumps of flour in the batter pouring out of the bowl. How do you fold in the sifted flour and incorporate it enough? Is there another sponge cake recipe you recommend. I am thinking of trying this recipe and wanted to ask you what is the difference. I need an easier way to incorporate the flour without over mixing.
I would recommend beating the eggs and sugar longer since that is likely the problem. This was written for using a high powered stand mixer. If using an electric hand mixer or a lower powered mixer, you would need to increase the mixing time by 3-5 minutes. When you pull up on the whisk, the egg/sugar ribbon should stay on the surface of the batter for a second before disappearing into the batter. This is a good test to see if you’ve mixed long enough. If the eggs and sugar are beaten adequately, it is less likely you would overmix when adding flour.
I just made this for my girlfriend’s birthday…she had posted it on her FB page. It is really yummy but I had some concerns before I started based on some of the comments of the cake sticking and breaking. To avoid those problems, I lightly sprayed the parchment with PAM and also lightly dusted the linen dish towel with powdered sugar before rolling up the cake. This seemed to work well and avoided sticking and cracking of the cake. I’m sure my girlfriends will enjoy this with a glass of bubbly tonight!
Thank you for sharing those tips with us, Irene! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I was so bummed. I ended up having a lot of issues with this cake. And I am not a first time cake maker. Really disappointed with the lack of lemon flavor even after doubling the simple syrup. Also it ended up resembling the flavor of scrambled eggs though the eggs & sugar were beat over 7 minutes & appeared exactly like the video, what would cause that? Frosting was was good surprisingly refreshing and not overly sweet like some.
Hi Megan, I’m sorry to hear that and I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make sure to beat on high speed in an electric stand mixer? If beating with a hand mixer, you do need to increase the time. Also, make sure to bake right away so have your oven preheated and ready to go when the mixing is completed.
Hi Natalie, just baked your blackberry and lemon Swiss roll ( I used strawberries instead). Not bad for my first attempt but hubby loves it. 🥰.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
I made this cake last night and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and asked for more. Thank you Natasha! I love your recipes!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Yummm!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, can I exchange the black berries for blueberries or raspberries?
Hi Shelagh, I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries, and you can garnish with strawberry quarters over the cream puffs on top, and it would be lovely!
Can this recipe be cut down? My oven isn’t big enough for size of pan, any suggestions?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested this, but you can try halving the recipe if you have a sheet that’s half the size. That will make for a much smaller roll
How would I go about making the cake part lemon while still keeping the texture light, fluffy, and melt in your mouth?
Hi, I always add the flavorings to this simple sponge cake so I would suggest brushing it with a lemon/water/sugar syrup to add lemon flavor.
I don’t have anything to store this in I don’t want to just put it in the fridge overnight it will dry out
can I just do all the steps except decorate the top the next day?
and cover the plate with plastic wrap?
Hi Robrene, I’ve gotten creative and placed a casserole dish or large pot over the top or even a clean box. You can also decorate the next day and cover with plastic wrap.
Do you have to make any ingredient changes to make a blueberry version of this
Hi Carolyn, you can switch out the blackberry for blueberry, although I haven’t tried it for this recipe to advise on the outcome.
I am sorry to bother you but I don’t know how to get your recipes when you do a video that I can save them in my recipe file on my iPhone can you or your husband help me on trying to download your recipes.
Thanks, Dale
Hi Dale, all the written recipes are here on my website. You can use the search field to look for the recipes or the link is always added to the notes or description below the YouTube video. I hope that helps!
Thank you Natasha, I’m going to make this cake
I hope you love it! We look forward to your feedback!
I made this a while back and it looked just like the picture and was irresistibly delicious! Making it again tomorrow with strawberries instead. Hubby didn’t care for the blackberry seeds …. any suggestions on that for next time? BTW, I love your recipes and am a huge fan 🙂
Hi Cindi, great to hear that you’re making this cake again tomorrow. Strawberries should be a good idea, I haven’t tried using another substitute for blackberry seeds though to advise. Please let us know how it goes if you do an experiment.
Can blueberries be used rather than blackberries
Hi Andrea! I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries and you can garnish with strawberry quarters over the cream puffs on top and it would be lovely!
Hi Natasha,
I love watching your video’s. They inspire me to bake more. The blackberry lemon cake roll is so amazing. Both my kid’s and husband love this cake.
Thank You from the Cook Islands.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us! I hope you and your family will love every recipe that you will try.
Great recipe! Easy and turned out amazing! Thank you!
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you.
OMG! It was delicious I also made it with raspberries and my family loved both of them. I enjoy watching your videos and Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I’m so glad to hear your good feedback, Maria. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for sharing wonderful recipes!
Can I use this blackberry frosting on 9” or 8” cake with 2 layers ? Or double it?
Another question,Is this frosting similar to the one in these cupcakes -https://natashaskitchen.com/greek-yogurt-cupcakes-with-blackberry-frosting/#jump-to-recipe
Please let men know.
Hi Mikki, yes it is like the cupcakes. Here is the layered cake version of our Blackberry Cake which may heop.
OMG YUM! My husband went crazy over this cake: the perfect blend of tart and sweet. I added a little extra squeeze of the lemon into the frosting, and I might have over beaten it, so it really wanted to ooze out. Also, my sponge cake got stuck to the linen, so it turned out a bit ugly. I would maybe sprinkle some powdered sugar on the cake before rolling into the linen to prevent it getting stuck. SUCH a good recipe, and a lot easier than I thought! Thank you 🙂
Hello Meg, you are very welcome! Thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe, I’m glad you liked it!
I made this swiss roll and it was delicious. Thank you. I really enjoy your videos!
Glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for your good feedback.
Hi! Looks delicious. Can this be made with raspberries instead of blackberries as my husband loves raspberries.
Jess
Hi Jess, I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries, and you can garnish with strawberry quarters. I hope that helps.
Hi! I just made this and my sponge stuck to the tea towel and I ended up with cracks. I wonder if this was caused by underbaking? It tastes fabulous just looks a mess
Hi Linda, That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! It helps to roll the cake right away while it was hot out of the oven. If you skip that step or wait too long, the cake doesn’t form the “muscle memory” to create the roll without cracking. I hope that helps for next time!
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. Just made this sponge roll and it’s perfect.
No cracks. Don’t eat cream cheese so filling with whipped cream and raspberries… on the side of plate will be strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cantaloupe and water melon. Guess whose got the grandkids coming to celebrate Pas birthday!
Happy New Year xx
Happy New Year’s Eve, Helen! I’m so glad it worked out for you! Thank you for that great review.
Omg! Nothing but the best! Thanks for sharing
You are most welcome!
Delicious cake roll! So light and fluffy. Perfect with a cup of tea. I made it simple as I didn’t have any berries on hand. Will definitely be making again, thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome Laima! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
It turned out perfect, I used raspberries, I also put a few drops of lemon extract in the cream cheese filling, will make again. Thanks. Love your recipes.
You’re welcome, Maureen! I’m so glad you’re enjoying these recipes!
Thé cake turned out well, but the filling was an absolute no go. It tasted like straight cream cheese. No matter what I did to it, it would not change.
Hi Charlotte, make sure not to change any of the proportions in the recipe or cut down sugar or it can be overpowering. I haven’t sensed it tasting too much like cream cheese with these proportions. Also, make sure not to oversoften the cream cheese or butter or it won’t whip properly.
I’d give this recipe a 3/5. There were a few issues that I had with the cake that in my opinion would garner it a 3.
1. Although I followed all the steps the sponge cake wasn’t as soft as in your video, it was a bit harder to cut. However, this may be my fault as I ran into quite a few problems while making the cake. Additionally, I don’t know how you got it to be so evenly swirled in your photos without the cream spilling over.
2. The seeds of the blackberries kept getting stuck in my teeth. I understand that blackberries as a garnish are quite lovely. However, the seeds are not pleasant and take away from enjoying the cake. Of course this is in the essence of the fruit itself. Similar to pomegranates, blackberries are quite the seedy fruit.
3. The icing on top had no flavor at all. I speculate this is to off-set the sweet filling and sweet powdered sugar. However, I like icing that has even a small hint of flavor rather than no flavor at all. Therefore, I added a bit of vanilla extract to the icing.
On the positive side, the filling wasn’t overly sweet which was nice. Additionally, the sponge cake had a beautiful golden color.
I didn’t make this yet but i can’t wait to do it
I hope you love this recipe Esther!
delicious, I didn’t add the topping because its just me and my son. My filling isn’t as creamy as yours…but it is so good, I cant stop eating it
Thanks for sharing that with us!
I just made this delicious lemon blackberry cake roll.
The filling is unbelievable. I’m hoping it will slice easily.
My first attempt at a cake roll.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha I love your recipes but I struggle with the cup measurements can you please advise me thank you x
Hi Lynette, this post on measuring should help with that.
Hi, Natasha!
I added chopped strawberries to the frosting and the cream curdled. What could be the reason? Both berries (blackberries and strawberries) are a bit sour so I think it is not the reason…
Hi Maria, I haven’t had that happen – I wonder if it was due to adding the strawberries. If it wasn’t curdled before adding the strawberries and curdled after then it was likely the strawberries.
Do you need to keep the roll refrugerated
Hi Sab, Yes, we keep this cake roll refrigerated. I have refrigerated it overnight and served the following day. It’s best enjoyed within a day but it will stay good in the fridge up to 3 days or depending on how fresh your berries are.
Wow, definitely should have heeded some of these reviews. This came out TERRIBLE. What a disappointment to find out Easter morning that your dessert will fail. I followed steps exactly, and consider myself a pretty experienced baker.
Hi Taylor, I’m sorry to hear that. If you can share more details about what happened, I will do my best to help troubleshoot.
I would like to make this recipe but I don’t have any cream cheese readily on hand. Would the filling work with whipped cream instead? Thanks!
Hi Irene, I think you could make that work, just be sure to beat it until it is whipped and spreadable. Whipped cream is more likely to soften with time so if using whipped cream as the frosting, keep in mind that it doesn’t keep as well overnight in the refrigerator.
I used whipped cream and it works perfect.
I have a question about the blackberry lemon cake roll. I tried making it but the cake cracked when i was rolling it on the towel and also the parchment paper was sticking to the cake that it took a bit longer taking it off from the cake. Id like to try making the cake again, any tips? Thanks
MCB
It helps to roll the cake right away while it was hot out of the oven. If you skip that step or wait too long, the cake doesn’t form the “muscle memory” to create the roll without cracking. I hope that helps for next time!
I made 2. The first one stuck to the parchment paper like you described, even though I removed it from the pan & paper immediately after removing from the oven. The 2nd one I sprayed the paper with non stick spray and it came off much easier and cake still rolled well without issues. Not sure why she recommends not greasing the paper
Hi can you tell me what the metric measurements for all ingredients are? It’s hard to convert American cups for UK metric measurements as different ingredients or converters give different answers. Thanks
Hi Gemma, We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help
Hi Natasha! I made your lemon Blackberry cake roll and it did not turn out great. I beat the eggs by hand so with that said how long do I need to beat it? Is it still 7 minutes? The cake to me taste like egg. Thank you for your feedback. I really enjoyed the frosting though.
Hi Julianna, you definitely want to use an electric mixer for this or it would be very difficult to achieve the same whipped consistency that you need for the cake to rise properly and not have an eggy taste.
Thank you Natasha.
I was hoping this would turn out well for a dinner party. Unfortunately my cake did not rise at all, it’s quite flat. I followed your directions for beating the eggs for 7mins. I used stevia sugar instead which replaces 1 cup of regular sugar with 1/2 cup of stevia sugar. Could using less sugar have caused the cake not to rise?
Hi Marie, that is more than liekly the culprit. My best tip for that is to make sure you beat the eggs and sugar adequately since the cake relies on the volume of those two ingredients to rise.
I spent half a day trying to get it right, adjusted the temperature, adjusted time, made sure everything is room temperature and measured and whipped correctly, but every time the cake came out so sticky! I was not even able to peel off the parchment paper. I was able to roll one since I already had the cream prepared and it tasted so yummy but it was completely falling apart. I can’t understand what I did wrong??
Hi Ilona, do you live in a very high humidity area or did you possibly use wax paper instead of parchment? Wax paper is really difficult to peel off with sponge cakes. If your place isn’t too humid, you might just increase the mixing time by 3-5 minutes and bake a few minutes longer (not all ovens are created equal). My last thought is if you were possibly using a hand mixer, it would require longer beating time so the 3-5 minutes extra beating time would help.
I have KitchenAid mixer and mixed it for about 10 minutes and also used parchment paper so basically I followed the recipe to the t. It was a wet day though as we got fresh snow and it started melting – can that really affect it so much??
Is it possible to use strawberries instead of blackberries?
Hi Oana, I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries and you can garnish with strawberry quarters.
Sounds great! Thank you 🙂
OMG I just made this deliciousness! My husband is licking his fingers and is trying really hard to stay away from it.
I used blackberries in the end; amazing! Thank you for another fantastic recipe :*
Oana.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!!
Hello Natasha, I tried your recipe today and the sponge was quite soft. However the texture is not as fine as yours – it’s more crumbly and a bit bubbly. Any ideas on why? Thanks
Hi May, It should not be crumbly. I’m curious if any of the measurements of the dry ingredients were off. Was anything altered in the recipe? This post on measuring has proven to be helpful in the past.
My cake broke close to the edge when I was unrolling it. I was able to put it back. I cut the edge to sample it,,, oh my, this is delicious and very light. I am suprising hubby for dinner Thanks Natasha!
Hi Ms Belle, I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review with me!
Tried lemon cake roll. It turned very good. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Great recipe! Turned out amazing!
Can you use this sponge recipe and add cocoa to make a chocolate sponge roll?
Hi Janice, yes but if adding cocoa, you would want to take out the same amount of flour and substitute with cocoa powder.
Can the blackberry lemon roll be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Janet, I usually freeze just the sponge portion for up to 3 months (I actually have one in the freezer right now, rolled into a log into a sheet of parchment paper). I haven’t tried freezing this assembled but I do think it would work well. I would wait to add the powdered sugar, whipped cream topping and fresh blackberries/lemon until the day you are serving. I hope that helps
It’s 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠 and so yam
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Tamara!
Where is the link to the weighted measures for the recipe…I can’t find it! Want to make this for my hubby who loves blackberries!
Hi Donna, We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help
Hi Natasha
I always enjoyed your cake recipes and most of them have come out so perfect.terrific!! Your explanation is spot on.👍👍keep it up!
Summer
You’re so nice! Thank you Summer! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes!
First time making this kind of dough. Used 5 large eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of King Arthur flour, plus baking powder. Followed the recipe very thoroughly. Baked for 15 minutes and added 2 more. Have an omelet smell :-/. What could be the problem? What flour do you use? At this point I am hesitating if I should go ahead and finish making it or start over. Will let my roll cool and then decide.
Hi Natalia, Did you use the right size eggs? Any other changes made that we can try to trouble shoot with?
Natasha, never mind! After it cooled down, the egg smell was gone. Everything turned out perfect. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 5 stars!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha. Do you think a 17×11 pan would work?
Hi Edith, Hmmmm, I think that could still work but it will definitely fill up your pan. Hopefully it won’t overflow. It might be safer to scale down to 4 eggs. If you experiment, let me know how it goes.
Hi Natasha,
Should this roll be refrigerated before serving for the better taste?
BTW, I love your recipes
Hi Julia, I have refrigerated it overnight and served the following day. It’s best enjoyed within a day but it will stay good in the fridge up to 3 days or depending on how fresh your berries are.
I made this last night yummyyyyyy.
Perfect like always. All your recipe are amazing
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review Marimar!
Made this tonight for my husband’s birthday. Didnt roll as pretty, but a little decorating and it was stunning. It tasted fantastic, even the kids enjoyed it (4,3,&2!) definitely a keeper!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great Maria!
Making tonight again for the grandparents, now that I know what to expect I can’t wait to dive into it tonight!!
That’s so great!
Is this cake freezable?
Hi Laura, I usually freeze just the sponge portion for up to 3 months (I actually have one in the freezer right now, rolled into a log into a sheet of parchment paper). I haven’t tried freezing this assembled but I do think it would work well. I would wait to add the powdered sugar, whipped cream topping and fresh blackberries/lemon until the day you are serving. I hope that helps
Would blueberries work as well? They’re about to be farm picked fresh down here in Florida. Thank you for the video as well – I’m confident I can do this!
Hi Holly! I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries and you can garnish with strawberry quarters over the cream puffs on top and it would be lovely
This looks like the perfect antidote to cabin fever. However, I saw that you do not grease the parchment paper. When I make my chocolate Yule log for Christmas, I always grease the parchment paper then put the baked cake on a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. The one time I forgot to grease the paper, the cake stuck to it. I was wondering why you say not to grease the paper.
Thank you for sharing that with us!
I’m eleven years old and I absolutely LOVE making food and desserts! I made this fanamnable recipe for my mom’s birthday and It turned out great! I felt like I couldn’t stop eating it and every bite tasted HEAVENLY!!!!
Thanks soooo much for this terrific recipe Mrs. Natasha!!
Wow Elissa! Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Sounds like you found a few new favorites on our blog!
Love this recipe it is wonderful
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What do you think about covering this with a white chocolate ganache?
Hi Jane, that sounds lovely, I think it will be beautiful however have not tried it for flavor. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that!
Instead of all purpose flour, would gluten free flour be a good alternative?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
How would you adjust recipe for standard jellyroll pan that’s 15×10? Hoping to make this for a coworkers birthday tomorrow ❤
Hi Krystal, a 12×15 may be a little small for this cake especially if it doesn’t have tall walls. I would be worried it might overwhelm that pan size.
Hi Natasha!
Love your recipes! You’re super cute and fun to watch; especially when you’re doing the taste test! Lol! 😉
Do you use up all the glaze liquid for this and your other Swiss roll recipes? In other words do you brush the cake with the glaze to coat and then have some left over or do you use all the liquid?
I always have about 1/2 of the liquid glaze left, just bc I worry if I use it all on the cake it would get soggy!
Thanx👍
Hi and thank you for the wonderful feedback! 🙂 I do usually use the syrup up but you can use it to taste – it will still work without using the full amount 🙂
Hi, Natasha!! I love this recipe!!!! I made it 3 or 4 times, and it was really tasty, fluffy, really good. I do the dusting the towel with powdered sugar tip and it was perfect! I love all your recipes. Chicken fritters are a family favorite now!!
lI love that you found some favorites on the blog!! Thank you for the great review, Alejandra!
Hi . I failed epically with this . It smelled and tasted like cooked eggs when I took it out of the oven and tried it. I am not sure what happened . Used the correct ingredients and timed the beating as well . I always love your recipes so I was surprised!
Hi Heidi. Did you use the right size eggs? Any other changes made that we can try to trouble shoot with?
I used large eggs . Not sure what the issue was . I kept the yummy filling to improvise with .
Perhaps you made the same mistake I did. I whipped up the eggs and sugar and threw it in the oven to bake. I left out the flour mixture 🤦🏻♀️. Late night
Did you whip your eggs for 1 min before adding the sugar for 7 min longer? I made a similar mistake with other recipes. So simple yet so important.
The BlackBerry lemon roll w as s a big hit! I was wondering what do you think of s pineapple mango roll? Any suggestions would be appreciated
Hi Melissa, I have a mango cake but haven’t tried that combination in a cake roll, but it sure sounds good!
Can i use cherries instead of back berries?
We dont have black berries in our country
Shania, I think blackberries or raspberries are best since they break up easily and still look good in the frosting. The third best option would be diced strawberries and you can garnish with strawberry quarters over the on top. I haven’t tried it with cherries however, if you experiment please let me know how you like that. 🙂
I have an 11.5 x 17 jelly pan, will this work?
Hi Janine, yes that should work fine 🙂
Hello Natasha,
I wanted to make this recipe for so long but the result was not what I was hoping for 🙁 Everytime I am doing your super 5 ingredients sponge cake, there are a lot of like little holes in the sponge cake. It is difficult to explain but it gets a bit sticky and most of time stays stuck to the parchment paper. In this cake a lot stayed on the paper, and then when I unrolled it, it broke and when I tried to roll it again it broke everywhere. I managed to do something quite okay and it tastes good but it is really frustrating. What do you think it could be ?
Thank youuuuuu
Hi Laura, with the holes in the cake, some are normal but it may be due to under-beating the eggs and sugar if you aren’t seeing the volume that I have shown in the photos. With the sticking, make sure you are using parchment paper and that you are peeling the paper back right away. With sponge cakes, if they are not removed after they come out of the oven, it will be difficult to pry off later and also the cake forms a roll, without breaking, the best if it is rolled right away while still hot. I hope that helps!
I was so excited to make this cake but sadly it didn’t work out the two times I made it becuase the cake gets stuck to the towel. I followed the instructions to a T, made a beautiful sponge cake, rolled it in a linen towel right away and when it was time to unroll, it got stuck and ripped apart both times. Bummer! I usually put my roll cakes in the fridge after rolling them so that they firm up a bit and aren’t so delicate when I try to roll it off the towel…I wonder if that prevent this cake from sticking as a well? Great taste but totally not presentable or rollable when it sticks to the top towel. Hope to figure out what went wrong! Thank you for the beautiful recipe anyways.
Hi Angelina, you might try placing the sheet of parchment backing over the cake before rolling it in the towel. Another reader reported good results heavily dusting the towel with powdered sugar before rolling. You could also try refrigerate before unrolling. I hope that helps!
exact thing happened to me. the tea towel got most of the cake. Also wayyyyy too much filling.
Hi Kimberly, I wonder if your cake possibly didn’t rise properly which would cause it to stick and seem like too much filling. My best tip for that is to make sure you beat the eggs and sugar adequately since the cake relies on the volume of those two ingredients to rise.
This tasted nice but it was my first roll cake and it didn’t look too pretty. My filling seemed too runny, perhaps I whipped it too much or it should be refrigerated before adding to the cake. It squished out quite a bit which caused me to try and roll less tightly which of course led to a flat roll. The sponge turned out nice and light but I could hardly taste the lemon. Next time I would decrease the water for the syrup and add more lemon. The flavors in general were light, perhaps it could also use a little blackberry jelly layer in the filling.
I also had to roll the roll less tightly as the filling was spilling over. This caused for a rather flat roll.
Hi Natasha,
LOVE your recipes!! Can you please help with these questions:
1. Can I use the mango filling (like what you have on your mango cake) instead?
2. If I do not put the filling/frosting right away into the cake, can the cake stay outside the refrig overnight?
3. Can the cake stay rolled with the towel until I put the filling the next day?
Thank you so very much!!
Hi Sarah, I think the mango filling might work inside the cake sponge but it may be more likely to squeeze out on the sides since it isn’t an overly thick mixture, so make sure you don’t add too thick of a layer of mango puree. If you do not add the frosting, cover and leave it at room temperature overnight. Once it is frosted, you will want to refrigerate until ready to serve. It can stay rolled until the next day. I’ve kept it rolled at room temp overnight, in the fridge up to a week and frozen up to 3 months then thaw and unroll as usual.