Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake

Table of Contents

1. Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake Ingredients
2. How to Make Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake
3. How to Store Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake 
4. JUMP TO RECIPE

This Christmas, turn a moist vanilla roll cake into a festive holiday dessert. Friends and family will adore the sweet flavor of this vanilla cake, wrapped around rich buttercream, topped with white chocolate drizzle, and decorated with pretty red and green colors. 

MORE RECIPES: Vanilla Cupcakes | Carrot Cake Roll | Vanilla Trifle

Perfect for holiday parties, this festive Christmas vanilla roll cake features spirals of creamy buttercream dotted with red and green sprinkles. It’s worth the time it takes to create this show-stopping Christmas vanilla roll cake!

Christmas vanilla roll cake is a dessert that is bound to impress your friends and family. This cake needs to be chilled for at least 6 hours, so it’s perfect for making ahead of time. Enjoy a slice with a warm cup of coffee or homemade hot chocolate. 

Roll cakes are often popular during the holidays, and this Christmas vanilla roll cake is no exception. This Christmas, take your love for a vanilla cake up a notch by making this rich and moist vanilla roll cake topped with white chocolate drizzle.  

Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake Ingredients

• Flour - all-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Eggs - large eggs
• Vinegar - white vinegar
• Sugar - granulated sugar
• Milk - whole milk
• Vanilla - pure vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Sugar - powdered sugar
• Butter - salted sweet cream butter
• Shortening - vegetable shortening
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla - clear vanilla flavor
• Chocolate chips - white chocolate chips, preferably good quality chips like Ghirardelli
• Sprinkles - Red, green and white holiday nonpareil sprinkles or red, green, and white decorating sprinkles for optional garnishes

Roll cakes look impressive, but they are easier to make than you may think. Just remember to be very patient when you roll and unroll the cake. It is delicate and well worth the effort.

It may be called Christmas vanilla roll cake, but you can serve this cake at any time of the year. Simply substitute the red and green sprinkles for any color of sprinkles, or you can even eliminate the sprinkles completely. 

Keep the flavor of your roll cakes just the way you want by making sure you don’t add fabric softener to the tea towels when washing. The fabric softener will transfer to the cake and will throw off the taste of the cake. Also, do not use a terry cloth tea towel for wrapping the cake roll in as the lint from the terry cloth will transfer to the cake.

How to Make Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake

Cake

FIRST STEP: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottom of a 10x15x1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside.

SECOND STEP: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.

THIRD STEP: Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites and white vinegar to medium peaks.

FOURTH STEP: Continue mixing on high and slowly add the ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Continue beating the egg white mixture to the stiff peak stage. This could take between 5 to 7 minutes. Set egg yolk mixture aside.

FIFTH STEP: Using a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg yolks until they reach a slightly pale yellow color, about 2 minutes.

SIXTH STEP: Add the ½ cup granulated sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Continue mixing for another 1½ to 2 minutes until well incorporated.

SEVENTH STEP: Add half of the flour mixture, and mix just until combined. Add the remaining flour, and mix until completely incorporated.

EIGHTH STEP: Fold in the egg white mixture a quarter at a time.

NINTH STEP: Evenly sprinkle the red and green sprinkles onto the prepared baking sheet.

TENTH STEP: Pour the cake batter on top of the sprinkles. Gently tap the baking sheet to release any bubbles.

ELEVENTH STEP: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until just golden.

TWELFTH STEP: While the cake is baking, lay out a thin tea towel and dust it with ¼ cup of powdered sugar. You will also need a large cutting board for the dusted cake transfer.

THIRTEENTH STEP: When the cake has finished baking, run the tip of a sharp knife along the edge of the baking sheet.

FOURTEENTH STEP: Carefully flip the dusted tea towel on top of the baked cake, dusted side against the cake. You will need to leave a small “tail” of the tea towel on the short edge of the cake for rolling the cake up.

FIFTEENTH STEP: Place a large cutting board on top of the tea towel. Remember, the baking sheet will still be very hot, so be sure to protect your hands.

SIXTEENTH STEP: Quickly flip the baking sheet over, so it is now lying on top of the tea towel and cutting board.

SEVENTEENTH STEP: Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

EIGHTEENTH STEP: Lightly dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

NINETEENTH STEP: Flip the small tail of the tea towel over the short edge of the cake. Carefully begin rolling one end toward the other. Once rolled, transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Buttercream Filling

TWENTIETH STEP: In a medium-sized mixing bowl and using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the butter and shortening for 1 to 1½ minutes.

TWENTY-FIRST STEP: Add the vanilla and almond extract. Continue mixing on medium-high until well incorporated.

TWENTY-SECOND STEP: Lower the mixer speed to low. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, alternating with the heavy cream. Once all ingredients are added, increase the mixer speed to high and mix until completely combined and smooth.

Assembly

TWENTY-THIRD STEP: Once the cake is completely cooled, slowly unroll the cake.

TWENTY-FOURTH STEP: Using either a silicone spatula or an offset spatula, spread the filling. Be careful to avoid the edges of the cake.

TWENTY-FIFTH STEP: Evenly sprinkle the red and green sprinkles over the buttercream.

TWENTY-SIXTH STEP: Once filled, slowly and with even pressure, begin rolling the cake back up.

TWENTY-SEVENTH STEP: Tightly wrap the rolled cake in plastic wrap to ensure the cake holds its shape. Chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours to overnight.

Topping

TWENTY-EIGHTH STEP: Just before you are ready to serve the cake, using a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white baking chips and heavy cream.

TWENTY-NINTH STEP: Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds, stir, and heat in 20-second intervals until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.

THIRTIETH STEP: Remove the cake roll from the plastic wrap and place it on top of a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.

THIRTY-FIRST STEP: Drizzle the melted chocolate mixture over the cake roll. Sprinkle the holiday sprinkles over the top of the chocolate.

THIRTY-SECOND STEP: Transfer the cake roll to a serving plate. Slice ½-inch slices of the cake and serve.

Is a jelly roll pan the same as a baking sheet? 

No, they are not the same thing. It’s important to use a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan for this cake as you want it to be nice and thin. A baking sheet will not work for this recipe.

Why did my roll cake crack? 

Your Christmas vanilla cake roll needs to be rolled into the towel as soon as it comes out of the oven. When the cake is rolled while warm, the heat and moisture will help give you a crack-free cake. The cake is much more likely to crack if it is rolled when cooled.

Can I freeze this vanilla cake roll? 

This simple vanilla roll cake roll recipe can be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to two months.

How to Store Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake 

IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover Christmas vanilla roll cake well-wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze the un-topped cake in the freezer for up to 2 months. Once rolled in the cling wrap, wrap it in aluminum foil. Allow the cake roll to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before topping and slicing.