Matcha Swiss Roll Cake with White Chocolate Cream Filling
This Matcha Swiss Roll Cake with White Chocolate Cream Filling provides the perfect balance between the slightly bitter taste of matcha along with the sweet taste of the white chocolate cream filling. We stumbled across this flavour combination and got inspired for the decoration of this matcha swiss roll cake from a local Japanese bakery that used to be near our condo. Whenever we wanted to celebrate a special occasion, this would be the place we would go to order our desserts.
Ever since that day, we’ve been on a search for a recipe that will produce the same fluffy roll cake texture and allow us to deviate from the standard vanilla whipped cream filling. Thankfully, we stumbled across a recipe from One Happy Bite and when I looked at her recipe, I knew this was it. We’ve tried several matcha swiss roll cake recipes before and they have always turned out to be on the denser side. When I saw this recipe, I noticed it incorporated egg whites which has historically helped create a lighter and fluffier texture when it comes to pastries and cakes.
Furthermore, this cake came out incredibly moist. One of the downsides here is that it does make it a bit trickier to work with as it may stick to your fingers more often but it’s all worth it.
Special equipment
Did you know there is a special pan just for roll cakes? They’re called jelly roll pans and are typically 10″ x 15″ which is slightly smaller than your typical cookie sheet pan. You may be wondering whether you can just bake this Matcha Swiss Roll Cake with White Chocolate Cream Filling in a regular cookie sheet pan and the answer is you can, but preferably not.
I’ve tried baking this recipe in a standard cookie sheet pan and the results are typically not as ideal. The reason being is that the recipe often only produces enough batter to fill a jelly roll pan and not enough to fill a standard cookie sheet pan. As a result, you will have all this extra space/gap on the pan which may cause the batter to spread out even further and likely lead to a thinner cake after it bakes. If you intend to bake more roll cakes in the future (which we recommend since the flavour combinations are endless), I would recommend investing in one.
How to Make Matcha Swiss Roll Cake
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until thickened and pale in color
In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar on high speed using a handheld mixer/stand mixer for several minutes until thickened and pale in color
2. Sift matcha powder and cake flour into egg yolk mixture
In a separate bowl, sift cake flour and matcha powder into the egg yolk mixture to remove any clumps. Add in your milk and whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy.
3. Whisk egg whites and sugar until soft peaks
In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites on high speed until foamy. Then, add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form (approximately 5 minutes, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t overmix!) You’ll know it’s ready when you lift up the beaters and the egg whites can maintain a peak such as the image below. If you try to flip the bowl upside down, the egg whites won’t fall out either.
4. Gently fold in egg whites into the matcha mixture.
Slowly add your egg white mixture (in thirds) into the matcha mixture. Fold the egg white in gently into the matcha mixture using a spatula as to not deflate the fluffy egg whites. You’ll notice the mixture lightening up significantly. Keep folding until all the egg whites have been incorporated into the mixture and no white streaks are left. The photo below indicates that more folding is required.
5. Spread evenly onto jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 9 minutes at 375F or until toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake!
6. Once out of the oven, quickly flip the pan upside down onto a cutting board lined with fresh parchment paper. Pre-roll the cake and allow it to rest for 30 mins.
While the cake is still warm, flip the pan upside down onto a cutting board lined with fresh parchment paper and gently peel off the parchment paper that was previously used to line the pan. Throw that piece of parchment paper away.
Replace it with another piece of fresh parchment paper and flip it back up again using the same technique above so that you’re back at square one. With the roll cake sandwiched between two pieces of fresh parchment paper, gently roll the cake away from you, tucking the ends in as tightly as you can. This will help stabilize the cake for when you roll it later. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before you add in the whipped cream filling.
7. Add in whipped cream filling, leaving approximately 2 inches of the cake unfilled.
As you roll the cake upwards, it will push the whipped cream forward. To avoid extra whipped cream from spilling over, do not overfill your cake with whipped cream.
8. Roll the cake away from you (towards the unfilled end), tucking in the ends gently to help form that signature swirl
Roll until the seam side is facing downwards on the table to stop the cake from unravelling. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing into it to allow the whipped cream filling to firm up.
9. Slice off both ends of the roll cake before serving.
You’ll likely notice quite a bit of overhang once you’re done rolling up your cake. To expose the nice whipped cream swirls, cut off both ends of the cake so that they are even and you can see the whipped cream filling swirls easily. You’re ready to serve!
Tips for success
Eggs should be at room temperature
Since this matcha swiss roll cake with white chocolate cream filling recipe requires you to separate the egg whites and egg yolks and whisking them separately, it’s important that the eggs are at room temperature as it will allow them to reach full volume much easily.
The bowl used to whisk egg whites must be completely clean and dry
Whisking egg whites to soft peaks is extremely finicky. First, the the bowl which you whisk it in must be completely clean, free of grease, dirt, and water. Otherwise, this will inhibit the egg whites from attaining full volume. It’s also critical that when the egg whites are being separated that no drop of egg yolk get into the egg white mixture. Otherwise, it will contaminate the entire egg white mixture and it will not reach soft peaks and you will have to start over.
Sift the matcha powder and cake flour before and during use
Cake flour and matcha powder tend to be clumpy by nature. If you do not sift these ingredients before and during use, you will end up with a very lumpy mixture that will likely have dry pockets of flour in it.
White chocolate cream filling needs to be cold before use
Unlike eggs which need to be at room temperature before used, the white chocolate cream filling must be prepared ahead and chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours before it is whipped.
Check out our other recipes!
Matcha Swiss Roll Cake with White Chocolate Cream Filling
Ingredients
Matcha Sponge Cake
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tbsp milk (2% or whole milk)
- ¾ cup cake flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp matcha powder, sifted
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
White Chocolate Cream Filling
- 1/3 cup white chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
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Instructions
White Chocolate Cream Filling
- 1. The white chocolate cream can be made in advance as it needs time to chill in the fridge before it can be whipped and used. In a small sauce pan, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Alternatively, you can microwave your cream in a glass measuring cup until it is steaming hot (approximately 1-2 mins).
- 2. In a separate bowl, pour the hot heavy cream over white chocolate and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and lump free. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- 3. Once the cream is chilled and the sponge cake is ready to be assembled, take the chilled cream from the fridge and beat until soft peak forms (refer to image in blog post above for reference).
Matcha Sponge Cake
- 4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a jelly roll pan (11 x 15”) with parchment paper, leaving extra parchment paper hanging on both sides so it’ll be easier to lift up and roll the cake later.
- 5. Separate the eggs and put 4 egg yolks in one bowl, and 4 egg whites in another bowl. Make sure the bowl with the egg whites is super clean and free of grease and dirt. Otherwise, this will impact the egg whites from whipping properly.
- 6. Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg yolks on medium speed. The slowly add in ¼ cup of sugar and continue whisking until thickened and lighten in color.
- 7. In a separate large bowl, sift the cake flour to remove any lumps. Then, sift in the matcha powder as well into the same bowl. Resift the cake flour and matcha mixture into your egg yolk mixture from step #3 above to ensure both ingredients are well incorporated and lump free. Whisk together and add in 3 tbsp of milk to loosen up the mixture until it is fully combined. The mixture should look a bit thick at this time (almost paste like).
- 8. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peak forms (refer to image in blog post above for reference).
- 9. Take ⅓ of the egg whites and fold it into the egg yolk mixture using a spatula. Do this gently as this will prevent you from deflating the egg whites and allow you to keep that airy texture. Repeat this twice with the remaining egg whites, folding until evenly incorporated. Stop when no white streaks remain and do not over mix.
- 10. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula or a bench scraper, evenly distribute the batter across the pan to ensure it covers all edges and corner.
- 11. Bake for 9-11 minutes at 375°F, or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. It’s best to check the cake early for doneness than risk overbaking the cake which will cause the cake to be dry.
- 12. Once the cake is ready, take the sponge cake out of the oven. While it is still hot, take another sheet of parchment paper and place it on top of the cake (now the cake is sandwiched between two sheets of parchment paper). Place another baking pan or a large cutting board on top of the baking tray like a sandwich and flip the cake over.
- 13. With the bottom now on top, gently remove the parchment paper as this will be the exterior of the cake. Discard the parchment paper that was just removed. Take a third clean sheet of parchment paper and place it back on top of the cake and flip the cake over again using the technique described in step 9. Remove the top parchment paper once flipped.
- 14. While the cake is still warm, take one end of the parchment paper and gently roll the cake away from you like you would a cinnamon roll. Once the cake is rolled up, put it aside and let it cool with a kitchen towel on top for at least 30 minutes. This will help shape and stabilize the roll cake in preparation of it being rolled later with the cream filling.
Assembly
- 15. Once completely cooled, gently unroll the cake to make sure there are no tears. Cut one edge of the cake diagonally to help stabilize the cake when you roll it up later (refer to image in blog post above). Using an offset spatula, spread the cold whipped white chocolate cream filling over the sponge cake, leaving the last 2 inches or so near the diagonally cut edge uncovered as the cream will get pushed out to the edge as your roll up the cake.
- 16. Carefully roll the cake into a tight spiral shape (without parchment paper this time), with the seam side down. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing. This will help the cream filling set.
- 17. Before serving, slice off both ends of the roll cake to expose the beautiful cream filling. To serve, use a serrated knife and cut the roll cake, wiping the blade clean between each cut to prevent sticking. Decorate the top with piping bag filled with any excess whipped cream and add your favourite fruit of choice. Raspberry and strawberries are popular choices that not only pair well flavour wise, but contrasts well with the green cake.
Super !!