Description
This Christmas Gingerbread Swiss Cake Roll is a festive and flavorful dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. Featuring a spiced gingerbread-flavored sponge cake rolled with a creamy, zesty cream cheese filling enhanced with crystallized ginger, this cake roll combines traditional Christmas spices with a luscious, smooth filling. Light, tender, and beautifully garnished, it makes an impressive centerpiece for any holiday table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake:
- 3 eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Garnish (optional):
- Gingerbread cookies
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13x18x1 inch half-sheet baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to ensure easy removal of the cake.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, and kosher salt. This creates the spiced base for your cake batter.
- Beat Egg Yolks and Add Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed until thickened and pale, about 3 minutes. Then beat in molasses and melted butter until smooth and fully combined.
- Whip Egg Whites and Sugar: In a separate clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the ¼ cup sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until the sugar dissolves and stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Combine Mixtures: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to retain airiness. Then, carefully fold in the dry flour and spice mixture until just combined, ensuring not to deflate the batter.
- Pour and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing and leveling the surface with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the cake springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Roll Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 to 8 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a tea towel lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar, peel off the parchment paper, and sprinkle the top of the cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Starting from the short side, gently roll the cake along with the towel and allow it to cool completely in this rolled form to set its shape.
- Prepare Filling: While the cake cools, beat together the softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, minced crystallized ginger, kosher salt, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, creamy, and well incorporated.
- Fill and Roll Again: Once the cake has fully cooled, gently unroll it and evenly spread the cream cheese filling over the surface. Carefully roll the cake up again, this time without the towel, to form the filled cake roll.
- Chill: Place the filled roll on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm and ready to serve, at least one hour.
- Serve and Garnish: Before serving, dust the cake roll generously with confectioners’ sugar and optionally garnish with gingerbread cookies or your choice of festive decorations. Slice with a sharp knife into even portions and enjoy. Store leftovers refrigerated.
Notes
- Make sure eggs are at room temperature for better volume when whipped.
- Folding in the egg whites gently is key to keeping the cake light and airy.
- If parchment paper sticks, lightly dust with extra confectioners’ sugar before rolling.
- Chilling the roll before slicing helps achieve clean slices.
- Use a serrated knife for the cleanest cuts without squashing the roll.
- Molasses gives the cake its characteristic deep flavor; you can use dark or blackstrap molasses for more intensity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of roll)
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
