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A slice of lemon swiss roll with cream filling, dusted with powdered sugar, sits on a white plate—a tempting treat from any classic lemon roll cake recipe.
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5 from 2 votes

Lemon Cake Roll

This lemon cake roll is light, citrusy, and layered with whipped cream and lemon curd—an easy, elegant dessert that’s bound to brighten any day.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, lemon
Servings: 15

Ingredients

For the Cake:

For the Filling:

To Serve:

  • whipped cream
  • lemon zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with non-stick spray or vegetable shortening, then line it with parchment paper.

Make the Cake:

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix the salt with the baking powder and flour and set aside.
  • In another bowl, add the eggs and with a handheld mixer beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until dark yellow and frothy.
  • Add the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and continue mixing to combine.
  • Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and use a spatula to stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
  • Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes until done.
  • Let it cool for about 1 minute, then loosen the edges of the cake from the pan and lightly dust with powdered sugar.
  • Top the baked cake with a piece of parchment paper and a cutting board.
  • Turn the cake out from the pan onto the parchment/cutting board.
  • Immediately roll the cake loosely on the parchment paper using the long edge. Starting with the long edge closest to you, folding over the parchment can help create that first center curl. The parchment paper will prevent the warmed cake from sticking together while cooling in the rolled state. A clean kitchen towel can be used instead.
  • Place the rolled cake on a cooling rack seam side down and cool completely for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the Filling:

  • In a bowl, add the cold heavy cream and sugar and whip with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
  • Add ⅓ cup of the lemon curd to the cream and just fold gently but don’t fully combine.
  • Cover and refrigerate while the rolled cake cools.

Fill the Cake:

  • Gently unroll the cake on a working surface.
  • Starting at the most curved end, spread the remaining lemon curd over the cake.
  • Spread the whipped cream filling on top of the lemon curd and carefully roll the cake up.
  • Set it seam side down on a serving platter and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 1 day before serving.
  • Serve it topped with whipped cream and extra lemon zest.

Notes

Frosting the cake: I found that using a disposable plastic frosting bag (or Ziploc bag with the tip cut off) helped fill the roll cake with the lemon curd, and separately with the whipped cream into the center of the cake.
Parchment paper is so handy: Using parchment paper to help roll the cake once it has baked and been inverted to your working surface helps curl the cake so it can hold its shape while cooling, and also helps keep your hands clean!
Leftover filling: If you have leftover filling you can serve it with the cake.
Check for doneness: When the cake springs back when pressed gently, it's done.
Hide the cracks: Even though the cake seems thin, it's very pliable. Rolling and unrolling it shouldn't allow too many cracks to occur, but even if some do they can be topped with additional whipped cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

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