A fluffy and moist Japanese cake roll filled with fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. The most heavenly dessert.
Jump to:
- Perfect Not-Too-Sweet Japanese Dessert
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How to Prevent a Cake Roll From Sagging?
- Tips For the Fluffiest Chiffon Cake Roll
- Step-By-Step Strawberry Swiss Roll
- Step By Step - Stabilized Whipped Cream
- How To Make Different Flavored Rolls
- How to Use a Different Sized Pan
- How to Make This Cake a Birthday Cake
- Recipe
Perfect Not-Too-Sweet Japanese Dessert
A light and airy Japanese cake roll filled with strawberries is one of the most requested recipes I had in the last few months. After the success many of you had with my Japanese Chocolate Cake Roll recipe, many expressed the desire to bake a similarly soft and fluffy chiffon cake but in a vanilla flavor so it can be filled with whichever fruit your heart desired. It took a little while because I've been happily writing away over at indulgewithbibi (this month's topic: baby sleep training) but I'm happy to finally share this recipe for a delicious strawberry swiss roll that is made in the not-too-sweet Japanese style.
This strawberry cake roll is by far one of the easiest and most delicious desserts you can make in under an hour and a half from start to finish. I highly recommend you give it a try. And if you've made it and enjoyed it, I challenge you to bring the look of your cake roll up a notch by making fancy patterns on the cake roll with this Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe.
XOXO,
Mimi
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Light & Fluffy - this strawberry cake roll uses a chiffon cake as the base so it's super light and airy.
- Flexible Cake Base - doesn't crack easily when rolled.
- Semi-sweet - made in the Asian dessert style, both the fresh cream filling and the cake base are mildly sweet.
- Pipeable Whipped Cream - unlike regular un-stabilized whipped cream, the stabilized whipped cream in this recipe is sturdy enough for use in cake rolls without drooping and for piping designs.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Japanese Chiffon Cake Base
- Cake Flour - cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cake lighter and softer than if using all purpose flour. You can also use "cake & pastry flour" which many stores sell, This is a blend of both flours with a lower protein than AP. It's ok to use AP flour if that is all you have.
- Baking soda + cream of tartar - it acts as a leavening agent in case there is any weaknesses in the meringue. It can be substituted as a group with 1 tsp. baking powder.
- Sea salt - use half the amount if using table salt.
- Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and separate the grains.
- Neutral oil - canola, grapeseed, avocado are all good choices.
- Vanilla extract - rounds out all the flavors in the cake.
- Egg whites - fresh egg whites, large size. Preferably at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar - use only granulated sugar, powdered sugar does not work for whipping meringue.
- Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Granulated sugar - the sweetness level is moderate in this recipe, add an extra 1 teaspoon if you prefer a sweeter taste.
- Heavy cream 36% M.F. - has a milk fat content of at least 36%. It can be substituted with whipping cream (with minimum 30% milk fat) but heavy cream will produce an even more sturdy frosting. It needs to be completely chilled before whipping or else it won't whip up.
- Vanilla extract
- Gelatin powder, unflavored - the Knox brand was used in this recipe. It can usually be found in the baking aisle by the yeast.
- Fresh organic strawberries - this can be substituted with other fruits like mangoes or canned peaches.
How to Prevent a Cake Roll From Sagging?
This fresh strawberry cream cake roll is filled with a fresh whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. For cake rolls, I prefer taking some extra steps to stabilize the cream filling because whipped cream has a tendency to deflate after a while. It's completely possible to skip the stabilization part by whipping the cream with sugar and omitting the gelatin - which a lot of recipes do - but you might find that the cream gets a bit sloppy and the shape of the cake roll doesn't hold up as well, especially after a few hours.
For use as a cake topping, whipped cream can be conveniently stabilized with powdered sugar as seen in this recipe. However, for use as a filling, it's preferable to stabilize it with gelatin instead. It may sound intimidating but it's actually quite easy and the results are well worth the effort. If you need extra guidance and tips, here is a complete tutorial on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.
Tips For the Fluffiest Chiffon Cake Roll
Unlike a sponge cake which uses no or little butter, the pillow-y soft chiffon cake base in this roll uses oil instead. The secret to this Asian bakery-style roll cake is its super fluffy cake base. Here are some tips:
- Use cake flour instead of AP flour.
- Always sift cake flour to prevent clumps.
- Gently incorporate the dry-mix and wet ingredients together until no lumps of flour can be seen. Do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake.
- For the meringue, use room temperature egg whites for better volume.
- Whip the egg whites in a clean non-plastic bowl free of oil and water.
- Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter, retaining the air that you've built into the meringue. Do not stir.
- Use parchment paper to line the cake pan and for rolling. It prevents sticking and tearing of the cake.
Step-By-Step Strawberry Swiss Roll
In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine. I like this type of strainer for sifting dry ingredients because it's quicker and provides better control. Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and milk.
With a spatula, stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
Next, Make the meringue in a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl (ex. stainless steel mixing bowl or glass mixing bowl). This is crucial as meringues do not whip well in the presence of oil and water. Whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks as shown in the photo above on the right. When the whisk is pulled out, the meringue does not droop on itself.
Gently fold the meringue into the cake flour batter until fully incorporated.
Dab a little bit of the batter onto the parchment paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the paper from tipping over into the cake batter. I used a darker colored pan here giving my cake a more golden finish. It turns out this 8 x 12 pan size in this color is a little hard to find, my pan was inherited but I was able to find this one on Amazon for you.
Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Rap the cake pan on the counter a few times to rid excess bubbles. Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F. Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing. Place cooling rack over cake pan.
Flip cake over onto the rack, remove pan. Gently remove paper. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.
Place a piece of new parchment paper on top of the cake. Flip the cake over and start rolling. Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.
Step By Step - Stabilized Whipped Cream
Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better. Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut into 1 cm sized pieces. Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes. Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium. Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl. Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip. Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.
Clean and pat dry strawberries, then cut into 1 cm sized pieces. Apply an even layer of cream to unrolled cake roll, spread strawberries evenly apart, then roll up. Wrap cake roll in plastic wrap and place in fridge to set before cutting. Cut off the sides before serving for a cleaner finish.
How To Make Different Flavored Rolls
To make the cake roll in different flavors, powders, extracts and infusion-method can be utilized in either the cake base or the filling. Dry powders (like cocoa, matcha etc.) can be added into the cake base with the dry mix like in these recipes: matcha cake roll and gingerbread cake roll.
On the other hand, liquid extracts can be added into the wet mix like in this cotton candy cake roll or vanilla flavored strawberry cake roll). For added flavor and natural coloring, fruit/vegetable purees can be added like in this pumpkin spice cake roll or carrot spice cake roll. Adding ingredients with more liquid composition will take more experimentation. If you want an easier method try the next method below.
Another way to add flavor is to simply add extracts into the cream filling during the whipping process. The flavors can also be infused into the cream by letting the flavored ingredients (like leave leaves) soak/steep inside the cream before using it for whipping (see Earl Grey Tea cake roll, instead of steeping the whipping cream, the leaves are steeped in the milk for the cake batter). Just make sure not to use ingredients with high acidity as it will cause the cream to curdle.
You can even try mixing and matching different flavored cake bases with different cream fillings using these recipes to guide you: chocolate cake roll, matcha cake roll, coffee cake roll, and carrot cake roll.
Lastly, you can make beautiful pattern cake rolls using these recipes: fancy pattern cake roll, bear pattern cake roll, Christmas silent night cake roll and gingerbread man pattern cake roll.
How to Use a Different Sized Pan
You can bake this cake in a different sized pan but note that the quantity of ingredients are at an optimal amount for use with the current pan size resulting in a perfect thickness for rolling without cracking. This Sloppy Peach Cake in a cup recipe will teach you how to bake this cake in different sized pans. It has the same great taste but allows more room for error if you're not confident about rolling the cake base.
How to Make This Cake a Birthday Cake
I'm often asked if this cake can be made into a "birthday cake". I completely understand what this question means but a part of me also wants to say, "cake rolls can be birthday cakes too!" Kidding aside, this cake base is super soft and fluffy which makes it perfect for cake rolls but not as sturdy for a round birthday cake that requires stacking and extra cream. I've since worked on adapting this recipe for use as a "birthday cake". The adapted recipe is called: Asian Bakery Strawberry Chiffon Cake.
Recipe
Fresh Strawberry Cream Japanese Cake Roll
A fluffy and moist Japanese cake roll filled with fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. The most heavenly dessert.
Ingredients
Dry Mix for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake
- 45 grams cake flour*
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda*
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar*
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Wet Mix for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake
- 25 grams granulated sugar
- 50 ml whole fat milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 40 ml neutral oil (e.g. canola, grapeseed, avocado)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Meringue for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake
- 4 egg whites
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar*
Stabilized Fresh Cream
- 1 + ¼ teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 5 teaspoons water
- 1 ¼ cup whipping cream (33%)
- 1 tablespoon +¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 10 small fresh organic strawberries
Instructions
Japanese Style Chiffon Cake
- Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.
- Create a well in the center. Inside it, add the wet mix.
- Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
- Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
- Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.
- Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.* This is the meringue.
- Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
- Dab a bit of the batter onto the sides of the parchment paper to keep corners together. Dab a little more onto the paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the parchment paper from tipping over into the cake batter.
- Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
- Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
- Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
- Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing.
- Place cooling rack over cake pan.
- Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
- The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.
- Place a new of parchment paper on top of the cake.
- Flip the cake over and start rolling, allowing the parchment paper to be in between the folds. This will prevent the cake from sticking to itself. It's important to roll the cake before it cools completely, otherwise, it will crack while rolling. Refer to video in post on how to roll.
- Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.
Stabilized Fresh Cream Instructions
- Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
- Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut into 1 cm sized pieces.
- Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
- Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
- Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.
- Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
- Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
- Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
- Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.
Assembly
- Gently unwrap rolled cake and spread an even layer of cream on it.
- Lay strawberries evenly apart on cream.
- Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself.
- Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before cutting.
- Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation.
Notes
- Some ingredients are repeated, use them in the same order as outlined in instructions.
- Cake flour is a low protein flour which yields soft fluffy cakes. It is preferred but can be substituted with AP Flour.
- Baking soda and cream of tartar in the dry mix can be substituted as a group with 1 tsp. baking powder.
- Cream of tartar in the meringue helps stabilize it. It can be substituted with double the amount in lemon juice or vinegar.
- Stiff peaks in characterized by the egg whites having pointed peaks that point upwards without drooping when the whisk is pulled out.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Knox Original Unflavored Gelatine Dessert Mix (32 Packets)
-
Wilton Industries Perfect Results Mega Cooling Rack, Black
-
Rectangle Baking Pan
-
Vollrath 47934 4-Quart Economy Mixing Bowl, Stainless Steel
-
McCormick Gourmet All Natural Cream Of Tartar, 2.62 oz
-
PaperChef Culinary Parchment Multipurpose Non-Stick Paper, 205 sq ft
-
RYBACK Stainless Steel Egg White Yolk Filter Separator Cooking Tool Dishwasher Safe Chef Kitchen Gadget
-
Kitchenaid Handheld Mixer
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 269Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 112mgSodium 151mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 0gSugar 13gProtein 5g
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Note to reader: The format of this recipe was updated on May 17, 2023 to make it more concise. The method, and all ingredients and its quantities, remain the same as before.
Sam says
Hi!! I’ve made this so many times and my family and friends LOVE this recipe! Thank you for bringing some joy into the quarantine life 🙂
I do have a small question though! Do you ever have any problem with the chiffon cake getting kind of wet/sticky with some moisture developing on the cake after putting it in the fridge for some time? I know the cake needs to set in the fridge but it always gets a bit mushy after doing so! I appreciate your advice 🙂
Mimi says
Hi Sam,
I'm so happy that this cake has bought some joy to quarantine life. It's definitely a challenging time for all. I actually haven't. Once you let it come back to room temperature, do you still have that same problem? I would serve it after letting it come to room temp first. You can also wrap it/roll it back up with plastic wrap too 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Monika says
Can this be baked in a 10" x 15" pan?
Mimi says
Yes you can but you will need to increase all the ingredients in proportion. You can also create custom sized pans with tin foil to get the exact measurements 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Audrey says
Hi!
What can I subsitute cream of tartar and gelatin for?
Thanks!
Mimi says
Hi Audrey,
If you really cannot find cream of tartar, you can skip the first portion of cream of tartar and baking soda and use 1 tsp baking powder instead. For the second portion of tartar for the meringue, use lemon juice in double the amount. Gelatin, you can skip it if you cannot find it. It is used to stabilize the cream. The cake will just be a bit more unstructured, try to serve it on the first day before it begins to deflate.
XOXO,
Mimi
Jake says
Hello,
The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar but it calls for it in two separate steps. How much of it do I add per step? (The steps I'm referring to are 3 and 6)
Mimi says
Hi Jake,
Use the cream of tarter in the order listed in the ingredients list There are 2 sets of cream of tarter there.
XOXO,
Mimi
Linda says
Hi Mimi,
I'm really looking forward to making this. Can you confirm how much cream of tartar I need? It's listed twice (1/2 tsp at the top and then 1/4 tsp at the bottom of the recipe list for the cake recipes.
Thanks,
Linda
Mimi says
Hi Linda,
Use the cream of tarter in the order listed in the instructions. There are 2 sets of cream of tarter there.
XOXO,
Mimi
shuwen says
Are there any substitutes for the gelatin powder? My mom is vegetarian so she can't ingest any gelatin. Is agar agar a good option? If so, may I know what would be an appropriate amount to use?
Mimi says
I have seen recipes for using agar to stabilize whipped cream so it can be done. I haven't done it myself so I recommend you find a recipe that uses agar to stabilize. You can always leave the whipped cream unstabilized if you plan on eating it right away 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Joan says
Hi Mimi! I absolutely adore your chocolate cake roll recipe and this one with a vanilla chiffon cake. I'm also a huge fan of green tea japanese cake rolls and want to attempt to make one. Do you suggest I just adjust the vanilla chiffon cake recipe by sifting in matcha green tea powder with the cake flour and other ingredients? If so, how much matcha green tea powder do you suggest I add? I'd appreciate any tips and advice!
Mimi says
I haven't tried this yet but it is on my to-do list. You might want to start with 2 tsp matcha and increase the sugar a bit 🙂 Let me know how it goes! XOXO, Mimi
Vassa says
Hello! Thanks for the recipe!
The cake turned out very soft and fluffy, but did. It turn brown on top like yours. It was done, but still pale looking. Also, it smelled very eggy. What can be done to make these changes?
Mimi says
It sounds like you need to give it a few more minutes in the oven. Are you using parchment to line the baking tin? Silicone liners don't do as well to conduct heat to the baked goods. Also, check the temperature, you might need to increase it just a bit more.
XOXO,
Mimi
MTN says
Can you give me the exact conversion of the flour and sugar in cups and tablespoons? I've tried to use the conversion chart but they all differ. Thank you ♥
Mimi says
Hi, please try to get a kitchen scale. That is the only way to achieve consistent results with baking. It would be a shame to put this all together only to find out that it didn't work because the measurements were incorrect. Try to get one, you don't need a fancy one 🙂 XOXO, Mimi
Margaret says
Hi Mimi,
This cake tastes great and it was easy to roll and didn't have cracks. I was trying to make a Monte Blanc version and used sweetened chestnuts in my stabilized whipped cream. I then made a monte blanc chestnut cream and piped it on top. Will put chocolate shavings on top. I live in NYC and there is a chestnut monte blanc cake at a place called Sunrise Market in Midtown. I have been trying to replicate that cake for years. Now, I am closer. Will definitely make this cake again.
Thanks for sharing!
Mimi says
How wonderful! It sounds so sophisticated and delicious, exactly like the type of dessert one would expect in a big city bakery. I hope you'll come back and share with me how it went 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Bianca says
I’m having issues getting the gelatin to get liquidy. It just stays thick. I’m at a loss. 😔
Mimi says
Are you using enough water? Make sure to sprinkle the gelatin on top to let each granule hydrate and absorb all the water it was introduced to. After 5 minutes, place it in simmering water. Give it a bit of time in the hot water. I usually use a glass measuring cup to do this and the heat transfers well from the hot water through to the cup to the gelatin. I hope you will try it again and if you don't get this gelatin down, you can always make the cream without stabilizing it. Just eat it immediately. Some recipes don't use stabilization, but I prefer it so the cake has more structure to last a few days. XOXO, Mimi
Lian Phuong says
could I substitute the gelatin powder with a gelatin leaf?
I’m not sure if the leave would work for this recipe .
Thank you,’ Mimi
Mimi says
Hi Lian,
Yes, you can use gelatin leaf in a whipped cream to stabilize it. If you are unsure how to do so, google A Tomato in Tribeca's blog post on mango cake, there is a post about how to incorporate the leaf into the whipped cream.
XOXO,
Mimi
UC says
Hi Mimi,
Do you know if this will work with Red Hill gluten free all purpose flour?
Thank you
UC
Mimi says
I'm not quite sure actually. Please share with us if you do end up trying it. Thank you.
XOXO, Mimi
CH says
These instructions are missing a step or two.
You have granulated sugar twice on the list, but the instructions mention sugar only once, when sifted with the flour. Was the second amount of sugar meant to be added to the egg whites?
Mimi says
Hi,
The second portion of sugar is referred to in Step 7 for whipping the egg whites 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
LM says
Hello Mimi,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is absolutely delicious! However, can you please confirm if the sugar for the stabilized cream mixture is only 1 1/4 tablespoon granulated sugar? My mother and I are having an argument on the actual amount of sugar. We made this white cake recipe with the chocolate filling while we debate. Thank you again! 🙂
Mimi says
Hi there,
Yes, the sugar is supposed to be 1 1/4 tablespoon or a bit under 4 teaspoons.
XOXO,
Mimi
din says
Hi,
do you have any video that showing you're unrolling the wrap? I did it once and the cake cracked.
Thank you
Mimi says
Hi Din,
I don't have it on video unfortunately. I never had problems with it cracking during the unrolling step. Did you follow the instructions to roll it up before it cools? That is a very critical step in preventing it from cracking.
Xoxo,
Mimi
Jo says
Can I freeze this? I want to make it in advce when I have time over the weekend. Or could I just freeze the cake and add the cream later?
This looks delicious! Can't wait to try.
Mimi says
Hi Jo,
You can freeze the cake but the whipped cream would need to be made fresh 🙂 XOXO, Mimi