We’re back in the kitchen today with a childhood classic – the Raspberry Jam Swiss Roll! Known in French as “Roulé à la Framboise”, this nostalgic treat certainly brings a lot of people back to their childhood. Personally, it reminds me of being a kid in France and enjoying countless swirly slices if it during the “goûter” (after-school snack time). This soft and spongy Génoise cake, covered with sticky sweet raspberry jam and rolled into a pretty swirl is eye-catching, absolutely delicious – and good news, far easier to make than what you might think.
The origin of the Swiss Roll.
In spite of the name “Swiss roll”, this iconic dessert is believed to have originated in Central Europe, likely Austria. And like many other countries, France adopted this dessert and made it part of its classic baking repertoire. It is notably often made to be used in the creation of a “Charlotte Royale”, made from a Bavarian cream set in a mold that’s lined with slices of raspberry jam Swiss roll.
A Swiss Roll is easy to make.
Despite its elaborate look, a Raspberry Jam Swiss Roll is a simple combination of only two elements: a light vanilla Genoise cake baked on a sheet pan, that is then rolled into a cylindrical shape with some raspberry jam. Trust me, you’ll soon realize how this classic dessert is far easier to make than what you might think. To ease you even further into the process, here are a few of my cooking notes and handy tips.
Take your eggs out of the fridge two hours before
A Génoise cake is traditionally made with no chemical leaving agents (ie. baking powder). Instead it relies on the eggs being whipped for 10 minutes to absorb and retain air. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, so they retain more air and whip to a fuller volume – making for a fluffier cake texture.
Avoid cracks in the Genoise Cake
The trick to preventing cracks in a Genoise cake when rolling it (or any swiss roll cake) is to roll the Genoise right out of the oven while still warm, in a clean kitchen cloth dusted with sugar. This keeps the cake moist and allows it to “memorize” its rolled shape. When the cake is cool, gently unroll it and immediately spread the jam into it and roll it back up.
Warm up the jam
I am going the easy route here and using store-bought raspberry jam. But feel free to make your own of course. Either way, I recommend you warm up the jam slightly to make it more runny before you spread it onto the cake. A Génoise cake has a delicate texture, so you may rip the crumb off the cake if you spread a jam that is too thick.
Let it rest
After spreading the jam and rolling the Swiss roll into it cylinder shape, I recommend you let it rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours. This will allow for the Génoise cake to absorb some of the moisture from the jam. And the two components (Génoise cake and jam) will bind together better. The cake will be moister and better tasting.
I hope you enjoy this Raspberry Jam Swiss Roll as much as I do!
Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
You may also like:
- Orange Yogurt Cake
- Raspberry Jam-Filled Sable Sandwiches
- Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed French Yogurt Loaf
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. Bon Appetit!
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27 comments
Yes, I made it. It turned out great and the taste was wonderful. I will make it again. Thank you.
Amazing, thank you for your feedback!
when rolling the swiss cake, do you roll the cake nd put in then on the kitchen towel or are you rolling the cake together with the towel such that each layer us seperated with the towel?
thanks
You are rolling the cake together with the towel – so each layer is separated with the towel. Happy baking !
Thank you very much 🙂 Helpfull feedack!
Enjoy!
Hi, am making this tomorrow but have a quick question before I start. Does the 1/2 cup of sugar + 2 TBSP sugar beaten with eggs OR only 1/2 cup of sugar is beaten with eggs and the 2 TBSP of sugar sprinkled on clean kitchen towel? Thanks!
Hi! That’s a great question! You beat all the sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) with the eggs. Then, you only need about 1 tbsp of sugar to sprinkle onto the kitchen towel (just enough so the cake doesn’t stick to the towel). I clarified the recipe 🙂 Happy baking!
Thank you for clarifying. It was delicious!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Amazing, thank you for your feedback!
I have to questions, 1) am I buttering the pan itself then putting parchment on top and buttering the parchment as well? 2) you specifically say to use a hand mixer for the eggs, can I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer instead or is there a specific purpose for the hand mixer?
Very excited to make this.
Hello Wendy. Yes, the pan under the parchment needs to be buttered (this ensures the paper sticks to the pan) and then you also butter or spray the top of the parchment to ensure there is no sticking between the paper and the cake! Second, you can absolutely use a Kicthenaid stand mixer for the eggs, using just about the same instructions (it may be a bit quicker in a Kitchenaid). Good luck and hope you enjoy!
Sadly, mine turned out very dry. Wondering if I did something wrong?
Hi, Ellenore. Sorry to hear that. I’d love to try and troubleshoot with you. Was it the cake that was dry? It is possible, as is often the case, that some ovens cook faster than others, so the cake may have been overcooked (not on purpose)? It is not a moist cake in general, but shouldn’t be dry either.
Great recipe, love the trick of rolling the genoise before cooling! Thrilled to discover your website.
Thank you so much, Mike! It’s the little (but important) tips that count and make recipes a success. I’m so glad you find them useful and I’m also glad you found the blog! Enjoy your stay.
Great recipe.
Thank you, Dianne! I wouldn’t mind a nice slice of Swiss roll right now 🙂
Hi ya
I would like to know is it 175g of sugar and then 2 tbsp for the sponge after
Hello, Yvette. The recipe calls for 125g of sugar, which if not using a scale (and I highly suggest you do, for all recipes) you would need to weigh out 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons of sugar. 1/2 cup sugar weighs just about 100g, so we need the extra 25g also.
The tablespoon of sugar you use to sprinkle on the cloth is not included in the ingredient list.
So, yes. Use 125g of sugar in the batter (or 1/2cup PLUS 2 tablespoons) Happy baking!
Bonjour, Audrey.
Moi, je suis tres impressionne avec cette recette. J’écrirai en Anglais maintenant donc les autres peut lire.
I made the Genoise with comparative ease., It baked beautifully and the baking parchment peeled off without problem. I was a little nervous about rolling the sponge so that the sugar coated tea towel separated each layer of sponge. To my amazement, even clumsy me managed to do this without problem.
When I unrolled the tea towel, half an hour after resting it and letting it set, I was little disappointed. There was a deep split on the jam side of the sponge but I managed to spread the jam without breaking up the sponge. When I re-rolled the Genoise, I found that some of it on the presentation side had stuck to the tea towel.
Have you any idea where I went wrong. It will be eaten but I would like to strive for a better presentation on future bakes.
I love this site. Je suis Francophile!
Great job, Shane! Sometimes the genoise is just a little finicky, but for a first attempt, it sounds like it was almost a complete success. Without being there and seeing what happened, it’s hard to know for sure (and sometimes it just happens, unfortunately). I would immediately try just rolling the genoise a tiny bit tighter in the tea towel. It could also just be 30sec-1min less in the oven that could prevent the crack. These would be my immediate first 2 things to adjust.
As for the sticking to the tea towel, first try using a different tea towel (not sure what the towel you used was made of, but try a “thickish” and very pliable tea towel, is possible. And then just a little more sugar might help.
It sounds like you’re doing everything almost perfect, and just needing to adjust very slightly for a perfect result. Good luck and enjoy!
Bonjour Audrey,
Thank you so much for this email. I think you have diagnosed the problem! My tea towels are thick, cotton ones but they are not in the least “pliable” – they are as stiff as a board. I am sure they will last for years. Everything was perfect until I unrolled that tea towel after the first rolling of the sponge.
In the past, when I have made a Swiss Roll, I have used sugar coated baking parchment to roll it up and not had this problem. With the other recipes that I have followed, the Genoise has been made with leavening agents and it has not been anywhere near as nice as your recipe. If a less stiff tea towel does not do the trick, I might try rolling with baking parchment again.
I have a new Miele oven, which is very accurate and efficient, and a minute or two less in the oven sounds like the right way to go.
Nonetheless, the cake was delicious!
When you get a chance to try it again, let me know. Hoping it turns out. As for the oven, great choice! I didn’t know Miele makes ovens, but all their products are top notch and very well regarded in Europe!
I had all of my kitchen refitted a while ago and bought Miele appliances to future proof the kitchen with the UK “electricity revolution” currently being pursued by government. According to Mary Berry, a Miele oven is accurate to within one degree. There are many different settings on my oven. If one bakes an old recipe in a Miele Oven using the “fan” option, Miele suggests reducing the temperature by 10 degrees. I baked the Swiss Roll using the conventional oven setting.
Shane, I try not to ever use the fan setting when baking… I find the results vary greatly and it tends to overcook even with the prescribed temperature change. I love it for roasting meats and potatoes, but for baking sweets I tend to avoid it. Conventional > Convection/Fan for me.