{"id":"9f4e0cdb-3f20-429c-a327-ff4eb4d82117","url":"https://recipestripper.com/recipes/9f4e0cdb-3f20-429c-a327-ff4eb4d82117","source_url":"https://bakingwithblondie.com/how-to-make-a-christmas-cake-roll/","title":"CAKE WITH A TWIST","ingredients":[{"text":"Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can actually make your own by adding lemon juice or vinegar to whole milk and let it sit for a half hour to curdle.","item":"Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can actually make your own by adding lemon juice or vinegar to whole milk and let it sit for a half hour to curdle."},{"text":"Sour cream – I always use the full fat sour cream. You can sub in Greek yogurt if you’d like here, too.","item":"Sour cream – I always use the full fat sour cream. You can sub in Greek yogurt if you’d like here, too."},{"text":"Vanilla – regular or Mexican vanilla will be fine here. I save my more expensive/pure stuff for my buttercream.","item":"Vanilla – regular or Mexican vanilla will be fine here. I save my more expensive/pure stuff for my buttercream."},{"text":"Eggs – Four egg whites are needed for this one. I always use large eggs, and save the yolks for a curd, custard, or adding to my boy’s breakfast scrambled eggs.","item":"Eggs – Four egg whites are needed for this one. I always use large eggs, and save the yolks for a curd, custard, or adding to my boy’s breakfast scrambled eggs."},{"text":"Vegetable oil – this cake is super light and fluffy, and that’s because it’s an oil based cake! If this were a layered cake, sometimes I get away with subbing in melted butter. But for this particular recipe/roll, I would stick with the oil.","item":"Vegetable oil – this cake is super light and fluffy, and that’s because it’s an oil based cake! If this were a layered cake, sometimes I get away with subbing in melted butter. But for this particular recipe/roll, I would stick with the oil."},{"text":"White Cake Mix – I prefer the taste and texture of Duncan Hines, but anything similar will do just fine, too.","item":"White Cake Mix – I prefer the taste and texture of Duncan Hines, but anything similar will do just fine, too."},{"text":"Red & Green food gel coloring – I love using Americolor ones for their bright hues. You only need one or two drops per half (half is red, half is green). Here’s a link to the green gel, and here’s a link to the red one.","item":"Red & Green food gel coloring – I love using Americolor ones for their bright hues. You only need one or two drops per half (half is red, half is green). Here’s a link to the green gel, and here’s a link to the red one."}],"instructions":[{"number":1,"text":"Here comes the fun part!"},{"number":2,"text":"Step 5: Let cool on the counter for about 2-4 minutes. It doesn’t need long, but this cake is pretty soft and spongy. It’s ready to roll, but you need to let it build up a little tolerance for moving around before you actually roll it. A lot of bakers have different opinions about what to do next, so find which way works for you and go for it. For me, this way is what worked in my kitchen."},{"number":3,"text":"Step 6: Flip cake out onto a floured fabric napkin OR regular parchment paper. The flour keeps it from sticking for the fabric version, and the fabric rolls well with the cake. The parchment paper is easier to roll with, so it’s up to you. Place ANOTHER floured fabric napkin on top of the cake. Carefully roll it up (not with the longer side, but with the shorter side of your rectangle) and let it cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes."},{"number":4,"text":"Step 7: Next, unroll it carefully. If there are cracks, it’s not the end of the world. But that usually means we didn’t hit the sweet spot when it comes to rolling it up (it’s hard to control factors in everyone’s kitchens such as temperature, etc, which is important to a cake roll). Just roll with it! After you’ve unrolled it carefully, spread on a layer of buttercream (My recipe is linked below). I’ve noticed using a cookie scoop to scoop on the buttercream and then smearing it on with an offset icing spatula works best, then roll it back up. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 1 hour, or fridge for a few hours until it’s hard. You want to work with a very chilled cake."},{"number":5,"text":"Step 8: Slice with a hot knife and cold cake for neater slices. Each swirl will be similar, but have a different look to them, if that makes sense! It’s all part of the fun – seeing what it looks like when you finally get to slice into it."},{"number":6,"text":"Cutting the cake roll is pretty easy – they key is to make sure the cake roll is cold, that you have a sharp knife, and also making sure to dip the knife in hot water before slicing."},{"number":7,"text":"TIP:  If you’re not eating the cake roll slices right away, I love to wrap them up individually in plastic wrap to freeze or share with friends, family, and neighbors."},{"number":8,"text":"I’ll be the first to admit that making a cake roll isn’t always fool proof. Sometimes things happen, and that okay! It’s like making macarons. It’s all about the process and learning each and every time I make them. Here’s some common issues that happen when cake rolls fail:"},{"number":9,"text":"Cake Roll Cracked – this means you wrapped it up too tightly, wrapped it up when it cooled too much, or let it sit too long before unrolling it."},{"number":10,"text":"Cake Roll Isn’t a spiral shape – this means that you didn’t spread the buttercream evenly or curl the cake into a tight enough spiral when rolling it up."},{"number":11,"text":"Cake Roll Melted or buttercream is gooping out the sides – Your cake was still too warm when you unwrapped it and spread on the buttercream."},{"number":12,"text":"Cake Roll Crumbled – Overmixed the batter, let it bake too long, let it cool too long."},{"number":13,"text":"Cake Roll is sticking to the parchment paper or towel – You rolled up the cake too tightly or when it was still too hot. The condensation made the outside stick to the surface of the wrap."},{"number":14,"text":"Cake Roll doesn’t have neat slices/crumbles – Make sure to use a hot/sharp knife and cut the cake roll when it’s cold."}],"date_published":"2026-10-29T23:58:02.149475+00:00","date_modified":"2026-10-29T23:58:02.149475+00:00"}