Orange Swiss Roll

This orange swiss roll cake is made with a soft and fluffy rolled orange sponge cake filled with whipped cream and mandarin oranges. It’s the perfect light and citrusy cake that also looks super cute with the sliced orange sitting in the middle of the cake.

This orange swiss roll reminds me of the cakes you find at Asian bakeries. This homemade swiss roll is made with mandarin oranges for a citrus twist. It’s perfect for any time but especially for Lunar New Year as mandarin oranges symbolize good fortune.

You can make this orange swiss roll with both large oranges (like Naval oranges) or small mandarin oranges. I like mandarin oranges because they’re small, easy to handle, and makes for a good ratio of cake to orange. Swiss rolls with larger oranges will have less of a swirl as the sponge cake won’t wrap around as much but it can look just as beautiful with the orange cross section directly in the middle of the roll!

What is a swiss roll?

A swiss roll is a basically a rolled sponge cake in the shape of a log. The sponge cake is baked as a flat sheet and then rolled up with whipped cream, fruits, and or jam (making it a jelly roll).

This kind of cake goes by a few different names depending on the origin, flavours, and fillings used. A swiss roll is also known as a roll cake, roulade, cream roll, jelly roll, and yule log.

The name ‘swiss roll’ comes from a possibly European origin. I’ve always known them as the Hong Kong style of swiss roll, likely created while it was a British colony, which is made with a lighter sponge cake and always filled with whipped cream.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The orange sponge cake is soft and fluffy. It’s made by folding meringue into the cake batter so it’s airy and doesn’t need any other leavening agents.
• The whipped cream filling makes this cake light and airy. It’s lightly sweentened so it’s not too sweet.
• The cross section of the mandarin oranges looks so pretty.
• The citrusy mandarin oranges pair well with the cake for a fruity and flavourful kick.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Eggs - Separate out the egg whites from the egg yolks into two large mixing bowls. You’ll be using both for this recipe.
• Granulated sugar
• Oil - Any flavourless oil will work here, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Orange juice - Freshly squeezed orange juice works the best for maximum flavour. Just squeeze the juice from about 2 mandarin oranges and strain out the pulp.
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour
• Whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Mandarin oranges - Peel your mandarin oranges and remove as much of the white rind as possible for the best appearance.

How to make an orange swiss roll

For the sponge cake

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 9x13” baking tray with a 1” rim with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat egg whites on medium speed until it becomes soft foamy peaks.

Sprinkle in one spoonful of granulated sugar at a time, mixing in between each addition, until all the sugar has been added and the meringue becomes stiff peaks. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, stir together egg yolks, oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract just until the egg yolks have broken up. Stir in the cake flour until just combined.

Add the egg white meringue to the yolk mixture in 3 additions, folding the batter together in an upwards motion in between each addition. Fold the batter until no streaks remain and batter is airy and fluffy.

Pour the batter into your lined baking tray and use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer, being sure to spread it into the corners and edges of the tray.

Bake cake for 12-13 or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are slightly browned.

Let cake cool for a few minutes on baking tray until warm enough to handle. Run a knife down the sides of the pan to release the cake. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the cake. Grasp both the sides of the parchment and sides of the pan and flip it over in one swift motion to release the cake from the pan. 

Peel off the bottom sheet of parchment paper (now on top). Cut off the browned edges of the cake on the 2 shorter sides. Loosely roll the cake (WITH the parchment paper) into a log shape and let it cool completely in this shape.

For the whipped cream filling

In a mixing bowl, add the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat until it thickens into whipped cream and comes to soft peaks.

Unroll your cooled sponge cake. Use an offset spatula to spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top of the sheet cake, leaving a 2” empty gap at one of the short ends. This will be the end of your roll.

Rolling and decorating a swiss roll

Place down the mandarin oranges in a line on the other short end of the cake. Optionally, you can slide a skewer down the middle of the oranges to keep them lined up while you roll. Firmly roll the cake up from the end with the oranges. 

When you get to the end, use a spatula to wipe away any excess whipped cream that gets pushed out before you finish rolling the cake. The last end of the cake should now be on the bottom, with the weight of the cake on top of it to keep it from unrolling.

Roll the swiss roll onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap and chill in the fridge overnight for the whipped cream to set.

Once chilled, cut off the two messy ends of the swiss roll to reveal the swirl. Aim to cut directly in the middle of the oranges for a nice cross-section.

Decorate the top of the swiss roll with leftover whipped cream and mandarin orange slices, if desired.

Tips & tricks

• Fold in the meringue in 3 additions - This is an important step! Because there is a big difference in thickness and consistency between the meringue and the egg yolk mixture, they won’t mix together properly and will become lumpy if you mix them together all at once. Start by only folding in about two dollops of meringue into the cake batter to thin it out before adding more.
• Pre-roll the sponge cake - Rolling the sponge cake while it’s still warm helps it set in that rolled up shape. It will be less likely to crack when rolling it up with the filling later on.
• Keep the oranges in place when rolling - If your oranges are shifting out of place while rolling up the swiss roll, try inserting a skewer in the middle of all the oranges to keep them all in a straight line while you roll. After rolling, finish by pushing the oranges on either end of the log inwards to ensure they’re tightly packed next to each other.
• Chill the swiss roll - The whipped cream needs time in the fridge to set and firm up. Don’t try cutting your swiss roll right after rolling as the whipped cream is still soft and the cake can fall apart.
• Cutting the swiss roll - For this orange swiss roll in particular, there are two ways you can cut the slices. If you want a cross-section of orange to show on both sides of the slice, cut the slices about 2-2 ½” thick, about double the thickness of typical slice. If you only want to see the cross section on one side of the slice, cut it normally. It is a bit of guesswork deciding where to cut the slices since you can’t see exactly where the oranges are positioned inside the cake, but if you can get your first slice right down the middle of the first orange, you can estimate where the next cut should be.

Frequently asked questions

More swiss roll recipes to try

• White Peach Swiss Roll
• Pumpkin Swiss Roll

Recipe