Vanilla Swiss Roll with Strawberry Balsamic Reduction

Sometimes, a swirl is all you need in a slice of cake – and hopefully a more elegant one than appeared in this one the first time I made it. But hey! Even when it’s a mess, it can taste fantastic (thank the Eton Mess for calling this out by name). Swiss rolls are definitely daunting baking endeavors (if you really want to feel the stress, watch the British Baking Show’s episode on Swiss rolls), but ultimately, they’re a fairly simple dessert, despite the nerve wracking presentation and actual rolling. The lightness of the sponge cake base is perfect for a gluten free dessert because it relies heavily on egg whites and yolks, and not as as much on flour. They’re also infinitely changeable – you can add in spices, chocolate, powdered freeze-dried fruits, jams, etc. to make your sponge any sort of color or flavor. Same with the filling – you can go for the classic jelly roll (simply jam rolled up in the cake) or something more elaborate like mascarpone or ganache or flavored whipped creams dotted with fruits or nuts. The combinations are endless!

This version, filled with vanilla whipped cream and homemade strawberry balsamic quick jam, was inspired by a colleague who mentioned that he’d never had strawberry shortcake and thought the combination sounded quite lovely. So, after a few recipe experimentations (including the Strawberry Ginger Snacking Cake) I came up with this light, fluffy treat as a spin on his shortcake daydream.  Another classic take is the chocolate version of the Swiss roll, most often (at least in Europe) created as the bûche de Noël, or yule log, for the holiday season (we’ll be posting our version of the bûche de Noël closer to December so keep an eye out!). If you’re a chocolate fan, this is not to be missed.

A note for this recipe: it does look a bit complicated with the jam and the cake and the rolling and the cream, but if you follow the steps, each bit should fit together quite nicely timing wise, and we do include a handy trick for keeping your roll looking great next-day (hint – it involves freezing). The key to any Swiss roll is to be confident and to have fun, and of course to get creative on the presentation (we went for a tray of slices to emphasize the swirl inside), Whatever you want to go for, this is a great, and impressive-looking dessert to serve after dinner or at a party.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Strawberries & Cream Swiss Roll

Classic swiss roll with strawberries and cream

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: buttercream, strawberries and cream, strawberry, swiss roll

Servings: 16 people

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

For the Strawberry reduction:

• 2 Cups hulled strawberries
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp white sugar

For the roll cake:

• 6 eggs separated with whites in a clean, dry bowl
• 2/3 Cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 Cup gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
• 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch

For the filling:

• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Make the strawberry reduction first so that it has time to cool before use. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a simmer on medium heat. While that’s heating up, blitz up the strawberries in a nutribullet or blender. Once the water + sugar has simmered for a few minutes, add in the blended strawberries and the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until it has thickened to a jammy consistency. Take off the head and use a spatula to scrape into a heat-proof bowl. Let cool at room temp or in the fridge while you make the rest.
• Grease a cookie sheet (15x10x1 inches) and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and be sure the corners are pushed in; set aside. Separate the eggs into two medium bowls (be sure that the whites are in a clean, dry bowl). In the egg yolk bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the salt and the vanilla. Add in the flour and mix with a spatula to combine. Clean and dry the beaters of the electric mixer and then use them again to beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Add in the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Using the spatula, carefully fold in 1/3 of the egg whites at a time into the rest of the cake batter until fully combined. Do not over mix or stir.
• Pour cake batter into the greased pan and use the spatula to spread and even out the cake. Bake for 12-15 minutes until dry to the touch but not too golden. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before rolling it. The key is to roll a Swiss roll cake nearly immediately so that it cools in the final shape. Use a damp kitchen towel, along with the parchment paper already under the cake, to roll the cake short end to short end, so that the parchment paper and towel are rolled up in the cake. Let it sit rolled up until completely cooled.
• While the cake is cooling, make the whipped cream. Using your electric mixer, beat the heavy cream on high until soft peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Once the cake is cooled, carefully unroll and remove the towel. You can either spread the strawberry jam or whipped cream on the cake first, however you want your spiral to look. I usually spread the whipped cream first, making sure to not have too thick of a layer (or your cake will squish out the excess cream). I then spread the strawberry jam (stir it first, if it’s too thick to spread, add a touch of water) over the cream layer evenly.  Once the filling is on, carefully roll the cake back up, short end to short end, being sure to roll tightly but not squishing out the filling. If you’re serving later, I recommend wrapping the cake back up in the parchment paper and freezing for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight), and then removing from the freezer 45 minutes before serving to slice it (it will slice very neatly if it’s still slightly frozen).
• You can also serve as a whole cake, topped with extra cream and strawberries – presentation is up to you!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your Swiss roll!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber