Almond Roll Cake (Swiss Roll) Recipe
Do you remember the time when you crave for a yummy cake not only for desserts but for snacks as well? I will share with you one of the most delectable almond roll cake that I tried. It got a light, spongy cake with lovely creamy layers of flan and caramelized almonds on top that gives an added sweetness and crunch to the cake. If you want to give this almond roll cake a try, let me show you how it’s made by following this step by step almond roll cake recipe and video tutorial.
What Is A Roll Cake?
A roll cake comes with many names like Swiss roll for the English, Jelly roll for Americans, and Roulade for the French. Basically, a roll cake is a kind of sponge cake that is baked in a sheet pan with creamy frosting spread on it before it is rolled.
For some, a roll cake comprises of chocolate sponge with a cream filling and covered with chocolate frosting while a Roulade is a rolled pastry with fillers that can be sweet or savory.
Whatever names it is called, this soft sponge cake with its pretty pinwheel design and a melt in your mouth consistency is a sure favorite. This recipe will be a special one, really enjoyed that I studied from when I stay in Japan, the combination of a Japanese roll cake and a flan caramel.
How To make Almond Roll Cake
The following are the layer of elements that makes this cake roll stand out from the rest. This makes my sponge cake tasty and unique.
Sponge cake
You will be needing a pan of water and a glass bowl in making this cake roll. If you don’t have a glass bowl, you can use stainless steel bowl as an alternative but not a plastic bowl as it is not heat resistant.
In the bowl, combine the eggs and the sugar then place it in the simmering pan of water without the bowl touching the water. The strategy is to whip the mixture for 5 minutes until it triples the volume from the original size and then turns off the machine. I prefer doing this with a stand mixer as it is much easier, while with a hand mixer it can be difficult.
Caramelized Almond Flake
To have a crunchy and sweet caramelized almond flakes, fry a handful of sliced almonds with a spoonful of sugar in a pan for a couple of minutes. That’s how easy and quick to make a crunchy and sweet caramelized almonds as toppings for your cake roll.
Whipped Cream
They are not only perfect for dessert toppers but also a good filling for cakes too. However, in this recipe, I put less sugar on it because I want to focus on the full flavors that this roll cake gives out once it is sliced. If this is your first time making whip cream, it may seem a little overwhelming, but I’m here to guide you so you can make whipped cream under 10 minutes. Then you can store it in the fridge for at least 3 hours until it is ready to use.
Flan Tart
Flan is a creamy custard that is popular around the world with different versions on how to prepare it, depending on which country you are in.
This particular caramel flan is regarded for its simple preparation. If you haven’t tried making one, this is a perfect time to try.
To make this flan, you will need a rectangle tin so it can be easier to transfer and cut to fit the shape of your roll cake. This will also help if you want to have a smooth final roll on your cake.
Cake Roll Assembly
Now it’s time to roll the cake. For some, they usually roll the cake as soon as it comes out from the oven and put in the fridge for 2-3 hours to cool down. Once it is cooled down, it is unrolled and then spread the filling in the cake and is rolled up again. This technique helps in preventing the cake from cracking while rolling but it is also time-consuming, especially if you have guests eager to dig in.
What I’m going to teach you is a way that will not take your time in cooling and pre-rolling your sponge cake. My technique is simple and so easy to follow. It is 100% guaranteed that your cake will minimize the crack and will have that smooth surface. Trust me! All you need to do is to follow my video carefully and you are good to go.
Using a spatula to spread a thin layer of your whipped thicken cream mixture evenly over the sponge. Then cut the caramel flan from the tin and transfer to a sheet cake. Finally, apply the caramelize almond on top of the cake. Carefully roll your cake up. Cut off the ends of the roll cake so they will look nice and clean then transfer to a plate.
Tips For Making A Roll
Although making a roll cake isn’t complicated, there are just some essential pointers that you should take note of when creating one.
- Make sure that you whip enough the egg and sugar mixture for the sponge cake. It should be triple in volume and should reach the ribbon stage.
- One of the most important things to keep in mind which is critical in making your roll cake is that the batter mixture should be a little bit warm before placing it in the oven. Otherwise, the baking time will be longer than 10 minutes, and if this happens your cake will be hard and cracking once you roll it.
- Keep the flan tart at least 4-5 hours. The perfect idea is to leave it overnight to make sure it set. When you do this, the chances of having a smooth final roll is highly possible.
- The best pan to use for roll cakes is a 10 x 12.5 inches(31cm x 25cm) sheet pan. This dimension is what works best for me. If you use a larger pan it will render a thinner cake while a smaller pan will give you a cake that’s too thick. Either size would be difficult and almost impossible to roll out your sponge cake, so make sure you use the correct pan size.
There are a lot of recipes out there that tell you how to make a beautiful roll cake. But if you know the techniques and some guidelines on how to do it, I believe that it will be easier for you to make it. Leave me a comment or any questions that you might have in this article.
I have one more Nama Chocolate Swiss Roll recipe, that I really love, turns out so nice and very unique taste, click to see full recipe.
Almond Roll Cake (Swiss Roll) Recipe
Ingredients
Caramelized Almond Flake
- 100 g almond flake
- 50 g castor sugar
- 15 ml water
Flan Caramel
- 210 g egg
- 65 g egg yolk
- 105 g castor sugar
- 500 ml milk
- 2 g vanilla
Whipped Cream
- 600 ml thicken cream
- 44 g castor sugar
Sponge Slab
- 130 g egg
- 55 g castor sugar
- 12 ml milk
- 75 g plain flour
Instructions
Caramelized Almond
- Stirring 50g of castor sugar and 15ml water on a hot pan until all dissolved, then add almond flake
- Keep stirring until all the sugar absorbed to sugar and dried
Flan Caramel
- To make caramel: on a hot pan, keep stirring 50g of castor sugar until it comes to golden brown color, then add a little bit of water, then tip the caramel into a long rectangle baking tin.
- To make a flan mixture: Place a mixture of whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar on a bain-marie, stirring until it is warm (around 70 degree Celsius), this step will help the flan mixture dissolved well and baked quicker in the oven
- Use a sifter and pour the mixture through it to prevent bubbles and give a flan cake smooth surface, divide into 2 rectangle long bar cake
- Bake with a hot water tray outside at 130 degree Celsius (266 F) for around 20 minutes
- Leave in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours
Whipped Cream
- Place a bowl of thicken cream and sugar mixture above the other larger ice bowl, using a hand mixer and whipped it until it gets thicker, then chilled for at least 3 hours
Sponge Slab Cake
- Place a big bowl of a mixture of eggs and castor sugar on a bain-marie, keep stirring until the mixture is a little bit warm (around 40C – 104F)
- Using a mixer to whip on high speed till triple volume
- Then add 1/3 sifted plain flour every time while you slowly mix it by hand using a spatula, add 3 times flour until finished
- Lastly add warm milk while mixing by hand like the adding flour step.
- Pour the mixture over the baking Swiss tin 31cm x 25cm (12.5 x 10 inches) with baking paper underneath. Bake at 170C (338F) for 10 minutes only
Roll Cake Assembly
- After baking the sponge cake slab 15 minutes while it is still soft, apply a layer of whipped cream on top, then spread it evenly.
- Cut the flan in half, use a spatula knife then transfer it into the sheet cake with fresh cream on top, place on the top of sponge sheet.
- With a bag of fresh cream then pipe along the sides of flan to prevents forming holes when rolling
- With a paper underneath, start rolling from the top, slowly and carefully to make sure the flan not pull apart from the sheet cake. Then use the aluminium foil to wrap and secure the shape (can use sticky tape if you wish), leave it the fridge for at least 3 hours (I prefer overnight)
- Un-wrap it then spread a thin layer of fresh cream on top, sprinkle with caramelized almond flake on top, then it is ready to eat.
- To cut or slice, I use a serrated edge knife or called bread knife, dip a knife into a hot water and wipe it for every slice cut to make sure you will have a clean and smooth cut, looks attractive.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the mixture of milk, eggs and sugar to be warmed, otherwise the baking time will be longer than 20 minutes.
- Keep watching while it is been baking, baking over time will cause the hard flan and bubbled.
- The longer leaving in the fridge, the easier cutting as it will set and keep the uniform better.
- The egg and sugar mixture have to be warmed, otherwise the volume will be hard to triple volume while whipping.
- After add sifted plain flour and milk, do not over mix, as the better will go thinner and so flat, will cause the sponge will be hard and crack once rolling, just slowly stir to combine.
- Baking 10 minutes or less only to make sure it is just cook, longer time will cause hard and cracking sponge.
