Vanilla Raspberry Cake Roll

Raspberry roll cake – vanilla sponge roll cake filled with fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves, and vanilla whipped cream. This light summer dessert is a family favorite.

Have you figured out what you’re making for Memorial Day? I’ll be in Ocean City next weekend for a friend’s wedding and will be living vicariously through all of you while I’m sitting at the airport.

I feel like true summer is just around the corner and I’ve started to crave all the grilled things, preferably with a slice of this raspberry roll cake for dessert. It is one of my top five favorite dessert and cake recipes – and I don’t say that lightly!

The roll cake is so fresh, so light in texture, and filled with two of my favorite things: lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Tons and tons of raspberries!

It is no secret that I love a raspberry dessert. Raspberries are my all-time favorite berry, particularly at this time of year – and this cake is stuffed to the brim with fresh raspberries. Go big or go home, right?

If you’re looking for a fun, trendy, and elegant twist on this classic roll cake recipe, be sure to check out this raspberry matcha cake too.

My mom has been making some version of this raspberry roll cake for years and years. It was my most requested dessert growing up. She occasionally made a chocolate version of it for my dad and sisters, but I was a staunch vanilla sponge cake girl through and through.

When everyone else was bringing in yellow cake with chocolate frosting for school birthdays, I was bringing in this raspberry roll cake. [Hi, I’m high-maintenance.] I was (and still am) very picky about cake frostings, and a lightly whipped cream is still one of my favorite cake fillings to this date.

It is light and airy, doesn’t weigh down the sponge cake (very important), and is so fitting for summertime.

Sponge roll cakes have a reputation of being complicated and finicky to make, but I actually consider them to be one of the easiest desserts, particularly if you keep the cake filling simple and straight-forward.

Roll cakes bake up in almost no time at all (10 to 15 minutes) and the baking equipment is straight-forward. You just need a standard half sheet pan and parchment paper.

No need for fancy cake pans or leveling.

Tips for Raspberry Roll Cake Success:

The most important and crucial step for sponge roll cakes is rolling the cake immediately once it is removed from the oven. The cake should be rolled with the kitchen linen (so that the cake is not touching itself). Dust a large kitchen linen (preferably a linen tea towel) generously with powdered sugar and invert the cake quickly and confidently.

Think of this step as cake muscle memory. When the cake is rolled hot from the oven, it prevents the sponge cake from splitting and cracking during assembly later. It makes all the difference, and you will become a cake roll champion in no time!

Once rolled, cooled, and unrolled, the sponge cake is spread with a thin layer of raspberry preserves. It provides a touch of sweetness and moisture to the cake.

The filling for the roll cake is similar to a classic raspberry fool: lightly mashed fresh raspberries folded into vanilla whipped cream. Once the raspberry cream is spread into a thin layer, you add more fresh raspberries.

Not only do the mashed raspberries tint the whipped cream a beautiful light pink hue, but this step ensures that you get fresh raspberry flavor in every bite.

My go-to berries are Driscoll’s brand due to their consistent freshness and flavor. This is particularly important for this cake where raspberries serve as both a flavoring, filling, and topping.

Lastly, the roll cake is spread with a final layer of lightly sweetened whipped cream and garnished with additional raspberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

This raspberry roll cake reminds me of a winter wonderland, but tastes like summer. It is so fluffy. If you’re looking for a great springtime or summer dessert that be prepped ahead of time, this raspberry roll cake is it!

Ingredients