Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake

This Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake is the ultimate holiday showstopper dessert, sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth this Christmas. It’s an irresistible yuletide treat full of cozy, comforting flavours of warmly spiced gingerbread and luxurious eggnog cream filling.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. There’s nothing like this combination of warming spices to get every grinch and scrooge in the holiday spirit. Set the mood with festive intentions every morning with a Gingerbread Latte featuring delicious homemade gingerbread syrup.

Then, start your holiday baking with these incredibly easy Gingerbread Cookies. The spiced dough rolls and cuts so easily and simple royal icing is all you need to give them a little character.

Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake

Is there anything as welcoming as a ginger cake baking in the oven? There’s just something about warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg that screams ‘come in and be cozy’!

This holiday Gingerbread Swiss Cake Roll begins with a perfectly pliable spongy gingerbread cake filled with a rich cream cheese eggnog frosting. Finish this stunningly festive dessert centrepiece with a sweet maple glaze, candied ginger, and sugared cranberries.

Alternatively, skip the glaze and go straight to the Nutella Chocolate Frosting to turn this roll cake recipe into a Yule log or bûche de Noël. Generally, this classic Christmas centrepiece dessert is made using a chocolate cake roll or vanilla Swiss roll, but I think gingerbread makes it extra special.

What is a Swiss Roll Cake?

Generally, a chocolate Swiss roll consists of a chocolate cake roll or thin chocolate sponge cake rolled around a homemade whipped cream filling. These special chocolate cakes may be drizzled in a chocolate ganache or finished with a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar. 

This Gingerbread cake roll recipe is a festive update of the classic Swiss chocolate cake recipe. It features cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses instead of cocoa powder and replaces the heavy whipping cream with cream cheese and eggnog. 

Ingredients in a Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake

Don’t let the long list of pantry ingredients deter you from making this holiday masterpiece. All the ingredients are easy to find at your regular grocery store and the recipe is fairly straightforward.

• Cake Flour
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon
• Allspice
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Salt
• Eggs
• Molasses
• Brown Sugar
• Granulated Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Cream Cheese
• Eggnog
• Butter
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Maple Syrup
• Milk

Many sponge cake recipes call for cake flour because it has a lower gluten content and is more finely milled than all purpose flour. It helps cakes to turn out light and fluffy, with a fine crumb. If you don’t have cake flour, make your own by substituting 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch for every one cup of cake flour.

December is the best time of year to replace spices. Using freshly opened spices in holiday baking recipes like this one ensures maximum flavour! I personally love freshly grated nutmeg on eggnog so we always have whole nutmeg in the pantry and it keeps for much longer than ground nutmeg in a tin.

Do you need to use unsulphured molasses in this recipe? Yes. They have a sweeter taste and do not have a ‘chemical’ flavour from sulphur dioxide preservative.

Yes, there are three types of sugar in this recipe, and they all have a purpose. Brown sugar imparts a wonderful caramel flavour and reacts with baking soda to create more lift in baking. Alternatively, granulated sugar allows the batter to spread and get a slight crust with a lovely sheen.

Confectioner’s sugar, also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, dissolves easily and is most used in frosting and glaze.

Lastly, please use softened unsalted butter, full fat cream cheese, and whole milk in this recipe.

How to Make a Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake

While there are three stages to baking this holiday Swiss roll recipe, do not panic. Each stage is fairly straightforward, and I am here to help you through it, every step of the way!

First Bake a Gingerbread Sponge Cake…

Swiss rolls are as easy to bake as any cake; the difference is you will need a jelly roll pan. Begin by preheating the oven to 375° F. 

Line a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure it is at least 2 inches longer on the ends. Crumple the parchment well, then press into the bottom of the pan, creasing it in the corners. Spray the parchment well with cooking spray.

To make the cake batter, start by combining the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Measure the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and salt then use a whisk to briefly mix them together.

In large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form (the peak will stand up straight). In another large mixing bowl add the egg yolks, molasses, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat together for 4 minutes or until well combined.

Add half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and fold them in Add the remaining egg whites and fold in again. Next, sift in half of the flour mixture, and then fold it into the batter using a silicone spatula until just combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients. Do not over mix.

Use a spatula to spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan, making sure to spread to the edges and bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 12 – 15 minutes. Check cake at 12 minute mark using a toothpick. If it comes out clean, cake is done baking. If it is still sticky, bake for another 3 minutes.

How to Roll a Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake

Remove cake from the baking pan and immediately fold the parchment paper over the short end of the cake, then roll cake up tightly. Cool the rolled cake on a rack until it is cool all the way through (this may take 2-3 hours).

Make the Cream Cheese Eggnog Filling

While the cake is cooling, make the Eggnog Cream. Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese together for 3 minutes until fluffy then add the sugar and eggnog. Beat until eggnog cream until completely smooth.

When the cake has completely cooled, unroll it gently and spread the eggnog cream over the cake all the way to the edges. Roll the cake back up and place seam side down on a serving platter.

Make the Maple Glaze and Decorate the Cake Roll

To Make the Maple Glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar together with the maple syrup and milk in a small bowl. Use a whisk to drizzle Maple Glaze over the Swiss roll cake then decorate with candied ginger bits and sugared cranberries. Slice and serve.

Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or slice and wrap each piece separately, then store them in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Gingerbread Swiss Roll Cake recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!