Red Velvet Cake Roll

Name: Red Velvet Cake Roll
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 cup cocoa powder; 3/4 cup cake flour (sifted); 4 eggs; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons buttermilk; 1 teaspoon vinegar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons red food coloring; 1 package (8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature); 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted); 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (softened); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Powdered sugar

4.34 from 3 votes

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This red velvet cake roll recipe has spirals of luscious cream cheese filling, and it’s the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day. Since we have been iced in for the past three days, I have been thinking of all the yummy treats that I would like to make for Valentines Day.

I already made red velvet cheesecake brownies and red velvet whoopie pies, and I knew that I wanted to make a red velvet cake. After looking through several recipes, I wasn’t finding what I wanted. I then thought back to the delicious pumpkin roll that I make every Thanksgiving.

That was it! A red velvet cake roll! Problem solved. Images of moist red velvet cake roll ideas flew through my head.

This cake roll is sweet and delicious, and the filling is simple to whip up. This easy red velvet cake roll from scratch is a real crowd pleaser. In fact, you might want to make it for the next potluck or holiday dinner you go to! Just be prepared for people to ask you to make it again and again!

Rolling up the cake isn’t that hard as long as the cake remains warm. Follow the instructions, and you should soon have a tasty red velvet roll cake that’s unforgettable and totally delicious and divine.

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The color contrast of the red cake and white frosting is rather festive! This could be a good cake to make for a Christmas party.
The soft cake and creamy frosting are a delight to eat together.
It’s not that expensive to make. All the ingredients are ones that you could have in your pantry as you read this.
Baking red velvet cake roll at home can help you learn more about food science and how each ingredient reacts with the others. This is especially important if you have kids who need to learn more about baking and cooking.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Cake flour: Cake flour makes the cake more tender. This is a low-protein flour that’s also ground more finely. The resulting cake would be light and airy, and not that dense.

Buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda: These are the ingredients that make chocolate cake turn a bit reddish brown. They also have non-color effects, such as buttermilk making the cake even more tender and giving it a fuller flavor.

Red food coloring: Red velvet cakes nowadays use red food coloring. People are used to seeing the brighter hue instead of the subtle reddish tones of naturally colored red velvet cake.

Cream cheese: Instead of a whipped cream filling, this homemade red velvet cake roll dessert uses a cream cheese frosting. Not only is the frosting more stable than some whipped creams, but it holds up better in the refrigerator, too.

How to Make It

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 15×10 jelly-roll pan; line this with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Step 2. In a large bowl, sift together salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and cake flour; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs for five minutes. Slowly add sugar and oil. Beat until combined. You want these well-mixed, but don’t overwork the batter. Add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan.

Step 3. Bake in a preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn the cake onto the prepared towel. Carefully peel off the wax paper. Roll up the cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool, seam side down, on a wire rack.

Step 4. To make the filling with cream cheese, combine the powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake, and re-roll it. Wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it together and refrigerate for at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Tips for Success

Don’t let the cake cool down before you remove it from the pan and roll it up. It needs to be warm so that it stays more pliable and can roll up without cracking.

Storage & Reheating

The cream cheese in the filling makes this old fashioned red velvet cake roll recipe perishable and not safe to store at room temperature. Instead, store leftovers in the refrigerator; keep them in an airtight container. Finish the cake within two days or freeze the rest.

If you choose to freeze it, slice it up and place the slices on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about half an hour, and then wrap the slices in plastic and store them in a freezer bag. That initial round of freezing helps make the filling stiffer and less likely to stick to the plastic wrap.

Serving Suggestions

Honestly, serve this cake by itself or with some cut fresh fruit. You could serve it as dessert at the end of any meal, and it really doesn’t matter what type of cuisine you have. Enjoy this as a sweet snack or as part of a multicourse meal. Either way, the cake will still taste awesome.

Notes

While most red velvet cakes now use red food coloring, there is an actual, physical reaction behind the name “red velvet.” In the 1800s, cakes weren’t as soft as they are now. When cooks figured out they could add cocoa and make the cakes lighter, they did so, and these cocoa cakes became known as velvet cakes. As the cake recipes evolved to include buttermilk, people noticed that buttermilk and other acidic ingredients reacted to give red velvet cakes a slight reddish hue.

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Red Velvet Cake Roll

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Red Velvet Cake Roll with its spirals of creamy cream cheese filling is the perfect dessert for Valentines Day. Since we have been iced in for the past three days, I have been thinking of all the yummy treats that I would like to make for Valentines Day.

4.34 from 3 votes

Review Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring

For the Filling:

1 package, 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
In a large bowl, sift together salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and cake flour; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs for five minutes. Slowly add sugar and oil. Beat until combined. Add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool, seam side down, on wire rack .
To make the filling cream cheese, combine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Source: adapted from Domino Sugar

Author: Laura

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