How to Make Blueberry Lemon Roll Cake

This blueberry lemon roll cake or swiss roll is such a heavenly dessert. A light and airy sponge cake rolled with whipped cream and lemon curd loaded with fresh blueberries.

blueberry lemon roll whole

Also Read: How to Make Real Whipped Cream, How to Make Lemon Curd, Raspberry Jelly Roll

We picked fresh blueberries the other day and didn’t want to drown their flavor in a heavy, overly sweet dessert. Whether you have blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, or strawberries – if you want to enjoy their full flavor with whipped cream and a light cake – this is your recipe!

While there are a couple of steps involved in this recipe, each one is quite straight forward. Trust me, you CAN do this.

blueberry lemon roll whole
Fresh blueberries and whipped cream mixed with lemon curd rolled in a light sponge cake garnished with lemon zest and mint.

Recipe for Blueberry Lemon Roll Cake

blueberry lemon roll whole
Print Recipe
4.67 from 9 votes

Blueberry Lemon Roll Cake or Swiss Roll

A delicious dessert that really lets the flavor of fresh berries shine through. Use whatever fresh berries you have on hand. There are a few steps, but they're all easy and the final assembly is a breeze.
Prep : 30 minutes
Cook : 15 minutes
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Cake

  • 4 Egg Whites
  • ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar (optional)
  • ¾ cup Sugar, divided
  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¾ cup All-purpose Flour
  • ¾ tsp Baking Powder
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 3 tbsp Icing Sugar, divided

Filling

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 15×10 inch (40x25cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or grease and flour.
  • In bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar.
  • Gradually add ¼ cup (60 ml) of the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.
  • In separate large bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Mix in vanilla extract.
  • In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Alternate folding the egg whites and the flour into the egg yolks, trying to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
  • Pour batter into the pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake for 12 to15 minutes until top is golden brown.
  • Lay a clean tea towel on countertop and dust with 2 tbsp (30 ml) of icing sugar.
  • Remove cake from oven. Using a knife, loosen edges of cake and invert onto towel. Remove pan and peel off paper.
  • Immediately roll up the cake with the towel starting at the short edge.
  • Let cool on rack. (Store like this for up to one day or roll in wax paper, wrap in foil and freeze for 2 weeks).

Filling

  • Whip cold whipping cream for 1 minute. Add sugar and continue whipping on medium speed until stiff peaks form (only another 2-3 minutes). When you lift the beaters, the peaks should stand upright but still look smooth and glossy. Stop whipping as soon as you reach this stage, over-whipping can cause the cream to turn grainy or curdle.
  • If using, gently fold in lemon curd, using a spatula, lifting and turning the cream rather than stirring, just until combined.

Assembly

  • Carefully, unroll the cooled cake. Lay as flat as possible, but don't force or tear cake.
  • Spread whipped cream on cake (reserve 1/4 -1/2 cup for garnishing), leaving a 1½ inch (3.7 cm) margin on the short side that will be rolled up last.
  • Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries (reserve some for garnishing) and 1 Tbsp of lemon zest on top of whipped cream.
  • Gently re-roll the cake without the tea towel.
  • Place seam side down on a serving plate.
  • Sprinkle with remaining icing sugar.
  • Garnish with reserved whipped cream, berries and lemon zest. Add sprigs of mint leaves if you wish. You can enjoy right away, but it's even better if you let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours or so.
  • Use a serrated knife to cut slices. Serve with extra berries.

Notes

Replace blueberries with whatever fresh berries you have access to.
The lemon curd is optional, but adds a lovely lemon flavor. Use store bought or make your own. Or as an alternative add 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest to the whipping cream.
Tried this recipe?Mention @GetGettyS or tag #GetGettyS

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 3173kcal | Carbohydrates: 481g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 125g | Sodium: 1587mg | Fiber: 25g | Sugar: 361g | Iron: 10mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blueberries, rollcake, swissroll, whipped cream
inside view of blueberry lemon slice
An inside view.

Other Names for Roll Cake

I’m not very creative when it comes to naming recipes – often the names I choose are very descriptive – like Blueberry Lemon Roll Cake – because it’s a cake you roll around blueberries and lemon. Other names you might find for a cake like this include Jelly Roll or Swiss Roll.

Jelly roll is a term often used in the US. Like in my Raspberry Jelly Roll, jam or jelly is spread on the cake before it’s rolled.

You would think the term Swiss Roll came about because the cake was “invented” in Switzerland. Well, you’d be wrong, as I was. Various internet sites indicate that Austria, England and the US had the first documented recipes for rolled cake in the mid 1800’s.

Oh well, let’s just call it delicious and enjoy!

blueberry lemon roll slice on plate

What berry or fruit would you prefer to put in a roll cake?

Cook with the seasons, effortlessly! I’m Getty, a food educator and Professional Home Economist, helping you select, store, and serve seasonal ingredients in delicious, simple, everyday meals. Sign up for seasonal tips and recipes delivered straight to your inbox, and dive deeper with my books, guides, or YouTube content.

2 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Just made this! Came out very nice, but I had a small hiccup with the whipped cream!

    I followed the instructions: whipped the cream a little, added sugar, added curd to the cream, and then kept whipping to stiff peaks and my cream immediately curdled! Had to restart, and this time I whipped the cream fully to stiff peaks, then folded in the curd after. That worked well enough – thankfully I had enough curd to salvage together a second attempt.

    1. Hi Dana,
      Thank you for your thoughtful comment and feedback. I’m glad you had the patience and supplies to try again!
      There is a little more nuance to combining lemon curd and whipped cream than I describe in the recipe.Temperature, acidity and overwhipping can all tip the cream over quickly.
      I’ve never had issues whipping the curd, but it does require judging just the right moment when to add the curd and when to stop whipping. To make it easier and more reliable, I’m going to tweak the instructions to whip the cream fully to stiff peaks and THEN GENTLY FOLD in the lemon curd. It’s a much more controlled method.
      Really appreciate you takint the time to comment – this kind of feedback helps improve the recipe for everyone.

4.67 from 9 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.