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Gingerbread Roulade Cake

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This Gingerbread Roulade Cake is a festive holiday dessert filled with warm spices, soft sponge cake, and tangy cream cheese filling. Rolled up for a beautiful presentation and easy to make ahead, this elegant yet cozy cake is the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas or winter table.

  • Author: Julia
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including cooling)
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • Unsalted butter, melted (plus more for greasing)
  • All-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)
  • Filling:
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Gumdrops (optional, for decoration)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 10.5 x 15.5-inch jelly roll pan with parchment. Butter and flour the parchment and sides.
  2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, allspice, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and half the granulated sugar until thick and pale. Mix in melted butter, molasses, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients.
  4. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.
  5. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 12–15 minutes until springy to the touch.
  6. Dust a clean kitchen towel with confectioners’ sugar. Invert hot cake onto towel, peel off parchment, and gently roll up (starting at the short side) with the towel inside. Let cool completely.
  7. For the filling, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat until creamy. Reserve 2 tablespoons for decoration.
  8. Unroll the cooled cake, spread the filling evenly, then roll it up again (without the towel).
  9. Place seam-side down, dust with powdered sugar, and decorate with gumdrops using the reserved filling as glue.

Notes

  • Roll the cake while warm to avoid cracks.
  • Add orange zest or chopped crystallized ginger to the filling for variation.
  • Garnish with sugared cranberries, berries, or white chocolate drizzle instead of gumdrops.
  • Use a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend if needed—texture may be slightly more delicate.
  • Best served chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://juliameals.com/gingerbread-roulade-cake/