Welcome to Bon Appétit Bake Club, a community of curious bakers. Each month senior test kitchen editors Jesse Szewczyk and Shilpa Uskokovic share a must-make recipe and dive deep on why it works. Come bake and learn with us—ask questions, share pics, listen to our podcast, and lots more here. And don’t forget to join the Bake Club Group chat over on Substack.
For deputy food editor Hana Asbrink’s birthday last year, I made this Strawberry Shortcake Roll cake filled with vanilla whip and tiny ruby red berries. Hana liked it enough to take some home, which in the Test Kitchen is a ringing endorsement! Traditionally, this dessert asks you to (1) swaddle hot cake in a kitchen towel; (2) roll, cool, and unroll it to set the shape; then (3) fill and reroll it with bated breath. By tinkering with the ratio of eggs to oil, I’ve achieved a cake that’s flexible even when cold, so you can skip most of those tedious steps. It’s a dessert tailor-made for spring and summer gatherings and more proof that strawberries and cream is a deserving classic.
Some tips to ensure roll cake success:
THE CAKE: Cream of tartar prevents the egg whites from becoming dry and overwhipped, ensuring a tender, even-crumbed sponge.
THE FILLING: A few spoonfuls of instant vanilla pudding mix turn a pint of heavy cream into a pillowy but stable whip, with a custardy density you can’t quite capture without its inclusion.
THE ROLLING: For the plumpest, roundest shape, think of the parchment like a corset, pulling tightly around the cake as you roll.
THE FINISH: To make a swirly stripe on top like we did, use an oversized basket weave tip such as an Ateco 789 (sometimes called a cake icer tip).
THE BERRIES: Look for deeply red, fully ripe strawberries with no white around the leaves. If you can’t find promising ones, use fresh raspberries instead; they tend to be more consistent and are a better choice here than mediocre strawberries.
Recipe information
Total Time
4 hours
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Cake
Whipped Cream and Assembly
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (do not grease pan or parchment). Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 6 large egg whites, zest of 1 small lemon, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. cream of tartar in a medium bowl until sugar is dissolved, egg whites are glossy, and medium-stiff peaks form, 6–9 minutes. (Or, beat on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.)
Step 2
Place 6 large egg yolks in a large bowl. Sift 1 cup (115 g) bleached cake flour over; vigorously whisk until smooth. Whisk in ⅓ cup whole or low-fat milk and ¼ cup vegetable oil. Add one fourth of meringue and mix until incorporated. Add remaining meringue in 3 batches, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition until only a few streaks of meringue remain (err on the side of undermixing to keep the cake batter billowy).
Step 3
Scrape batter into prepared baking sheet and, using a medium offset spatula, gently spread to edges, smoothing surface. Bake cake until top springs back when gently pressed, 20–25 minutes (cake may start to shrink from sides of pan). Let cake cool in pan, 30–40 minutes.
Whipped Cream and Assembly
Step 4
Stir ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 2 Tbsp. instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ cup heavy cream in a large bowl until pudding mix is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat in remaining 1¾ cups heavy cream until medium-firm peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Step 5
Set 4–5 nice fresh strawberries aside from 1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled, for decorating the final cake; cut remaining berries into ½" pieces.
Step 6
Run a small offset spatula along edges of pan to release cake. Place a clean sheet of parchment paper (the same size as the cake) on top of cake and, holding pan and parchment together, flip over in one swift motion to invert cake onto parchment. Place on a surface; remove baking sheet. Carefully peel away parchment from bottom of cake (start from a long side where it might be embedded in the cake and pull gently to avoid tearing the cake); discard. Using a paring knife, trim edges of cake on all 4 sides; discard (or eat!).
Step 7
Transfer 1½ cups whipped cream to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve cake. Dollop remaining whipped cream on top of cake. Using small offset spatula, smooth into an even layer, working all the way to edges. Evenly scatter chopped strawberries over. Gently push into cream with small offset spatula. Starting from a short end and using parchment to help shape, roll up cake (don’t worry if some filling gets squeezed out on the sides).
Step 8
Transfer cake to a platter and arrange seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until filling is set and cake is cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 9
Using a serrated knife, trim ¼"–½" off both ends of cake; discard (or eat!). Transfer reserved whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a very large tip (such as Ateco 789); pipe on top of cake (or, simply spread it on with medium offset spatula). Halve and/or quarter reserved strawberries; arrange on top as desired.
