This spongy Lemon Cake Roll is bursting with fresh lemon flavor and loaded with a delectable lemony cream cheese/whipped cream filling! It’s the ideal dessert to create in the springtime, and it also looks elegant and spectacular!
Today’s 70-degree weather in Kentucky has got me in the mood for Spring. When I think of Spring, I think of lemons! This recipe was actually uploaded a few years ago, but it needed some updated photos and I was in the mood to create it, so here we have it, a spongy Lemon Cake Roll with a lemony cream cheese-whipped cream filling.
Some people are scared by the prospect of making a cake roll, but cake rolls are actually quite simple to create, and the end result is an astonishingly exquisite looking spongy cake roll that is also rather delicious!
INGREDIENTS
CAKE ROLLING
1 cup cake flour (sifted prior to measuring)
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon’s zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened or slightly melted unsalted butter
4 big eggs, 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence, pure
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon essence or oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Towel and cake powdered sugar
FILLING
1 gallon heavy whipping cream
1 softened 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon’s zest
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure lemon oil
CAKE ROLLING
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly oil a 15 1/2′′ x 10 1/2′′ x 1′′ jelly roll pan. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease and lightly flour the parchment paper and the pan’s inside edges.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. For about one minute, beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy. Combine the eggs, vanilla, lemon oil, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Mix for about two minutes on medium speed, or until the mixture is very creamy and lemony. Mix in the dry ingredients for 30 seconds, just long enough to incorporate the flour. Avoid over-mixing.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cake is spongy on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, in a prepared jelly roll pan.
Run a knife around the cake roll’s edges. Invert the cake onto a clean, fuzz-free towel that has been liberally dusted with powdered sugar. Remove the parchment paper. Trim the cake’s firm edges on all sides using a sharp knife. Sprinkle extra powdered sugar over the top of the cake. Roll the cake, towel and all, into a tight roll, beginning at one of the short ends. Allow the roll to cool while you prepare the filling.
FILLING
Whip the whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Place in a separate bowl and refrigerate while preparing the remaining filling ingredients.
In the same stand mixer dish, combine the cream cheese. On medium speed, beat until light and creamy. Check for lumps in the cream cheese. Combine the powdered sugar, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and lemon oil in a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until everything is well incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream carefully using a spatula.
Unroll the cake coil gently. Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the cake roll, ending about 1/2 inch from the cake’s edges. Begin by gently rolling the cake with filling from the towel into a roll, beginning with the short end. Dust the roll with powdered sugar.
Refrigerate the roll for at least 30 minutes to cool the filling. Cut into slices and serve.
Any leftovers should be refrigerated.
