Christmas Cake Roll — Celebrate the holiday season with this scrumptious vanilla cake that’s filled to the brim with a tangy-sweet cream cheese filling and topped with melted white chocolate! Plenty of red and green sprinkles add the PERFECT festive flair to this stunning holiday dessert recipe that’s perfect for all your holiday entertaining needs and parties! Easy enough for novice bakers!
Christmas Roll Cake Recipe
This homemade Christmas cake roll is as soft, tender, and moist as it is festive and fun. You know those desserts that look really pretty and look pretty on a dessert table, but don’t actually taste too great? You don’t have to worry about that here!
Put simply, this holiday dessert recipe is just a sweet and simple vanilla cake that’s filled with homemade cream cheese frosting, decorated with Christmas themed sprinkles, and rolled up.
Covering the cake is a melted white chocolate topping that calls for just two ingredients.
The cake itself is perfectly sweetened with just the right amount of vanilla and it’s equally important to mention that it’s also sturdy enough to roll while still retaining its soft, light, and fluffy texture!
And the cream cheese icing that’s? Swoon! Your family will definitely be fighting over who gets to lick that mixing spoon.
It’s so impressive to serve, but easy to make. The best of both worlds!
If you’ve never rolled a cake before, you have nothing to worry about because I’ve included plenty of tips and tricks to help you perfect the art of the cake roll.
Whether you serve this vanilla Christmas cake roll at during your holiday parties displayed out on a sweets table or it is the star of the show at a special Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meal, everyone is going to ohh-and-ahh, and then ask for seconds.
Tip: For anyone who loves a good cake roll, make sure to check out my classic Pumpkin Roll recipe!
Ingredients for a Christmas Cake Roll
If you’re an avid baker, you likely already have everything you need to make this holiday cake roll currently in your kitchen because the recipe utilizes fridge and pantry baking staples that you’re already familiar with.
You’ll want to have handy the following ingredients:
Cake
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Christmas sprinkles
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Christmas sprinkles
White Chocolate Topping
- Ghirardelli melting wafers (preferred method/ingredient)
- OR white chocolate chips + coconut oil (oil is optional but recommended if using chips)
- Christmas sprinkles
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make a Christmas Cake Roll
In just a few easy to follow steps, you’ll have the best centerpiece for your Christmas dessert spread!
Between the perfectly baked vanilla cake, the sweet cream cheese icing in the middle, and the smooth white chocolate topping, there’s a whole lot to love about this Christmas roll. Let’s get to rolling!
Step 1: Cake – Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Whisk or beat together the wet ingredients plus the sugar in a bowl.
Step 3: Separately, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in the Christmas sprinkles.
Step 5: Turn the batter out into the prepared pan and bake.
Step 6: Nearly immediately, or as soon as cake is cool enough to handle, use the parchment paper to roll the cake up and allow to cool for at least 1 hour.
Step 7: Cream Cheese Filling – Meanwhile, make the filling by beating together the cream cheese and butter.
Step 8: Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth.
Step 9: Assembly – Unroll the cake and spread the filling in an even layer.
Step 10: Evenly add the sprinkles and roll it up again. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
Step 11: White Chocolate – Melt the Ghirardelli Melting Wafers or white chocolate chips with coconut oil in the microwave until you can stir it smooth.
Step 12: Top the homemade cake roll with the white chocolate, add more sprinkles, slice, and serve!
How to Roll Up the Christmas Cake
It’s important to point out you’re actually going to roll this cake twice:
- The first time is right after it comes out of the oven, freshly baked and warm. Note – You roll it up with the parchment paper and all included. Don’t worry, the parchment comes out later! But I find this is the easiest method. After the Christmas cake roll cools, unroll it and remove the parchment.
- Spread the cream cheese filling over the flat surface of the cake and roll it up again after the filling is inside it.
Cake Rolling Tips
- Line the pan with parchment paper and make sure the paper is about 2 inches longer than the pan on the ends.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately fold the parchment paper over the cake on one end and roll it up. If the cake has time to cool (more than just a minute or two), it will crack and won’t roll properly.
- When you spread your frosting over the cooled cake, make sure to spread it nearly all the way out to the edges, minus a bare 1/2-inch margin.
- Then, roll the cake right back up and cover it with plastic wrap.
- The best way to make sure the icing has time to really set is to place the rolled cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This also helps so when you frost it with the melted white chocolate, you know the frosting will set nicely.
- Bottom Line – Take your time, but remember it’s fine if there are slight tears or small rips in the cake. Many of them are going to be covered anyways as you roll it all up and then cover the top in melted white chocolate.
- If you are really concerned, you can dust the rolled cake (before you frost it) with a fairly thick dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Yes it’ll be sweeter, but the sugar will conceal the imperfections just like I do with my Pumpkin Cake Roll.
Is a Jelly Roll Pan Essential?
For this Christmas cake idea, you will indeed need a 15x10x1-inch Jelly Roll Pan.
I really have great luck with that pan and use it often. You can use it again to make my favorite Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll.
Tips: This isn’t a cake recipe, as written, that I would use to make a square cake or a Bundt cake.
If you’d like to make a square cake similar to the cake roll without actually making a rolled cake, I suggest making my homemade Vanilla Funfetti Cake recipe and use holiday themed sprinkles rather than the colorful Funfetti sprinkles.
Storing and Gifting a Christmas Roll
I am fine with storing cream cheese-filled or frosting items at room temp for about a day but after that you should store it in the fridge if you make it the night before a big holiday event.
This Christmas cake roll will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and taste great.
However, because of the rolled nature of the cake and all that luscious cream cheese filling that can ooze, things can get a little messy over time in the fridge.
Therefore, I don’t consider this a great make-ahead cake more than 24 hours in advance of when you plan to serve it for the best visual impressions.
Tips for the Best Christmas Cake Roll
Short Baking Time – Cake rolls only need to bake for about 10 to 12 minutes unlike other cakes which bake much longer. Don’t forget about this quick-baking dessert recipe once you get it in the oven.
No Kitchen Towel and No Powdered Sugar for the Countertop – While there are many cake roll recipes out there that require a towel for rolling the cake, and dousing your counter with powdered sugar, you don’t need either of them for this easy cake roll recipe!
Parchment Paper – As I mentioned above where I discussed rolling the cake twice, the first time you roll the cake, keep it on the parchment paper it was baked on.
While the cake is still warm, roll up the cake starting at the short end, and then set it aside with the seam side down for at least one hour to cool.
It’s kind of like taking hot rollers out of your hair after they’ve cooled. Even though you have to unroll your hair, it’ll still retain a curl because it was allowed to set from warm to cool in that position. Your cake will still retain that same nice curl!
Cream Cheese Filling – Be sure to let the cake fully cool to room temperature before you unroll it, remove the parchment paper, and then add the homemade cream cheese frosting to it.
If the cake is still warm, the filling mixture will melt, and you’ll be left with a mess. Not to mention, your cake won’t have set up into a rolled or curled position.
Cream Cheese and Butter – Both of these ingredients must be softened to room temperature prior to using. Plan ahead, and take them out at least 1 hour before you’re going to use them. In chilly wintertime-weather kitchens, I find that an hour is necessary.
All-Purpose Flour – It’s best to spoon the flour into the measuring cup. If you scoop the measuring cup directly into the bag/container of flour, you’ll pack it tightly in there. Packed flour is too much flour.
Sprinkles – For my Christmas cake roll, I used an assortment of Wilton Holiday Sprinkles. Not all brands are equal in the sprinkles department and some cheapie brands have a tendency to run and bleed in either the cake batter, into or onto the cream cheese filling layer, or in the melted white chocolate. Use a trusted higher quality brand so that your cake roll doesn’t look like a Halloween creation with a bunch of smeared red dye everywhere!
White Chocolate Melting Wafers – I am a big advocate of Ghirardelli Melting Wafers because they’re so much easier to work with because they melt so much more smoothly, evenly, and without risk of seizing.
If you do use white chocolate chips, I highly suggest a dollop of coconut oil too to help the melting process along. You could use shortening (Crisco) but not sure of how many of us keep that ingredient on hand.
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Christmas Cake Roll
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Christmas sprinkles, or as desired
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temp (use brick style cream cheese, nothing lite or spreadable)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Christmas sprinkles, or as desired
White Chocolate Topping
- ½ cup Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers
- OR 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon coconut oil, oil is optional but highly recommended if using chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons Christmas sprinkles. or as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure to keep an overhang of 1 to 2 inches. I spray the parchment paper with cooking spray but it's optional. Set pan aside.
- Cake - To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and whisk or beat with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and pale yellow; set aside momentarily.
- To a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking or mixing just enough to combine, but don't overmix.
- Add the sprinkles and stir to combine.
- Turn the batter out into the prepared pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cake bounces back slightly when touched.
- Roll Up (First Time) - Immediately (use hot mitts) life the entire sheet of parchment paper off the jelly roll pan, place it on the counter, and from the short side (10 inch side), roll up the cake as tightly as you can. Note - You are rolling up the cake WITH the parchment paper in it; this comes out later, don't worry.* (See Notes for Rolling Tips)
- Place the rolled cake, seam side down, on a cooling rack to cool for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's fully cooled. Tips - Don't rush the cooling process because you want the cake to really set, kind of like your hair in hot rollers, don't remove until fully cooled for best results. Plus, a warm cake will melt the filling in the next steps, which is also undesirable.
- Cream Cheese Filling - While your cake is cooling in the final moments, you can make the cream cheese filling. To a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and beat with a handheld electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy. Tip - Make sure you are starting with very well-softened, room temperature ingredients, or this is nearly impossible to achieve.
- Add the sifted confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth and fluffy. Tip - Make sure to use sifted confectioners' sugar or your cream cheese filling may look lumpy.
- Unroll the cooled cake.
- Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the interior flat surface. Spread it nearly to the perimeter but not quite, and leave a 1/2-inch bare margin.
- Evenly sprinkle the sprinkles over the cream cheese filing.
- Roll Up (Second Time) - Roll up the cake again, this time do NOT roll it up with the parchment paper. Roll just the cake itself.
- Allow the cake roll to rest and set for about 30 minutes, seam side down. Tips - I personally wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to really set it with the cool air. This also helps set the cream cheese filling.
- White Chocolate - After the cake has rested/chilled, to a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers (strongly recommended) and heat in the microwave according to package directions, and the white chocolate can be stirred smooth. Alternatively, add white chocolate chips plus coconut oil (or shortening like Crisco) to a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 15 second bursts, until the white chocolate can be stirred smooth; do not overheat because the chocolate will have a tendency to seize and you will have to start over.
- Evenly spread or drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of the cake roll.
- Evenly add more sprinkles sprinkles.
- Allow the white chocolate to fully set before slicing and serving. Christmas cake roll will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note - Depending on the quality of the sprinkles used, they may have a tendency to run and bleed, making the visual appearance not quite as desirable. However, the taste will be fine.
Notes
- Line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper and make sure the paper is about 2 inches longer than the pan on the ends.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately fold the parchment paper over the cake on one end and roll it up. If the cake has time to cool (more than just a minute or two), it will crack and won't roll properly.
- When you spread your frosting over the cooled cake, make sure to spread it nearly all the way out to the edges, minus a bare 1/2-inch margin.
- Then, roll the cake right back up and cover it with plastic wrap.
- The best way to make sure the icing has time to really set is to place the rolled cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This also helps so when you frost it with the melted white chocolate, you know the frosting will set nicely.
- Bottom Line - Take your time, but remember it's fine if there are slight tears or small rips in the cake. Many of them are going to be covered anyways as you roll it all up and then cover the top in melted white chocolate.
- If you are really concerned, you can dust the rolled cake (before you frost it) with a fairly thick dusting of confectioners' sugar. Yes it'll be sweeter, but the sugar will conceal the imperfections just like I do with my Pumpkin Cake Roll.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Avery. I just baked this gorgeous Christmas cake roll. Very easy recipe. Great directions thankyou. Merry Christmas
Avery. I just baked this gorgeous Christmas cake roll. Very easy recipe. Great directions thankyou. Merry Christmas
I’m glad it turned out gorgeous and the directions were great and made it easy for you!
hello,
do u know of any easier way to make the roll up cuz the traditional way doesn’t seem to work to well, the cake always wants to crack apart when u unroll it from being cooled…
i have tried every conceivable way to do it that i know of and it still doesn’t come out always cracks up…
i would really like to make this roll up somehow, please help if u can…
thanks…vern…
I don’t have issues when I roll it up my way. It’s different than most ways because of the parchment included in the first roll, then unroll, fill it, take off parchment, roll again. It’s extremely detailed so read the post please.