This soft and light strawberry cake roll is the kind of dessert that belongs on every spring and summer table. You’ll make a delicate vanilla sponge cake as the base. The cake is thin and flexible enough to roll around a fluffy, naturally flavored strawberry cream cheese filling. It’s elegant, sliceable, and perfect for celebrations, holidays, or anytime fresh strawberries are in season!
I originally published this recipe in 2017, and I’ve since updated it with new photos, additional success tips, and a fluffier strawberry filling.
Today’s strawberry cake roll recipe uses a classic sponge cake base, which gets its airy texture from whipped eggs rather than butter or oil. That makes it naturally light, flexible, and ideal for rolling. The filling combines cream cheese, whipped cream, and freeze-dried strawberries for concentrated strawberry flavor without too much moisture. (You know how much we love those in strawberry cookies!)
If you’ve never made a cake roll before, don’t be nervous. From whipping the eggs to rolling the warm cake and adding the filling, I’ll walk you through every single step so you’re prepped with confidence before you even begin!
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Cake Roll
- Light sponge cake: Fluffy texture from whipped eggs
- Real strawberry flavor: Freeze-dried strawberries pack bold flavor without extra moisture
- Soft, flexible cake (no cracking!): Rolling while warm helps create a smooth spiral without cracks
- Perfect for spring & summer: A fresh, not-too-heavy dessert for gatherings
- Make-ahead friendly
One reader, Harper, commented: “This recipe is unbelievably good, and so simple it’s almost too easy! My family is already asking when the next version will be made—they are hoping for lemon sponge and blueberry whipped cream filling. Best sponge cake ever (and no cracks when rolled)!! ★★★★★“
Strawberry Cake Roll Ingredients, Explained
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is almost 30x finer than all-purpose flour. Using it is a surefire way to achieve a light crumb.
- Baking Powder: For lift.
- Salt: For flavor balance.
- Eggs: Separate the eggs before you begin, and then allow them to come to room temperature before you use them in the recipe. (Helpful tip: it’s easier to separate eggs when they’re cold, but room-temperature egg whites whip better and into more volume.)
- Sugar: We’re using granulated sugar to sweeten the cake. Whip some of the sugar with the egg whites to make a fluffy meringue that’s the base of the sponge cake, then beat the rest with the egg yolks and other liquid ingredients.
- Buttermilk: Either whole or low-fat buttermilk works. If you can’t find it, you can use whole milk or 2%.
- Vanilla & Vanilla Bean: Use both vanilla extract and vanilla bean for pure flavor and lots of gorgeous vanilla specks. Instead of both, you can swap in vanilla bean paste.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: It doesn’t actually go in the batter; you just need it for dusting the parchment paper before rolling the cake, to keep it from sticking. You also need it for the filling.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: Just like the frosting on this reader-favorite strawberry cake, we need freeze-dried strawberries to naturally flavor (and color!) the fluffy cream filling.
- Heavy Cream: Make sure it’s cold. We’re going to whip it on its own first, and then fold the whipped cream into the rest of the filling.
- Cream Cheese: The other key ingredient for the cream filling. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature before you begin, otherwise your filling will have little lumps of cream cheese, which is less than ideal!
Why This Recipe Works (Plus My Best Success Tips)
Let’s break down the key success points so you understand the why, not just the how:
- Whipped Eggs Create a Flexible Sponge Cake: Instead of relying on butter for lift, the strawberry cake roll gets its structure from whipped eggs. The result is a light, airy sponge cake that’s flexible enough to roll without cracking. This is the same style of sponge used in this champagne cake roll, too.
- Cake Flour Keeps the Crumb Soft: Cake flour gives the sponge a delicate, tender texture. All-purpose flour can make the cake heavier and more prone to tearing. For best results, weigh the flour or spoon and level it instead of scooping directly from the bag.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries Add Big Flavor: Fresh strawberries would add too much moisture to the filling, so freeze-dried strawberries are the secret here. They provide concentrated strawberry flavor and natural color without making the filling watery. They’re also the key ingredient in my strawberry buttercream.
- Gently Fold the Batter: After combining the wet and dry ingredients, gently fold in the whipped egg whites. This keeps all the air in the batter, which is what gives the cake its light texture.
- Line the Pan for Easy Release: Spray the jelly roll pan before adding parchment paper so the parchment stays in place while you spread the batter. Then spray the parchment, too. This creates a very nonstick surface and helps the cake release easily after baking. (Sponge cakes are known for sticking!)
- Roll the Cake While It’s Warm: As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, roll it up in parchment paper dusted with confectioners’ sugar. This step “trains” the cake into its spiral shape while it’s still warm and flexible, making it much less likely to crack later.
- Chill Before Slicing: After filling and rolling the cake, refrigerate it before slicing. Chilling helps the filling set and gives you cleaner, neater slices.
Strawberry Cream Filling
The filling is a light and fluffy whipped strawberry cream filling—lighter than strawberry frosting and perfect with this delicate sponge cake.
- Made with real strawberry flavor
- Smooth, spreadable, and pipeable texture
- Thick enough to hold its shape in the roll (and not spill out!)
If you love a generous swirl of filling, this recipe delivers! There’s enough filling for the cake roll plus extra for piping or spreading on top. If you plan to just fill the cake roll (not add any on top), you can halve the filling ingredient amounts.
I like to add some fresh strawberries to the filling, as well. Be sure to use very thin slices:
Re-roll the cake, without the parchment this time, and chill before slicing. You can keep the cake roll plain on the outside, or pipe some filling on top and garnish with fresh strawberries like I did in these photos!
This strawberry cake roll is one of those recipes that builds confidence fast. It teaches technique, delivers beautiful results, and tastes like something straight from a bakery case. You can absolutely do this. See the detailed recipe below and then… try this chocolate cake roll next!
Strawberry Cake Roll
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 slices
- Category: Cake Roll
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This strawberry cake roll features a light, vanilla bean-speckled sponge cake, fluffy strawberry cream cheese filling, and plenty of real strawberry flavor from freeze-dried strawberries. Be sure to read the recipe carefully before beginning, because both timing and technique are keys to success!
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature and divided
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) buttermilk or whole milk
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean*
- 1 cup (118g) cake flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar, for dusting parchment
Strawberry Cream Filling & Topping
- 1 heaping cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries*
- 1 cup (240g/ml) heavy cream, cold
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- optional: 1 cup (about 160g) thinly sliced fresh strawberries
- optional, for garnish: more fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Read the recipe through before beginning. Be prepared to move quickly as soon as the cake comes out of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter, then line it with parchment paper so the cake releases easily in step 8. Spray or grease the parchment paper as well. (Sponge cakes are known for sticking, so we want an extra nonstick surface here.)
- Make the cake: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar together on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
- Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean it), add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds. Beat on high speed until light in color and slightly thickened, about 3–4 minutes. The mixture will be thin and a little bubbly on top. Add half of the whipped egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed for 5–10 seconds to gently combine. Add the remaining egg whites and beat on low speed for another 5–10 seconds. Do not over-mix.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt over the batter. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold everything together until just combined. Do not over-mix. The batter will be light and fluffy.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. I find a small offset spatula helpful for this. Gently tap or shake the pan so the batter reaches the corners and smooths into an even layer.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes, or until the top lightly springs back when touched. Do not over-bake.
- Meanwhile, prepare to roll the cake: Place a large piece of parchment paper or a thin kitchen towel flat on the counter and dust it evenly with the confectioners’ sugar. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan. Carefully invert the warm cake onto the prepared parchment/towel, then slowly peel off the parchment paper it baked on. Starting with a short end, gently but tightly roll the warm cake up with the parchment/towel. The cake will still be warm.
- Allow the cake to cool completely while rolled up. This takes about 3 hours at room temperature, or you can refrigerate it for about 2 hours to speed things up. Once cooled, you can keep the rolled cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before filling.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Using a blender or food processor, pulse the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. You should have about 1/2 cup. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer to another bowl. Using the same mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, and vanilla and beat until combined and creamy. Gently fold in the whipped cream. The filling will be light and fluffy. You will have enough to both fill and decorate the cake.
- Fill the cake: Slowly unroll the cooled cake. Spread about half of the filling evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges. I use a small offset spatula for this. Top with sliced strawberries, if using. Gently roll the cake back up, this time without the parchment/towel. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 day before slicing and serving. Cover and refrigerate the remaining filling as well to use for topping in step 15.
- Pipe or spread the remaining filling on top before slicing and serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired. I used Wilton 1M piping tip on the pictured cake roll.
- Cover leftover cake roll tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the cake through step 9, then cover and refrigerate the rolled-up cake for up to 1 day before filling and assembling. The assembled cake roll also freezes well for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before topping, slicing, and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10×15-inch Baking Pan | Fine Mesh Sieve | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Linen Towels | Food Processor | Small Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Pan Size: I strongly recommend using a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan for this recipe. Different pan sizes create a cake that’s either too thick or too thin, which can lead to cracking, under- or over-baking, or difficulty rolling.
- Cake Flour: I strongly recommend using cake flour in this recipe. You can usually find it next to the all-purpose flour in the baking aisle. In a pinch, you can use this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Buttermilk: I recommend buttermilk for flavor, but you can use whole milk or 2% milk in a pinch. For best taste and texture, I don’t recommend nonfat or nondairy milk.
- Vanilla Beans: If you can’t get your hands on vanilla beans, substitute both the vanilla extract and vanilla beans for 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean, increase the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons.
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I usually find them at major grocery stores in the dried fruit section or at Target, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Walmart, or online here or here. They tend to be more expensive online. Do not use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You need FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind into a powder. If you’re still having trouble finding them, try this delicious strawberry whipped cream from my strawberry shortcake cupcakes as the filling.
- Filling Amount: There’s enough filling for the cake roll plus extra for piping or spreading on top. If you plan to just fill the cake roll (not add any on top), you can halve the filling ingredient amounts.
- Update in 2026: I updated the filling recipe. The recipe used to be this strawberry cream cheese frosting, but I felt it was too heavy. Instead, I took out the butter, reduced the sugar, and replaced with more heavy cream, which instead makes a fluffy strawberry whipped cream cheese filling. Nice and light paired with the light cake roll!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
I love everything that i have tried from your site – the vertical cake is now a request from family! Any tips on making this recipe into a pina colada roll? Maybe coconut extract instead of vanilla and some sort of pineapple filling? I have been looking all over and can’t find a recipe.
Helen
Hi Helen! What a fun idea. We would use both vanilla and coconut extract (instead of replacing the vanilla). Perhaps you could use the cream cheese buttercream and pineapple curd from our pineapple coconut cake as a filling? We would love to hear what you ty!
hi sally! can mascarpone be used instead of cream cheese? if so, any changes? ty;)
Hi Sonny, We haven’t tested it but it should work without any other changes. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can this strawberry cream cheese filling be used to pipe on cupcakes? Looking for a berry cream cheese recipe that would look pretty atop your yellow cupcakes for Mom’s birthday (I’m imagining a star tip). I’d really rather use one of your tried and true recipes than look elsewhere for one that likely won’t be as good. Thank you!
Hi Wendy, absolutely! Our strawberry cream cheese frosting would be delicious on top of yellow cupcakes. Hope your mom enjoys them!
Wow. Such a lovely cake xo. I have yet to make a roll cake ever in my life. Guess what, I’m using your guidance because it is so straight forward for my brain. Thank you, lovely person for sharing this!! PS. I found you through different searches for roll cakes and went down a rabbit hole of images on pinterest… and voila.
We would love to hear how it turns out for you, Karen, happy baking!
I’ve tried so many recipes for cake rolls from well known and respected chefs, tv cooking shows, online fool-proof methods that seem to fall short of what one wants in a cake roll – a sturdy, fat cake roll that won’t collapse and will hold a good filling – yours is perfection! I believe all your detailed instructions are what sets you apart and even a novice can have great success by simply following to the letter your instructions and suggestions.
Thank you!
Sally,
You are simply amazing. I’m from Brooklyn where there are Chinese bakeries all over the place with this amazing, light, roll “sponge” cake that is unlike any recipe I have found. It isn’t overly sweet neither is the frosting they put inside. Can you please please please do a recipe like that?
This recipe is unbelievably good, and so simple it’s almost too easy! I used the alternate strawberry whipped cream filling but with the freeze dried berries. So, so good! The powdered berries help stabilize the whipped cream so it holds up as a filling. My family is already asking when the next version will be made- they are hoping for lemon sponge and blueberry whipped cream filling. Best sponge cake ever (and no cracks when rolled)!!
Can you substitute strawberries with raspberry filling? Would you just replace the freeze dried strawberries? Would everything else be the same?
I love your recipes! I use them all the time!! Thank you!
Hi Charlotte! Yes, you can definitely use freeze dried raspberries instead of strawberries with no other changes. Enjoy!
Hi Sally!
Thank you for always sharing these wonderful recipes and I love your blog! Would it be possible to convert this recipe to the vertical cake recipe? The vertical cake concept is great but I was curious if we can use strawberries instead of blueberries.
Hi Ellie! I honestly haven’t tested it, but I fear this cake’s texture will be too light and the filling will be too heavy. Instead, I recommend following the vertical cake recipe but swapping blueberries for 1 cup of chopped strawberries. Chop up the strawberries into small pieces before using in the filling.
I’d like to somehow incorporate lemon or lemon curd into the recipe. How could I do that?
BTW, The blueberry lemon cake of yours was the biggest hit of all!
Martha
Hi Marcha, We haven’t tested the cake recipe with lemon, but let us know if you try! You can definitely make a lemon filling by skipping the strawberry dust and adding an extra 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and zest of 1 lemon.
Hi Sally. It’s been a while since I’ve left a comment but I just had to tell you what my plans are for this roll. I’ve made the original a few times and have been successful. Today I came to the site to see if you created this recipe in a 17×11 like the chocolate roll but only found this size. Hopefully one day you’ll be able to get around to making that recipe but until then I’ll be using this one. This time around I’m going to fill it with a little bit of cream and Banana Fosters. I can not wait to put these flavors together but most importantly. I can’t wait till I get to share it with my family. So far they’re going to be enjoying your German chocolate cake, gingerbread cookies with chocolate ganache and this beauty this weekend. Thanks for all of the recipes you’ve created and shared. Hope all is well with you and your family….
Hi Sally! I love your blog. As a new baker, it is so easy to follow and guarantees yummy results! I was wondering if I could use kitchen paper towels instead of a regular kitchen towel to roll the cake? Please let me know!
Hi Lucy! Thank you so much. You can try it, but the next best option is parchment paper.
My cake cracked when after I unrolled it to spread the frosting. I chilled it in the fridge for about 4 hours, then removed it from the fridge for 10 minutes before trying to unroll and frost. The cracks are pretty big but didn’t ruin the whole cake. Is there a trick for the roll that I missed? I removed the cake from the oven at about 15 minutes right when it was spongy and immediately rolled it into the towel.
Hi Russel, I’m so glad you tried this recipe and love hearing your feedback. So sorry it cracked on you. There aren’t really any tricks, but I wonder if the roll was simply too cold and not ready to “unroll” quite yet. If you ever decide to try it again, let the cake sit at room temperature for a little longer before unrolling next time. And, as always, follow the recipe exactly. Cake rolls are pretty finicky!
Worked perfectly. I used raspberries and lemon for the filling. Delish!!
Hi Sally! I am obsessed with your recipes and I am desperate to find one for a chocolate roll cake for my husband’s birthday. Can I adjust this recipe to make a chocolate roll? Thanks for the help!
Hi Kendra! A chocolate cake roll would be a bit different from this one, obviously– and I’d have to test it out. I can’t say for sure without trying myself. Let me know if you find a chocolate roll cake recipe you like.
Hi Sally!
While I’ve been a huge fan of your blog for years now and have made dozens of your recipes, this is the first time I’ve commented on one. I made this cake roll as one of the desserts (also made your cake batter chocolate chip cookies and used red, white and blue sprinkles – so yummy!) for my family’s 4th of July BBQ, and it was out of this world!! I got so many compliments, especially on the intense but wonderful flavor of the strawberry filling. Even my sister, who normally doesn’t care for cream cheese-based icings and fillings, loved this! The whole thing disappeared. I’ll definitely be making this again, and it really was a synch to make! Your step-by-step guidance was spot on and perfect. Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to read this today! Thank you so much for reporting back about the cake roll and I LOVE hearing how much everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to write!
Hi, Sally!
I’ve never made a cake roll before, it was a great challenge!
Thank you so much for your recipe, it worked really well. I loved the idea of adding the strawberry powder to the filling. It gives a really nice strawberry flavor.
I’ve made this delicious cake and posted it on my blog, with (of course!) a reference to your post. Hope you like the photos.
Thanks again and keep doing great work! =)
Kisses
Sally, would you recommend adding strawberry puree to make the cake part itself strawberry-flavored? Or would that deflate it too much and lose the “spongy” texture? I want to make this cake an actual strawberry cake with whipped cream cheese frosting for a friend, who has been super-annoyed that all “strawberry cakes” in the stores are not actual strawberry cakes, but vanilla with strawberry filling. Thanks!
I don’t recommend adding puree to the delicate sponge cake– perhaps some freeze-dried strawberry “dust” instead?
I made this for Mother’s Day at work, it was a huge hit! I’ve always had problems with cake rolls though when I unroll them? I sugar my towel, invert and roll as soon as get it out of the oven, but the last 2 inches always wants to crack off! Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong?
Perhaps overbaking– you want to make sure the cake is super moist and warm.
I think you may have solved it – I am using snap frozen berries as I am unable to locate freeze dried here in Australia. I knew it had to be my mistake as all of your recipes that I have tried have been a success! Thank you for the great web site and the on-going support, it is much appreciated.
Hi Sally, thank you for the fabulous recipe, I had always been ‘shy’ of making a swiss roll but thanks to you it was so easy and rolled up a treat. The first one I made I used marscapone/cream/cream cheese and the strawberries and it was great. However I thought for the second one I should try your frosting filling. I “thought” I had read the recipe correctly but the filling was really runny, where did I go wrong? Regards, Dessie
Hi Dessie! The filling with freeze-dried strawberries? Was that the filling that was runny? Were you using brick-style (the block) of cream cheese? Make sure you aren’t using cream cheese spread. You want a heavy 8 ounce block of full-fat CC.
Yes the frozen strawberry filling – I cannot believe the intensity of flavour using your method – and yes I did use a block of full fat Philadelphia cream cheese. I know I must have gone wrong somewhere, maybe over-beating??
that could have been it– you are using freeze-dried strawberries, right? Not actual frozen strawberries?
Sally this was delicious. I love the chewy texture of the cake and the delicious cream cheese frosting. The closest pan size I could find was 9.85″ x 15″ because here in Australia we don’t use inches(for those in Australia the pan was 25 x 35cm. I had no issues with the pan, it worked perfectly. Making the cake was so easy and simple, your instructions made it a breeze. The frosting was the best part of this whole thing, i’m having a moment with cream cheese frosting right now and this one hit the spot. Rolling the cake roll was super intimidating but it was so much easier than I thought. My first bite of this was sooo good. I loved it! The flavours are so perfectly matched between the cake and frosting. This cake is definitely a chewier type but I loved that about it. Thanks Sally, such a great recipe! I can’t wait to make it again so I can perfect it!
I am so glad you said you *thought* rolling the cake would be intimidating. Because truthfully, after you get started– it’s not at all! So happy you tried this out and thank you so much for reporting back!
Thank you for such clear instructions! I made it tonight and was so impressed by how good it looked, and by how amazing the strawberry filling is…whoa. I was curious though – what is the texture ofthe sponge supposed to be like? I thought it was really chewy, and cant tell if I messed something up (maybe over mixed? Or was i supposed to spoon measure the flour?) or if i just am not actualy used eating ‘sponge’
It definitely has a chewier texture– I’m so glad you made and enjoyed it!
My cake roll cracked a bit when I unrolled it, so it doesn’t look as pretty but it certainly tastes great! I absolutely love the frosting, I think I will use that as my go-to strawberry frosting from now on! I used a thinner towel, so that might have been my problem, but the frosting holds it together and it doesn’t look too bad all together, just not as pretty. I will definitely make this again! I used gluten free flour (and did the DIY cake flour part) and it worked out well (minus the cracking). My egg whites weren’t at room temperature either, which may have contributed to cracking, as I realized after they would not whip up, I added 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1/4, so now I have 4 extra yolks, which conveniently is what my custard ice cream recipe calls for 🙂
Thank you for reporting back with your changes to the recipe, Virginia!
I used 12g of freeze-dried strawberries (per recipe), but I only ended up with about 1/4 cup of powder. So I ended up using the whole 36-gram bag of strawberries.
Anyway, the cake turned out amazing! Everybody loved it! Thanks! 🙂
This is such a pretty mother’s day cake! And it has fruit, so it’s okay for brunch.
Strawberry cream cheese frosting, what a fantastic idea!
I had always wanted to try a cake roll, and got inspired by your post! I was shocked at how straight-forward it was. I was worried it would crack, but I had no problems. The guys at work loved it 🙂 Trying new stuff is the most fun part of baking!!!!
The cake was beautiful and turned out perfectly. However, I felt the freeze dried berries made the filling a little gummy – have you ever used fresh berries instead?
The fresh berries curdle the butter– but if you dice them real small, dab them with a paper towel ahead of time– that will help.