Tiramisu Vertical Swiss Roll Cake
Inspired by a craving for tiramisu, I wanted to make a baked version. I toyed with traybake but couldn’t settle on a satisfying twist until I thought of a literal one: a swiss roll cake. After a but of trial and error I decided that a vertical swiss roll cake would be best as it’s less messy and allows for a nice dusting of cocoa on top. I had originally made the sponge with a spiral pattern but realised this would be lost when covering the cake with cream and so omitted this from the recipe below. If you want, you can divide the cream into two portions before whipping to create plain and coffee creams for decorating, otherwise if you follow the steps below you will create just a coffee cream. Be careful not to over-whip the cream.
Serves 6
Hands-on Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 6 hours
Baking Time 8-10 minutes
Ingredients
7 tbsp caster sugar
3 large eggs
9 tbsp self-raising flour
5 tsp instant coffee powder (fine)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp water (boiling)
30g butter (softened)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp icing sugar
Pinch of fine salt
250ml double cream
Equipment
Baking sheet or roasting tray (approx. 25cm x 35cm)
Baking parchment
2 mixing bowls
Electric whisk
Spatula
Sieve
Clean tea towel
Small bowl
Plate
Sharp knife
Kitchen paper
Palette knife
Method
1. Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C (fan)/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Line the baking sheet with parchment.
2. Make the Sponge Batter
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons of sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for 10 minutes until thick and meringue-like.
Sieve in the flour and 2 teaspoons coffee powder; fold gently until smooth.
3. Bake the Sponge
Pour into the tray, level, and bake for 8–10 minutes until golden.
4. Roll the Sponge
Transfer the sponge (parchment-side down) onto a damp tea towel.
Roll widthwise in the towel and cool completely.
5. Prepare the Coffee Soak
Combine 1 teaspoon of coffee, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the boiling water in a small bowl until dissolved.
6. Prepare the chocolate spread
Beat the butter, 2 tablespoons of cocoa, 1 tablespoon of icing sugar, salt, and 1 tablespoon of cream in a mixing bowl until smooth.
7. Prepare the coffee cream
In a clean mixing bowl whip the remaining cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of coffee, and 1 tablespoon of icing sugar until stiff peaks.
8. Assemble the Swiss Roll
Unroll the sponge, remove parchment, and cut lengthwise into 2 strips.
Spoon the coffee soak over both strips.
Spread chocolate filling, then half the coffee cream over both sponges, leaving a small border around the edges.
Roll one strip, place it on the other, and roll again to form a spiral. Shape the cake into a round and place on a plate.
9. Decorate
Cover with remaining whipped cream and smooth with a palette knife.
Dust with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
10. Chill and Serve
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set.
Enjoy!
