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 I had originally made the sponge with a spiral pattern but realised this would be lost when covering the cake with cream and so omitted this from the recipe below.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

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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!