Name: Strawberry Shortcake Roll
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 1 tsp vanilla; ¼ cup milk (or heavy cream) (I used whole milk ); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 whole eggs (warmed*); 3 egg yolks (warmed*); ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar; ¾ cup cake flour *; 2 cups heavy whipping cream; ¼ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 16 ounces fresh strawberries; ¼ cup sugar; ¼ cup confectioners sugar ( for dusting finished cake); ½ cup sliced strawberries (for garnish)

4.81 from 31 votes

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Fresh local strawberries are plentiful in your local grocery and farmers market and what better way to showcase them than my Strawberry Shortcake Roll?

Once you get the hang of making this light and delicious sponge cake, you’ll be creating delicious varieties of this recipe in your kitchen throughout the year.

*Updated from original post June 22, 2012

overhead view of strawberry shortcake roll on a white platter with slices on plates

I have been dreaming about Strawberry Shortcake since I started seeing those plump juicy berries appear at the supermarket and just making a traditional strawberry shortcake didn’t seem to do justice to those beautiful strawberries.

What Ingredients do I need to make a Strawberry Shortcake Roll?

overhead view of ingredients to make strawberry shortcake roll

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Strawberry Shortcake Roll. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How do I make a Strawberry Shortcake Roll?

Start by preheating the oven to 400 (204 C) degrees and lining a 13 x 17 inch pan with parchment paper. Set the pan aside until needed.

four images showing how to make the sponge cake

Here are the steps to make the sponge cake.

Combine the milk, butter and vanilla in a small pan and heat just enough to melt the butter, set aside
In a stand mixer, whip the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar on high speed for 5-7 minutes or until it forms wide bands of ribbons when the beater is lifted out.
Gently transfer the egg mixture to a bowl large enough to make folding in the other ingredients easy.
Pour in the butter/milk mixture down the side of the bowl and fold this into the egg mixture using a rubber spatula.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture, doing this in three batches. After sifting, gently begin to fold the flour into the mixture. (the flour will settle on the bottom, fold more than you think you should, I still wound up with little flour balls in my cake)
Continue sifting in the flour in the three batches until it has all been folded in. (don’t forget to check the bottom of the bowl for more flour)

three images of panning and baking sponge cake

Pour the mixture into the lined sheet pan and using an offset spatula smooth out the mixture evenly. Use your finger to run down the insides of the pan creating a momentary separation of the cake from the pan.
Place on center rack in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a clean piece of parchment that has been dusted with 10x sugar. (do this quickly so it does not tear)
Gently peel off the parchment from the bottom of the cake (use a metal spatula if it is hard to remove)

*Making the sponge cake isn’t difficult, but how you handle it after finished baking is the only part of the process that can make you crazy.

four images of prep for shortcake, strawberries and whipped cream

Wash and hull the strawberries and slice
Add sugar to the strawberries and allow to sit until needed

Add the whipping cream to your mixing bowl and starting on a lower speed begin to whip your cream, add in the sugar and vanilla.
gradually increase the speed of the mixer, and continue whipping the cream until it is fully set. This process will take 8-10 and will ensure that your whipped cream holds up.

two images showing assembly of shortcake

With cake on the new parchment that has been dusted with confectioners sugar, begin your assembly.

Spread the whipped cream onto the cake, spreading evenly to the ends of the sides, but leaving 1 inch on either end (short sides)
place the prepared strawberries on top of the whipped cream, distributing them evenly.

Begin rolling the cake using the parchment to hold it with, rolling it gently but firmly, trying to keep it as tight as possible without having whipped cream come out of the sides.
Continue rolling until it has completely rolled up.
Re-dust the parchment the cake is still on and turning the cake facing the long side of the parchment and roll it up as tightly as possible without losing cream out the ends, twisting the ends of the paper like taffy.

*I rolled my cake in an additional piece of parchment, to make sure it was secure

Place the rolled and sealed cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set up, I left mine in overnight and it was fine.

shortcake roll dusted with powdered sugar

Before serving, if needed trim the ends of the roll so they are even. Then dust the roll with confectioners sugar.

*You could also make additional whipped cream and cover the roll with whipped cream and garnish with more strawberries.

overhead view of strawberry shortcake roll on a white platter

I promise you smiles at your table when you serve this OMG light and delicious strawberry shortcake roll. It’s perfect for a weekend get together or just to make a family night special.

strawberry cake roll slice on a white plate with a fork cutting into it

Not being a trained baker, I had shied away from making any type of cake rolls most of my life, but after seeing so many of my friends making these delicious desserts, I thought I’d give it a try.

The roll itself is really not that difficult, it does have its challenges, but nothing to stop you from trying. I think the most difficult part is finding a recipe that is almost foolproof because if the cake isn’t good, you can forget about getting it to roll properly.

More Strawberry Cake Recipes You’ll Love!

slices of a strawberry shortcake roll on a white plate

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4.81 from 31 votes