This Vanilla Roll Cake is a beautifully light and airy dessert made from a delicate sponge cake rolled with rich vanilla buttercream, creating the perfect combination of softness and creaminess. Festive touches like colorful sprinkles and a smooth white chocolate topping make it ideal for holidays, celebrations, or any occasion when you want a show-stopping treat. The recipe is surprisingly simple, bakes in minutes, and delivers a bakery-quality roll cake with a tender crumb and eye-catching presentation.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You’ll love this Vanilla Roll Cake because it combines elegant presentation with accessible ingredients and straightforward steps, making it achievable even for beginner bakers. The sponge cake bakes in just a few minutes and has a flexible texture that rolls without cracking. The vanilla buttercream filling is silky, rich, and perfectly sweet, and the added holiday sprinkles bring color and fun to every slice. This cake chills beautifully, slices cleanly, and is ideal for gatherings, potlucks, or Christmas dessert tables. It’s festive, delicious, and guaranteed to impress.

Vanilla Roll Cake

A vanilla roll cake is one of those classic desserts that feels both nostalgic and elegant. With its spiral of fluffy cake and creamy filling, it looks stunning on any dessert table. This version adds a festive twist thanks to colorful sprinkles baked right into the sponge.

The base of the cake is a light and airy sponge made without butter or oil, giving it a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Beating the eggs and sugar until pale and thick provides structure and ensures the cake rises beautifully, even without leavening agents.

Folding in the flour gently is essential to maintain the airiness of the batter. The addition of red and green batter bits or edible confetti makes the cake look cheerful and perfect for the holiday season.

Whipping the egg whites separately adds even more lift, resulting in a sponge that rolls easily without cracking. This step also helps create a tender crumb that pairs beautifully with buttercream.

Rolling the cake while still warm helps it hold its shape later. Dusting it with powdered sugar prevents sticking and adds a touch of sweetness to the outside of the roll.

The vanilla buttercream filling is smooth, rich, and customizable. Its creamy texture complements the sponge perfectly, maintaining a balance between lightness and indulgence.

Adding festive sprinkles into the buttercream creates colorful specks in every slice, making the cake visually striking and fun for kids and adults alike.

Once the cake is filled and rolled, chilling helps it firm up, making slicing easier and giving the flavors time to meld together. This also makes the cake an excellent make-ahead dessert.

A drizzle of melted white chocolate on top adds a finishing touch of elegance and sweetness. It also acts as a canvas for more sprinkles, enhancing the dessert’s festive charm.

Overall, this Vanilla Roll Cake is ideal for holidays, celebrations, or anytime you want a dessert that looks impressive but is surprisingly easy to make. It is soft, flavorful, colorful, and guaranteed to become a seasonal favorite.

Servings & Time

Servings: 10–12 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6–7 minutes
Cooling & Chilling Time: 2–3 hours
Total Time: ~3 hours

Ingredients

Vanilla Roll Cake

• 2 eggs

• 3 egg yolks

• ½ cup (100 g) sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ⅓ cup (30 g) sifted cake flour

• 3 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch

• ¼ cup red & green batter bits or edible confetti

• 2 egg whites

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 cup butter, room temperature

• 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar

• 3–4 tbsp red & green sprinkles

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1–3 teaspoons heavy cream

Decorations

• 4 oz white chocolate

• Red & green sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a 17×12-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

2. Beat 2 eggs, 3 egg yolks, and ½ cup sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes until pale and thick.

3. Add vanilla extract and mix briefly.

4. Sift flour and cornstarch over the mixture and gently fold with a spatula.

5. Fold in the batter bits.

6. In a clean bowl, whip 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon sugar until firm peaks form.

7. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.

8. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

9. Bake for 6–7 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

10. Dust cake with powdered sugar, invert onto a towel, remove parchment, dust again, and roll while warm.

11. Cool the rolled cake on a wire rack.

12. For buttercream: whip butter 2–3 minutes; gradually add sugar; whip again 2 minutes.

13. Add vanilla and heavy cream until desired consistency, then fold in sprinkles.

14. Unroll cooled cake and spread buttercream evenly.

15. Roll the cake back up and refrigerate for a few hours.

16. Melt white chocolate and pour over the chilled cake.

17. Add sprinkles and allow chocolate to set before slicing.

Tips

Ingredient Substitutions

• Replace heavy cream with milk if needed.

• Use almond extract for a flavor twist.

• Use dairy-free buttercream if preferred.

Make-Ahead & Storage

• Store in the fridge up to 3 days.

• Freeze slices individually for up to 2 months.

• Thaw in fridge overnight before serving.

Serving Variations

• Add jam beneath the buttercream for extra flavor.

• Drizzle with dark chocolate instead of white.

• Add crushed candy canes for holiday crunch.

Avoid Common Mistakes

• Do not overbake; sponge should stay flexible.

• Fold gently to avoid deflating the batter.

• Roll while warm to prevent cracking.