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The flavor of this eggnog cake roll reminds me of Christmas! It’s a vanilla sponge cake with eggnog cream cheese filling.
Ryan loves eggnog!
I always forget how much he likes it until I bring a jug home (usually for baking purposes) and it’s gone by the end of the week. He’ll drink a glass each night – I never met someone who liked eggnog so much!
He would probably even go as far as having a glass of eggnog with a slice of this eggnog cake roll. If only I could get him to wear christmas pajamas, sit by the fire and watch Christmas with the Kranks – that would be my ultimate holiday dream!
Cake rolls can be a little finicky, so I’ve included lots of tips and tricks to ensure that yours turns out as best as possible!
Cake Roll Tips
Tip 1: Make the filling first
That way it’s done and can be in the fridge chilling until you need it. Once the cake comes out of the oven, you have to work fast.
Tip 2: Use lots of powdered sugar
Powdered sugar is going to be the cake roll’s best friend. Once the cake comes out of the oven, you need to roll it. This will give the cake “muscle” memory. For successful rolling, I recommend that while the cake roll is baking, rub powdered sugar on BOTH sides of a towel. The more powdered sugar you put on, the less likely the cake roll will stick.
Why both sides? Because once you start rolling the cake up, the outside of the towel will get rolled into the cake, and to prevent sticking, we want everything to be coated in powdered sugar.
Be warned, you might look like a snowman once you’re done with this!
Tip 3: Refrigerate the cake roll
Once the filling is inside the cake and it’s rolled back up, put the cake roll in the fridge for about 2 hours to firm up. This will help prevent your cake roll from getting all smushy when you go to slice it.
It’s easy to add holiday cheer to this cake roll with eggnog! Eggnog is creamy, rich & thick with a hint of spice. I used the nog in the cake roll filling, and even though the recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons, the flavor shines through!
More holiday desserts
- Peppermint Bark
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Balls Buckeye Balls
- Sticky Paws Williams Sonoma Copycat
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Eggnog Cake Roll
Ingredients
CAKE ROLL
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FILLING
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter, soft (1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp eggnog
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups cool whip
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Chocolate shavings, to garnish (I used a chocolate bar and vegetable peeler to create the shavings)
Instructions
FILLING (prep first!)
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy with an electric mixer, 1 minute.
- Add in the eggnog, nutmeg and powdered sugar, beat again.
- Add in the cool whip and mix gently with a spatula.
- Place the filling in the fridge to chill.
CAKE ROLL
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a jelly roll pan (15×10) with parchment paper and spray the paper with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix and set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, beat all 4 eggs on high with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. The eggs will turn pale yellow. Continuing beating the mixture as you slowly add the sugar. Add in the vegetable oil, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla, beat lightly. Spoon in the flour mixture, mixing until it’s just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the batter to the edges of the pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch.
- Note: While baking, lay a towel on a flat surface. Dust BOTH sides of the towel with a generous amount of powdered sugar. This is to prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.
- Once the cake is done baking, immediately turn it over onto the towel. Roll the cake around the towel. Place the rolled up cake on a rack to cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the cake is cool, unroll the towel carefully, using your fingers to help release the cake from the towel. Spread the filling over the cake roll, leaving about a 1/2 inch gap around the edges. Roll the cake roll back up and place it on a tray, seam side down, in the fridge to chill. The longer you let it chill the easier it will be to slice.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Place chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl. In a small pot over low heat, heat the heavy whipping cream until just before boiling. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to stand for 1-2 minutes. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature before adding it to the cake.
- To add the ganache, place the cake roll on a rack, pour the ganache over the cake and use a spoon or spatula to cover up any areas that don’t have chocolate. Add chocolate shavings. Return to the fridge to chill for 20 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Hi, this looks wonderful. Just wondering how far in advance can this be made?
1-2 days for best results!