Only 7 ingredients for this gorgeous snow white roll cake with white chocolate mousse filling. The secret? Cake mix and 2-ingredient mousse filling!
This post has been sponsored by MARS, Pillsbury, and Ziploc. All opinions are mine alone.
Every holiday dessert table has room for classics and newfound favorites.
In my family, holiday dinner isn’t complete without my pumpkin mousse pie and pecan pie. Then I also like to throw something special into the mix. Last year, it was a chocolate bundt cake, because no one says no to chocolate around here. 🙂
But I get you. You don’t want anything complicated.
You want festive and beautiful dessert that does’t require half of your pantry and/or entire day in the kitchen. Is it really possible to make something so elegant and delicious with just handful of ingredients? Oh yes, you can!
Good news: sophisticated doesn’t have to be complicated.
And this gorgeous snow white roll cake is just that! Effortlessly beautiful and quick to make. But the look isn’t the selling point here. You’ll fall in love with it from the first bite! Forget the usual dry and tough sponge cake, we’re talking unbelievably light and tender crumbs with delicate flavor. And did I mention you’ll only need 7 ingredients??
The secret is CAKE MIX!
We’ll make the sponge cake with Pillsbury Moist Supreme white premium cake mix. Then we’ll smear nice n’ thick layer of fluffy white chocolate mousse filling before rolling it into flawlessly perfect log. And by log I mean flawless roll cake of your dreams! It’s so beautifully white and melt-in-your-mouth light! Sprinkle of crushed M&M’s Holiday minis on top adds perfect festive look that I absolutely adore. Oh and that little bit of added crunch is divine!
But before you jump into the kitchen for the test run (looking at you, my fellow baking addicts), I need to address couple of things.
Roll cakes require elastic sponge cake that can be rolled into a log without breaking into 5 pieces. And following the directions on the back of the cake mix box won’t get you there. Unfortunately… I know this from experience.
So, here’re my tips for making a perfect sponge cake from a cake mix:
- We’ll need half of the cake mix for one roll cake. (Read: 2 roll cakes with 1 box of cake mix!!)
- Whipped egg whites add volume and elasticity to the batter. This’s crucial step for fool-proof roll cake that doesn’t break.
- Instead of water and oil, we’ll use milk and melted butter for flavor.
- Though you could use egg yolks, we’ll omit them here for a snow white cake.
The day I decided to work on this recipe wasn’t a good day. Like not good at all!
Nothing was coming out right! Pile of broken cake layers grew on the counter, a sad bowl of soupy filling got pushed aside, and I accidentally whipped the cream into a butter. One of those days, I guess!
But I learned valuable lessons from all the failures that day and wanted to share them with you.
- Elastic sponge cake is all about correct ratio of dry ingredients vs eggs and liquid ingredients.
- Be patient when working with whipped cream. DON’T add anything warm into it, unless you’re going for a sweet cream soup.
- Don’t get distracted when whipping the cream. There’s no way to fix it, once it’s curdled! (Trust me, I googled.) Make butter instead…
- And at the end of the day, it’s just baking! Take your time, follow the directions and step away, if needed.
When I brought this cake out to the ranch, everyone LOVED it! I don’t think it lasted 5 minutes.
I heard lots of ohs and ahs about the beautiful presentation, and even more compliments on the taste. Just seeing everyone enjoying the cake made all the hard work worth it.
And look! ↓ That cute container from Ziploc below is super convenient. It’s perfect for sharing holiday treats with neighbors and coworkers, and sending leftovers with your guests after a holiday dinner. And they also have special holiday Ziploc bags perfect for sharing holiday joy.
Hope you found an inspiration for your holiday dessert table. Thanks for reading!

Snow White Roll Cake with White Chocolate Mousse Filling
Ingredients
For cake:
- ¼ cup 60ml milk (I used whole milk, but 2% will do)
- 4 tablespoons 55gr unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cups 215gr Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Premium Cake Mix
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting only
For filling:
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, divided
- 4 oz 115gr white chocolate, chopped
- M&M’s Holiday Minis crushed for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet (16.5 x 11.38 x 1 inches) with parchment paper, or silicone mat and spray with cooking spray.
- In a glass, mix together milk and butter.
- In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Add milk and butter mixture and dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites. Using a spatula, carefully fold the batter until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, and spread it evenly all over the sheet, using an offset spatula. It’ll be thin layer, which is exactly how we want.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cake looks lightly golden, but not browned.
- While the cake is baking, prepare a lint-free kitchen towel on a flat surface and generously dust with powdered sugar.
- When the cake is done, carefully invert the cake onto the prepared kitchen towel and tightly roll the cake from the short side, while still warm. Cool completely on wire rack for about an hour.
- To prepare the filling, microwave ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream until hot, about 30 seconds.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl and pour hot cream over it. Let it stand for a minute and stir until chocolate is fully melted. Cool completely. (You can put it in the fridge for a few minutes while working on the next step.)
- In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the remaining heavy whipping cream until hard peaks form.
- Add cooled white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and carefully fold until well combined.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it.
- Generously spread white chocolate mousse on the cake, reserving about ½ cup of filling. Spread thinner layer of filling on outer end of the cake. Then tightly roll the cake.
- Spread the reserved mousse on the outside of the roll and cut the ends off. Sprinkle some crushed M&Ms for festive look.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake is best when served the same day. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Marie Camus says
I’m trying to figure out why the milk and butter keep curdling. Marie
Shinee says
Hi, Marie. Maybe it’s due to the 2 ingredients being at different temperature. Hope it turned well for you. Let us know.
Gina says
This recipe was easy and delicious! I did a test roll for Christmas and it will definitely be on our dessert buffet. I did add 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract to the filling and I sprinkled the top with crushed candy cane. Super festive and fun! Thanks for this recipe.
Shinee says
So glad your test run was a success. Thank you for sharing your feedback, Gina!! Happy Holidays!
Marianne says
I made this cake Christmas morning. It was beautiful and delicious. I brought it to my son’s for dessert and everyone loved it. My son that lives at home was looking for the leftovers so I’m making it again today. Thanks for this great recipe.
Lesly says
Epic fail to say the least. I didn’t realize you weren supposed to use the WHOLE cake box.. icing also I beat after adding the chocolate and it curled and turned into a wet soupy mess.
Shinee says
Hi, Lesly. Sorry to hear yours didn’t turn out.
Elaine says
I know this comment is from last year, but I wanted to say that I don’t think it’s fair to rate a recipe one star if YOU made the errors…
Jenifer says
Hi there! I made this super yummy delicious recipe. I used 3 scoops of 1/2 cup of cake mix. I used my jelly roll pan, and the cake was super duper thin and broke after every roll. I made it just for my family, so they didn’t care about cracks or looks – they loved it! Id love to get this to recipe to roll up thick and beautifully like yours – any suggestions?
Jen says
Sounds like the pan you used may have been too large
Karen says
It taste ok, wasn’t really impressed! Tired once, not again…
Shinee says
Thanks for your feedback, Karen. Sorry you didn’t like the cake.
Connie says
Can you freeze?
Shinee says
Hi, Connie. I don’t recommend freezing this cake.
Sheila Bradford says
In the recipe for the Snow White Cake Roll, I have a question about the mixing butter with the milk. Am I to melt the butter then mix it with the milk, or melt with milk and for how long?
Shinee says
Hi, Sheila. Yes, first melt the butter and then add it to the milk.
Simone says
soooo ive been looking for an easy green tea swiss roll recipe. cant find one :/ do you think this recipe would work with adding some matcha powder to the white cake mix before baking? im going to try it out to test for sweetness/bitterness but id like your opinion and any input/thoughts you (or anyone else, for that matter) may have.
Happy Baking!!
SImone
Shinee says
Hi, Simone. Sure you can definitely try adding a little bit of matcha in this recipe. Though I’ve never tried it myself, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I also have this match roll cake recipe, you maybe interested. Check it out, and please let me know if you give it a try.
Jessica says
My baking sheet is a little bigger than recommended should I change the recipe a little or is there a way to make my pan smaller with stuff I have around the house?
Shinee says
Hi, Jessica. Hmm, how big is your pan? Maybe you can fold a foil around the edges?
Starfire says
Ugh…I measured everything exactly….took extra care to watch in the oven so it didn’t over bake and this is what I got……The whole roll down the middle cracked and broke all the way thru it while opening it back up. I wish I could find a fool proof recipe 🙁
Shinee says
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear your trouble, Starfire. I saw your photo you sent too. I know you said you measure exactly, but may I know if you used cups, or weighed them on a scale? Also, you used large eggs, right? Elastic sponge cake is all about ratio, and I wonder if it was any possibility the ratio got off.
Christina Willey says
This cake is Superb!!!!!! I made it last Christmas and going to make it again this year. Might just become a tradition. MMMMMM! LOVE IT!!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you’re loving the cake, Christina! Thank you for your feedback.
Sheila Bradford says
Can you please explain what you are meaning by ” cup measurements, or weight” ??? In the ingredients list you said to use 1 1\2 cups of cake mix, this tell me to measure out in measuring cups. So what do you mean by “or weight”? I’m really wanting to try this recipe out. Was also wondering what you thought about using WHIPPED ICING colored with a Christmas color for the filling, with the white chocolate gaunash icing poured over it? Thanks for your input in advance…
Shinee says
Hi, Sheila. Basically, you can measure the cake mix either by cup or scale. 1 1/2 cups of cake mix equals 215gr. I provide both measurements, because not everyone has cups. If you have kitchen scale, use the scale. I prefer scale over cups in baking, because it’s more accurate measurement. And yes, you can totally color your filling with Christmas colors, and white chocolate ganache would be beautiful. I’d pour the ganache after the iced roll has been chilled for a little bit.