This post was sponsored by MARS and Pillsbury. All opinions are mine alone.
This gorgeous snow white roll cake is made from a box cake mix!! It’s unbelievably delicate and light and filled with white chocolate mousse filling.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Let me guess…. When planning your holiday menu, you want a 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!
Sophisticated doesn’t have to be complicated!
And this gorgeous jelly 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 its unbelievably light and tender crumbs with delicate flavor.
And did I mention you’ll only need 7 ingredients including the filling?
Key Ingredients:
The secret is in the CAKE MIX!
- Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Premium Cake Mix is the base of the cake. IMPORTANT NOTE: We only need 1/2 of the cake mix to make 1 roll cake!
- Melted butter and milk enrich the batter with flavor!
- Egg whites, whipped into a fluffy meringue, provide flexible structure and pristine white finish!
- White chocolate and whipping cream is for making the simple white chocolate mousse filling.
- If you’re filling festive, you may crush some red and green M&Ms and sprinkle them on top of the cake.
How to make this recipe:
1. Make the batter
To make the most elastic sponge cake that won’t fall apart into 5 pieces when you roll it, we need to whip the egg whites into a white meringue. Meringue adds volume and elasticity to the batter.
And meanwhile, mix together milk and melted butter in a small bowl. This will add a great flavor to our cake.
Next, sift cake mix into the whipped egg whites and gently fold the batter until most of the dry ingredients are incorporated. And then add the milk and butter mixture.
Notice the batter will deflate a bit once you mix in the dry ingredients. But it’ll turn into a nice and smooth batter once you combine butter mixture.
Tip
Mix the batter gently not to deflate the batter too much though.
2. Bake the cake
Line a baking sheet (I’m using baker’s half sheet pan, which is roughly 18x13x1in) with a parchment paper, or a silicone mat.
Pour and spread the batter evenly. I like using this flexible silicone scraper.
Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes at 350°F, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cake will look lightly golden, but not browned.
Tip
Don’t be alarmed! The layer of batter will be extremely thin, but rest assured it’ll rise in the oven into a perfect thickness!
3. Make the mousse filling
While the cake is baking, make the filling!
- Gently melt white chocolate in a microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power. And pour in 1/4 cup of warmed heavy cream. Gently mix until nice and smooth. Let it cool.
- Then whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Pour in cooled white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. And gently fold with a spatula until well combined.
Tip
Do NOT whip the heavy cream after adding white chocolate! Or it’ll curdle!
4. Fill and roll
Right before cake is done, lay out a large lint-free kitchen towel on a counter and generously dust it with powdered sugar.
Once the cake is cooked, carefully invert it onto the prepared kitchen towel. Peel off the parchment paper (or silicone mat). And roll it up with the towel. Place the cake on a cooling rack and cool completely.
Then carefully un-roll the cake, generously smear the mousse filling, reserving about 1/3 of the filling for frosting the outside of the cake.
Finally, carefully roll the cake up again. Trim the ends and frost the cake with the remaining filling all over.
This roll cake is so pristine white and melt-in-your-mouth light! Sprinkle of crushed M&M’s Holiday minis on top adds a perfect festive look that I absolutely adore. Oh and that little bit of added crunch is divine!
Roll Cake Tips for Success:
I’ll be honest, this recipe was one of the most challenging one to perfect. But I’m grateful for every single failed cake, because I’ve learned a few valuable lessons!
- Weigh out 215g of cake mix, it’s exactly half of the boxed cake mix! Elastic sponge cake is all about correct ratio of dry ingredients vs eggs and liquid ingredients. A bit too much dry ingredients could cause dry cake that won’t roll up without cracking!
- Sift the cake mix to get rid of lumps, which won’t incorporate into the batter quickly. And you’ll end up mixing the batter too much, deflating it along the way.
- Don’t over-bake the cake. Over-baked cake will crack easily.
- Roll up the cake in kitchen towel quickly after it comes out of the oven. If you cool too much, you won’t be able to create that “muscle memory” and risk cracking the cake.
- And at the end of the day, it’s just baking! Take your time, follow the directions and step away, if needed.
Re-purpose failed roll cake:
In case your roll cake fell apart into pieces, please don’t trash it!!
- Just add 2oz of plain cream cheese into the cake (filling and all) and mix it with a paddle attachment.
- Then roll it into 1-inch balls. (I use this medium cookie scoop.)
- Dip in melted chocolate or candy melt.
Hope you found an inspiration for your holiday dessert table. Thanks for reading!
Snow White Roll Cake
Ingredients
For cake:
- 4 large egg whites Note 1
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk Note 2
- 4 tablespoons (55g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ box Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Premium Cake Mix Note 3
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting
For filling:
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy whipping cream divided
- 4 oz (115g) white chocolate chopped
- M&M’s Holiday Minis crushed for topping
Instructions
To make the cake:
- 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.
- In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, 3-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine milk and melted butter in a small bowl.
- Sift the cake mix into the meringue and carefully fold the batter until smooth with a silicone spatula. (NOTE: Use only half of the box mix!)
- Once most of dry ingredients are incorporated, pour in milk and butter mixture and gently fold the batter until nice and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, and spread it evenly all over the sheet. (TIP: Don't be alarmed! It’ll be a thin layer, which is exactly how we want. This silicone scraper is super helpful!)
- Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cake should look 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.
- As soon as the cake is done, carefully invert it onto the prepared kitchen towel and tightly roll the cake from the short side, while still warm. Cool completely on wire rack, about an hour.
To make the mousse 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 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until hard peaks form.
- Add cooled white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and carefully fold until well combined. (TIP: Be sure to add cooled white chocolate mixture is completely cooled before adding it into the whipped cream. And do NOT whisk it with a mixer, or it'll curdle!)
To fill and roll the cake:
- Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it.
- Generously spread white chocolate mousse all over the cake, reserving about ½ cup of filling. (TIP: Spread thinner layer of filling on outer end of the cake.)
- Then tightly roll the cake and trim off the ends of the cake.
- Frost the cake with the reserved mousse filling all over. Sprinkle some crushed M&Ms for festive look, if desired.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The cake is best when served the same day. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Tips & Notes
– It’s best when cake is served the same day, as it’s a delicate cake. But you can make it a day in advance. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
– Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 3 days.
– This cake is not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
I have never done a roll cake, but I really want to try it! I was thinking a little peppermint extract in the mousse with a bit of red food coloring, and crushed candy canes on top might work too. What do you think?
Hi, Toni! You’ve got a fabulous idea! I love the peppermint spin on this roll cake. Hope you’ll love making a roll cake. Let me know how it goes, if you try it. Thanks!
Mine cracked in half when I rolled it the first time. What do you think I did wrong? I am letting it cool and will just go with the cracked version, but I was hoping to fix it if I did it again another time. Thank you!
Hi, Jennifer! Sorry to hear you got a crack. Did it break only on one place? If so, you can totally roll it up anyway, no one will know. 🙂 How did you measure the cake mix though? By a cup measurement, or weight? If you measured it by a cup, it’s possible you’ve got a bit too much dry ingredients vs wet ingredients/egg whites. It’s just so easy to over-measure with a cup. Hope you have a great holiday, Jennifer. Merry Christmas!
I feel your recipe does not come off clear. If the powder sugar is for dusting only then that should be listed right beside it “2 to 3 tablespoons of powder sugar for dusting only” I’m sure a lot of people besides me was Unsure about the powder surgar is to be mixed in with the cake flour. Directions need to be clearer.
Hi, Deborah! Thank you for your feedback and sorry for confusion. I updated the recipe per your request, it makes perfect sense. Hope you’ll try the recipe and enjoy the cake. Let me know if you have any more questions. Merry Christmas!
I plan on making this tomorrow for my family party. I’ve made plenty of rolled cakes before but never this way. I’ve also never made a mousse before. So my question is if I don’t have a whisk attachment for my hand mixer what’s you best opinion on what I should use when I need to create those stiff peaks? Also any other advice you have while making this if I don’t have a stand mixer.
Hi, Lynn. You don’t have to have a stand mixer, any electric mixer will work. Actually, even just whisk will do the job, it’ll just take a bit longer to whip the egg whites and heavy cream to hard peaks. Quick tip: cold cream whips quicker, so use the cream straight out of the fridge and if you have time chill the bowl too. However, egg whites whip better while at room temperature. If you haven’t already, please the post above the recipe, I’ve included more tips and lessons I’ve learned while creating this recipe. I hope you and your family enjoy this cake and have a fantastic holiday. Merry Christmas!!
Hi every since I saw this on Pinterest I’ve been thinking about it! My brain could not stop thinking white chocolate!!! So I’m in the middle of trying it out the cake seemed to turn out good I’ll let to know what my family thought. I’m afraid now there will not be enough!!! I’ll let you know. Question, can I do this with dark chocolate too? Cake and chocolate? I think it would be nice to have a choice. Happy holidays!
Hi, Alyce! So happy you tried the recipe. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Yes, dark chocolate is totally fine. In fact, I modified my dark chocolate mousse from this cake. Let me know how it turns out. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Now do I need to double the icing to have enough to cover inside and outside of roll
Hi, Brenda! I had more than enough frosting to do inside and outside of the cake and even those little top decorations with the recipe I’ve written.
Can you use white chips instead of baking chocolate?
Yes, you sure can, Di.
Great. Thank you. I bake a lot but this will be my first roll
My cake came out awful. It was too dry. Not over baked not spongy enough. Not near enough filling for the outside to look like yours. Looked like a dried up little frosting cake.
Di, sorry, your didn’t turn out well. I have no idea what could have went wrong. Did the cake roll ok, or cracked? As for the frosting, I’m so surprised, I had more than enough frosting and did those little extra decorations on top. So I’m baffled. What size baking pan did you use? And did you change anything?
Going to try this today …but I have a question can u do this to all the cake mix just to do a short cut lol ???????????
Hi, Lily. Yeah, I think you can use any cake mix, just as long as you keep the ratio the same. Let me know how it turns out.
Can this cake be made ahead of time and then frozen?
Hi, Gloria. No, I wouldn’t recommend that.
So If I need to make 2 rolls do I need to double this recipe or is it for 2 rolls already?.
One box of cake mix makes 2 rolls. So just make this recipe twice
Lauren, thanks so much for your help. (insert high five emoji here) 😉
Yes, you’ll need to double the recipe. The recipe makes only one roll using half of the cake mix. Thanks for reaching out, Nancy. And hope you’ll love it. Let me know how it turns out.