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Lemon Cake Roll

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.4 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 30 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 Minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 Servings 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This soft and spongy Lemon Cake Roll is packed full of fresh lemon flavor and the creamy lemony filling is absolutely delicious!!  It also looks so elegant and impressive when you serve it.


Ingredients

Units Scale

CAKE ROLL

  • 1 cup cake flour, (sift before measuring)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened or slightly melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon oil or extract
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Powdered sugar for towel and cake

FILLING

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 softened package cream cheese, 8 ounce
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil*


Instructions

CAKE ROLL

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease a jelly roll pan, 15 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ x 1″. Line the pan with parchment paper. Grease and lightly flour the paper and inside edges of the pan.
  3. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside.
  4. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for about one minute until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon oil, and lemon juice. Mix on medium speed for about two minutes until the mixture is very creamy and lemony. Add the dry ingredients and mix for about 30 seconds, just long enough to incorporate the flour. Do not over mix.
  5. Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes until cake is spongy on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Run a knife around the edges of the cake roll. Invert cake onto a clean fuzz free towel that has been sprinkled generously with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, trim off the hard edges of the cake on all sides. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the cake with more powdered sugar. Starting at a short end, roll the cake up, towel and all into a roll, rolling as tightly as possible. Set the roll aside to cool while making the filling.

FILLING

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a separate bowl and place in the refrigerator while preparing the remaining filling ingredients.
  2. Add the cream cheese to the same stand mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and creamy. Make sure cream cheese is free of all lumps. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and lemon oil. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream.
  3. Gently unroll the cake roll. Spread the filling over the surface of cake roll, stopping about 1/2″ from the edges of the cake. Starting with the short end, gently roll the cake with filling from the towel and into a roll. Sprinkle the roll with powdered sugar.
  4. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and refrigerate long enough to chill the filling. Slice and serve.
  5. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes

  • The amount of lemon oil and lemon juice can be adjusted to your own taste, depending on how tart you want your lemon roll to be.
  • *If you don’t have lemon oil, just use 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract.  If you don’t have lemon extract, don’t worry.  Omit it.  The cake will still have a lemony flavor, just not quite as tart.