The Best Lemon Roll Cake

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This is our favorite lemon roll cake, a soft and delightful sponge filled with fresh and tangy lemon curd.

This lemon roll cake is the best! An incredibly flavorful, tangy lemon Swiss roll that everybody loves. There are no surprises here. The sponge is fluffy, tender, and sweet, and the filling is lemony, zesty, tangy, and creamy.

A beautiful and easy-to-make dessert bursting with flavor and perfect for the season. And if you like Swiss rolls or roll cakes, check out our Cream Roll with Strawberries, the Easy Raspberry Roulade, or the Strawberry Basil Cake.

Expert tips

• Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees for best results (Amazon affiliate link).

• If you happen to have a Thermomix, use it to make the lemon curd, it’s even easier. And if you like lemony desserts as much as we do, make the No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake or a Baked Blueberry Cheesecake.

• All ingredients should be at room temperature.

• Make sure that you prepare the baking sheet and preheat the oven in time; mixing the simple ingredients will be quick, and the cake batter needs to be baked as soon as it’s ready. If it waits around for the oven to get hot, it will not rise nicely anymore.

• Rolling the cake roll while hot will prevent it from cracking. Leave to cool completely before filling.

Recipe ingredients

• Butter:  I use unsalted butter and add a tiny pinch of sea salt. Regular salted butter might be too salty; I would not use it to make the filling for this lemon roll cake.

• Lemons: Two medium to large unwaxed, organic lemons as you will need their zest. Wash and dry them well before zesting. If you want to decorate the lemon cake roll with some fresh slices, you will need one extra lemon.

• Eggs: You will need two eggs for the filling and four eggs for the sponge.

• Flour: I prefer to use cake flour in baking; it makes the baked goods airier. However, all-purpose flour is fine as well.

• Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for the curd and the sponge, icing sugar for the towel, and for dusting the roll cake before serving.

Step-by-step instructions

How to make the lemon filling?

• Lemons: Wash, dry, zest, and juice them.
• Heat butter, sugar, lemon zest, juice, and salt in a heatproof bowl at bain-marie.
• Add strained eggs and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens slightly and becomes opaque (1). You should be able to trace a path with your finger on the curd on the wooden spoon (2).
• Cover the curd with cling film and let cool completely.
• You can make the filling several days in advance and keep it refrigerated.

How to make the sponge?

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff and glossy. Set aside (3).
• Whisk the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a separate bowl until foamy (4).

• Mix flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. Sieve the flour mixture over the sugar mixture (5).
• Add 1/3 of the egg whites and mix.
• Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently (6).

• Bake the batter (7) on the prepared baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes until golden (8).

• Sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with icing sugar. Turn the baked cake onto the kitchen towel with the baking paper facing up. Peel off the paper carefully (9), then immediately roll the cake with the help of the towel (10).
• Leave it to get completely cool (it will take about 1 hour).
• You can bake the cake roll one day in advance and keep it wrapped in the towel at room temperature.

How to assemble the roll cake?

• Unroll the cake and cover it with the lemon curd (11).
• Roll the cake again and wrap it in clingfilm (12).
• Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
• Dust with icing sugar and decorate with lemon slices (if desired).

Recipe FAQ

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