Delightful raspberry roulade – a fluffy sponge roll cake filled with a decadent mascarpone, raspberry, and lemon filling. The perfect summer dessert!

sliced cream roll with raspberries and cream on a plate.

Are you still looking for the perfect dessert to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday? Look no further! Your mum and you will adore this simple raspberry roulade or cake roll! Not only it’s delicious, but it’s also super easy to make leaving you with more time for cooking lunch or for just having an extra cup of coffee with your mum.

And what am I baking this weekend for my mother-in-law? This amazing Dobos Torte and a simpler Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake. For more inspiration, have a look at these Cheesecakes for Mother’s Day or these 12 Recipes for Mother’s Day.

Raspberries and lemons are a match made in heaven! But if you would like something similar to celebrate the strawberry season, try this Strawberry Swiss Roll.

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Ingredients for Swiss roll
How to make a good sponge?
Assemble the lemon raspberry roulade
How to store the raspberry roll?
More sweet roulades and rolls
Recipe
Easy Raspberry Roulade

swiss roll filled with raspberry lemon filling.

Ingredients for Swiss roll

Raspberries: Frozen raspberries for the filling and fresh ones for the decoration. You can use all fresh, but they are rather pricey, so I prefer to use frozen most of the time.
Dairy: Mascarpone and heavy cream.
Lemon: You will need lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice; one lemon will be enough. Make sure that the zest of the lemon is suitable for consumption. If it’s treated/waxed, it will not be. This detail is usually indicated on the label. Wash and dry the lemon thoroughly before zesting.
Flour: I prefer to use cake/pastry flour for making most cakes; I think the resulting cakes are fluffier and softer. But if all-purpose is all you have, that will do as well.
Other ingredients: Cornstarch, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice.

rolled cake with berry lemon filling on a platter.

How to make a good sponge?

A sponge is probably the easiest cake base you could make. You will need only a few basic ingredients, a truly short baking time, and it’s low-fat on top of everything. But there are a few things you must know in order to make a good one.

I like to use this recipe for making cake rolls because this sponge never gets any splits when I roll it, which was not always the case with other recipes I’ve tried before.

Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tray before you start making the batter. It should not wait while your oven reaches the right temperature, it should be placed in the hot oven as soon as you mix it.
Separate the eggs. A sponge's main characteristic is that it is light and airy, which is why you must separate the eggs and beat the egg whites very well. Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature.
Usually, the sponge doesn't require baking powder, but I like to use just a tiny bit to help the cake reach its full airy potential.
Make sure to sift the mixed flour and cornstarch over the egg mixture, don't skip this step, otherwise, the cake will be too dense.
Once you've sifted the flour mixture onto the beaten egg yolks, fold them in very carefully using a spatula. Don't over-mix.
Carefully pour the batter on the lined baking tray and spread it gently and evenly using the spatula or a spoon.
Bake immediately until nicely golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven.

four steps of making cake batter in a bowl.

collage of two pictures of unbaked and baked batter on a tray.

Assemble the lemon raspberry roulade

Lay a clean kitchen towel on the table and sprinkle it evenly with the icing sugar.
Remove the roulade from the oven and immediately turn it onto the prepared towel with the baking paper facing up. Carefully peel off the baking paper.
Roll the cake with the towel and leave it so until completely cool. This will not take long, about one hour. You can bake the sponge several hours in advance and leave it in the towel until needed.

peeling baking paper from cake and rolling it into towel.

Spread the cooled raspberry filling onto the sponge, cover with mascarpone cream, and roll again.
Wrap the roll into plastic foil/cling film, place it on a platter, and then in the refrigerator. Leave it in there for 2-4 hours until set.
Remove the wrap, and place the lemon raspberry roulade back on the serving platter.
Whip the cream needed for the decoration and decorate the Swiss roll using a piping bag with a nice nozzle. Add some fresh raspberries and thinly cut lemon slices on top.
Alternatively, don’t use whipping cream, and sprinkle the cake roll with a little icing sugar. Serve with more raspberries.

rolled cake roll wrapped in plastic on the table.

How to store the raspberry roll?

Keep it refrigerated; it is made with cream, and that should not be left for long at room temperature. The raspberry roulade with lemon and mascarpone is best served on the day you baked it. However, it is still perfectly delicious for 1-2 more days. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

overhead view of a slice of raspberry lemon roll on a cake lifter.

More sweet roulades and rolls

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