This German Chocolate Cake Roll is a twist on the typical German Chocolate cake! A chocolate swiss roll genoise cake is filled with coconut pecan filling and the whole thing is topped with rich chocolate ganache and toasted coconut.
A Swiss Roll Cake is just a special and impressive dessert. Yet they don’t have to be difficult to make!
German Chocolate Cake is basically my childhood in a cake. If you watched the Great American Baking Show Season 5 Episode 1, you saw my German Chocolate Cake in a layered format with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Normally a German Chocolate Cake is made either in a 9×13 sheet cake, topped with coconut pecan frosting, or as a layer cake, with the coconut pecan icing serving as the filling and the icing.
Since German Chocolate Cake is the first cake that I remember ever baking (from a box but, hey, I was 10!), I decided that my first showstopper cake on the Great American Baking Show had to be German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan filling. I iced that cake with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue and the result was a cake that I fell in love with.
Today I decided to create a German Chocolate Cake with a twist (literally!)
A Swiss Roll is a genoise cake that is normally filled with cream and/or jam filling. This German Chocolate Swiss Cake Roll is a light chocolate cake that bakes in less than 10 minutes and is then rolled around this rich and delicious coconut pecan filling.
What could be better?
Maybe top it with chocolate ganache? Yep, that made it even better!
How to make a German Chocolate Cake Roll
This German Chocolate Cake Roll is outstanding as a make-ahead dessert. You can make the individual elements up to three days in advance and assemble a day or two before serving.
The steps are simple!
- Make the cake
- Roll the cake in a towel and allow it to cool
- Make the filling and chill
- Unroll the cake, spread on the filling, and reroll.
- Chill until almost ready to serve.
- Make the ganache, pour it on, and sprinkle with coconut.
- Allow to sit for 30 minutes
- Serve!
So how do you make a Chocolate Cake Roll?
First, grease a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan with butter or spray with non-stick spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, making sure that the paper overhangs the sides. Grease the parchment paper with butter – this will help with peeling the paper off once the sponge has baked.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare your tea towel. Lay a tea towel or a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and dust lightly with cocoa powder. You can also dust it with powdered sugar or granulated sugar but this will leave a white coating on your cake.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract and whip until the mixture is light and creamy, about 5 minutes. You want to get to the ribbon stage, where you can draw a figure 8 on the top with the batter and have the figure 8 stay visible for a few seconds.
In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold about half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Sift in the remaining flour mixture and again fold through while rotating the bowl. Ensure that you scrape right to the bottom of the bowl where flour pockets may be hiding. Do not over mix, as this will deflate the air that was created during the initial whisking of the eggs.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread with an offset spatula all the way to the corners. Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly. Do not overbake as this is the most common cause of a cracked sponge!
Once the sponge has baked, remove it from the oven and immediately invert the sponge onto the tea towel while it is still hot. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Starting from the sponge’s short end, roll the sponge up gently but firmly until it is totally rolled into the tea towel or parchment paper. Set the cake roll aside with its seam side down to cool completely.
How to make Coconut-Pecan Filling or Frosting
I loved this coconut pecan filling or frosting or whatever you want to call it when I was a kid. I never knew how absolutely EASY it is to make from scratch at home! It always seemed like I would forever have to buy the container of pre-made frosting at the store.
Essentially, the coconut-pecan filling is a caramelly custard base with toasted coconut and pecans stirred in. A few simple ingredients, cooked on the stove until thickened and then cooled. So easy!
So, here is how you do it:
- In a large saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and softened butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes. Standing at the stove, stirring, may not seem like your idea of a good time but, trust me, you don’t want this to burn on the bottom! Keep stirring until the mixture is browned and thickened to a custard-like consistency.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Toast up those pecans and coconut first! This adds so much flavor! Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and cover well. Refrigerate the mixture until it is completely cooled. You can stir often to cool it more quickly and thoroughly before using it to fill the cake.
Why did my Roll Cake crack?
The most common reason that roll cakes crack is overbaking the sponge.
These delicate cakes are thin and consist of mostly eggs so they only take a few minutes to bake. Make sure that you watch it like a hawk and get it out of the oven while it is still very soft and just set!
The second most common reason that roll cakes crack is having too much flour (or other dry ingredients, such as cocoa powder) in the batter. This is why I ALWAYS recommend that you weigh your ingredients on a scale to ensure accuracy.
Once you get used to weighing your ingredients on a scale, you will be hooked! The accuracy and consistency of your baking will improve so much!
Serving & Storing
German Chocolate Cake Roll should be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long!). Because of the custard filling, it should not be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
To serve your German Chocolate Cake Roll, Slice it while it is still cold from the refrigerator. This will give you the neatest slices. You can still cut it after it has come to room temperature but the slices may not be as neat.
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Other recipes to try:
German Chocolate Cake Roll
Equipment
- Jelly Roll Pan
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Kitchen Towel
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 eggs large
- 1/2 cup granulated or caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 4 egg yolks large
- 8 oz evaporated milk
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted, softened
- 1 1/2 cup shredded coconut toasted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Ganache
- 8 oz dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut toasted, for decoration
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Grease a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan with butter or spray with non-stick spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, making sure that the paper overhangs the sides. Grease the parchment paper with butter – this will help with peeling the paper off once the sponge has baked.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare your tea towel. Lay a tea towel or a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and dust lightly with cocoa powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract and whip until the mixture is light and creamy, about 5 minutes. When lifting out the whisk, you want to be able to see trails of the mixture for a few seconds.
- Into a separate bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.Gently fold about half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Sift in the remaining flour mixture and again fold through while rotating the bowl. Ensure that you scrape right to the bottom of the bowl where flour pockets may be hiding. Do not over mix, as this will deflate the air that was created during the initial whisking of the eggs.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread with an offset spatula all the way to the corners.Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.Do not overbake as this is the most common cause of a cracked sponge!
- Once the sponge has baked, remove it from the oven and immediately invert the sponge onto the tea towel while it is still hot. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Starting from the sponge's short end, using your hands, roll the sponge up gently but firmly until it is totally rolled into the tea towel or parchment paper. Set the cake roll aside with its seam side down to cool completely.
Make the Filling
- In a large saucepan, add brown sugar, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and butter. Heat on medium, stirring constantly, for about 15 to 18 minutes, until brown and thickened to a custard-like consistency.
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Transfer to a large bowl and cover. Refrigerate, stirring often to cool thoroughly before using to fill the cake.
Make the Ganache
- Place the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium bowl. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, heat the cream gently on low heat until simmering around the edges. Pour the cream over the chocolate into the bowl and cover with a small plate to trap the heat. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. Whisk continuously until the chocolate is smooth and the butter has melted.
- Place the swiss roll onto a wire rack set on top of a baking tray. Slowly pour the ganache over the top of the cake roll to coat completely. Decorate with toasted coconut and let the chocolate set for 20 minutes before slicing ends off to neaten up the roll before serving.
What temp do you bake cake on please
Perfection! I might make this once I am back home…
Thanks! Safe travels!