Desserts have been a favorite treat for finishing your meal or starting your day for a day. At least, that’s a productive way to look at it – the feeling of earning your treat or an extra morning boost.
Ever wonder where some of these desserts came from? Like roll cakes, or cake rolls, and their variations like jelly roll cake or swiss roll cake? Ever ponder where the different flavors started, like chocolate cake roll or strawberry roll? It’s fun trivia to think over while enjoying the sweet little cake.
Here at the Old European, we only serve traditional European food, but roll cakes are pretty interesting because no one is quite sure where they come from.
Roll cakes, also sometimes referred to as cake rolls or swiss rolls, are a sponge cake-like dessert that is rolled with fillings and it’s often served with whipped cream. They are sometimes known as Swiss roll cakes. Although, that title doesn’t extend to the other sweets that fall under the category of roll cake, oddly enough.
While there is some debate over the origin of the roll cake or swiss roll cake and their cousins, all anyone can agree on is that they originated somewhere in Europe. Well, almost everyone.
You might be thinking to yourself: “Who cares?! They’re delicious!” True, but it’s good to know whether you’re eating authentic and traditional European roll cakes from a place claiming to only serve authentic and traditional European food.
WHERE DO SWEET CAKES COME FROM?
The short and most honest answer is that no one is entirely sure. The first known use of the roll cake or jelly roll was in 1852 when a recipe for a sponge cake with jelly smear was published in upstate New York.
Called “To Make Jelly Cake,” the recipe describes a modern “jelly roll” and reads: “Bake quick and while hot spread with jelly. Roll carefully, and wrap it in a cloth. When cold, cut in slices for the table.”
In the United States, the terminology has changed over time. Jelly Cake, Roll Jelly Cake, Swiss Roll, Jelly Roll, and Rolled Jelly Cake were all names given to this dish from 1852 until 1877. (1876). It wasn’t long before the moniker “Jelly Roll” caught on.
Similar recipes have been found all over Europe, and while the fillings changed, so did the names always did. Funny how food is like an oral tradition.
One thing is for sure when it comes to the Swiss roll, it didn’t originate in Switzerland. Recipes in old English predate the roll cake or Swiss roll compared to their northern neighbor.
Some food scholars have suggested Australia, Germany, Hungry, or France. It may be disappointing to know that it may never be discovered who came up with the delicious dessert, but thanks to whoever did.
Whoever created the now globally famous roll cake, it wasn’t till it became popular in Northern America that it began being known as the jelly roll. No one is entirely sure when or how it became known as the Swiss role, except for maybe the swirls of filling when you cut into the cake. It is certainly a mystery to ponder while having a sweet snack, like a cinnamon roll. Yup, a cinnamon roll is a sweet cake, a.k.a roll cake, a.k.a Swiss roll.
WHAT ARE SWEET CAKES AND EUROPEAN ROLLS?
Well, they’re a daunting task to whip up. That’s for sure what they are. Baking is, in general, a difficult cooking path, and kudos to those who pull it off deliciously. It’s important to note and thank those who take the time to sweeten our day.
Roll cakes go by many names and can be filled with an array of sweet fillings from fruit spreads to flavored whipped cream. You’ll most commonly find them filled with jelly, frosting, or other creams made with heavy whipping cream, but just because a dessert has a jelly filling doesn’t mean it’s a kind of roll cake.
After all, a donut is not a Swiss roll.
Roll cakes are a kind of sponge cake made of egg yolks, flour, and sugar, and baked in a shallow sheet pan. You’ll traditionally find a thin layer of buttercream or jam, and sometimes chocolate filling in them, but depending on where you’re eating these little indulgences, you may also find them filled with fruits like fresh strawberries or pineapple, whipped cream, or more unique flavors like coffee. Yup, you guessed it, a coffee cake is technically a Swiss roll.
They are also typically topped with whipped cream, powdered sugar, and sometimes even tastier options like chocolate ganache.
Different fillings were born out of different regions and changing tastes, but they’re still of European origin no matter what they’re filled with. So, then, which province or country created these desserts that sweep plates across the globe?
How To Roll a Roulade | Southern Living
FAQ
What are rolled cakes called?
What is another name for a jam roll?
What is the difference between a Yule log and a Swiss roll?
What is a roll cake?
You may have guessed, a roll cake is a cake that is rolled. A roll cake is often called a swiss roll or a jelly roll. It’s a type of sponge cake that is filled with whipped cream, jam or frosting and then rolled into a spiral before serving.
What is a Ube roll cake?
Ube Rolls (purple yam rolls) are a particularly well-loved roll cake variety in the Philippines. In America, Swiss roll cakes don’t exactly have a specific rule. It’s a popular cake with many industrial manufacturers, and each company tends to determine for itself what the Swiss roll should look like.
What is the difference between a roulade and a roll cake?
A roll cake is similar to a roulade but a roulade can be filled with other things besides sweet fillings and can even be savory. Swiss roll cakes are also a type of roll cake but to me, a swiss roll cake is a chocolate sponge with a cream filling and then covered in chocolate.
What is a chocolate cake with cream filling called?
A chocolate cake with cream filling is called either a “Swiss Roll” or, sometimes, simply a “Chocolate Log.” That said, industrial manufacturers are the ones that use these terms most often, and they’re likely to use “Swiss Roll” instead of “Jelly Roll” for fruit-flavored cakes as well;