Bring swiss roll bang up to date with a sophisticated espresso kick. Light, airy coffee sponge whorls around a bean-flecked cream filling in this delicious coffee cake creation! Coffee and Walnut fan? Channel C&W vibes by folding chopped walnuts into the batter before baking.
How to Make Coffee Swiss Roll
Swiss rolls look impressive but are surprisingly simple to master. All it takes is a little know-how, and you’ll be serving feather-light, perfectly swirly coffee sponge in no time!
Beating the Eggs
Beating the eggs is the first step, and is key to achieving that super-light swiss roll texture. Break your eggs into a clean bowl and whisk with electric beaters for around eight minutes. A pale colour and thick, voluminous texture are what you are looking for. Lift up the beaters – does the thick mixture rest on the top for a few seconds? If so, you are ready to move to the next step!
Folding in the Flour
Whisking the eggs incorporates air, but rough mixing can undo your hard work and knock the air out. That’s why it’s important to fold in really, really gently. Imagine you are baking cake for angels.
Baking the Swiss Roll
Perfect baking is essential for light-as-air sponge. Why do we keep going on about a light sponge? Well, coffee (and cake) lover, as well as being characteristic of a swiss roll, an airy texture gives a flexible sponge, which makes it easier to roll and get that Bake Off-worthy swirl!
Bake your coffee swiss roll sponge for 10-12 minutes until it is golden, risen and springy. This isn’t the time to hit snooze – take it out as soon as it’s baked!
Coffee Swiss Roll Ingredients
Eggs
Eggs, as you know, are crucial in your coffee swiss roll. Use free range eggs if you can, and make sure they are at room temperature before you start baking.
Coffee
This is a Coffee Swiss Roll three times over. Firstly, there’s the coffee sponge. Then, there’s the coffee kick nestling in the filling. And then, for next-level texture contrast, there’s the chocolate espresso beans bespeckling the cream swirl. Why not add a cup of joe for coffee FOUR ways?
See the word ‘cream’, and you know you’re in for a treat! We love the combination of delicate sponge and billowy cream filling. It’s a cloud of coffee delight!
Fancy a free coffee brewing booklet? Full of fun facts and ESSENTIAL tips? Get it here! Just click the link and we’ll pop one in the post!
Swap the self-raising flour for 70g self-raising flour and 30g good quality cocoa powder. Drizzle the rolled sponge with chocolate.
Coffee and Walnut Swiss Roll
Fold in 70g of chopped, lightly toasted walnuts after adding the flour and omit the chocolate coffee beans. Add a line of walnuts on top of the rolled sponge for a snazzy finish.
How Do I Stop my Coffee Swiss Roll from Cracking when I Roll?
Swiss rolls can crack if overbaked, as this makes them a little dry (sad face). Dry sponges are less bendy and more brittle, which makes them prone to breakages. That 10-12 minutes baking time might seem short, but it’s enough. Remember, your sponge is only thin!
Another crevice-causing culprit? Not rolling the sponge as soon as you’ve baked it. Roll it up in the sugar-dusted tea towel or parchment right after taking it from the oven!
???
We’re on a roll, so let’s get baking!
Ingredients
For the sponge
4 large eggs
140g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling on the parchment/tea towel
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease and line a 33cm x 23cm swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
Step 2
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Step 3
Crack the eggs into another bowl and tip in the sugar. Whisk with electric beaters for 8 minutes until pale, creamy and thick. Add the cooled coffee and flour and fold in using a spatula or metal spoon. Be very gentle – you don’t want to knock out too much air!
Step 4
Carefully tip the mixture into the tin, tilting the tin to ease it into the corners. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through and springy to touch. Don’t leave it to cool – move to the next stage straight away!
Step 5
While the sponge is baking, cut a piece of baking parchment a little larger than your tin. Lay it on a work surface and sprinkle it liberally with caster sugar. Use oven gloves to invert the sponge onto the parchment. Lift away the tin and lining parchment from the sponge. Score a line 1.5cm in from one of the shorter sides. Don’t cut all the way through – you just want to leave a mark. Roll up in a cigar shape from the scored side. Leave to cool in the rolled-up position.
Step 6
Now make the filling. Add the cream and coffee to a mixing bowl and sift in the icing sugar. Whip until it forms soft peaks and then gently fold in the chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans. Pop in the fridge until needed.
Step 7
Carefully unroll the sponge and spread over the coffee cream, leaving the scored edge clear. Gently roll it back up from the scored edge, finishing with a seam underneath. Dust with cocoa and trim the edges if you want tip-top neatness. Then serve and enjoy!
Hungry for more coffee baking ideas? Perhaps espresso blondies or a vegan coffee and walnut cake? Find them in our blog!
Meet the chimp behind this article!
Born in Ely, Laura has a BA Hons in Dance and Drama and founded Two Chimps Coffee alongside Andy in 2016. Self-proclaimed talkaholic, Laura enjoys meeting new people and loves interacting with our troop of coffee enthusiasts.
What Laura does outside of the treehouse:
Laura absolutely adores taking family trips, especially to her beloved beach, Mundsley, in Norfolk. She’s passionate about living a green lifestyle both at home and at work and loves teaching her kids about composting and eco-friendly practices.
Laura says…
“I love getting to chat with all of our incredible Two Chimps customers; I always remember the most random things and never forget a face.”
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