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This melt-in-your-mouth fluffy and moist Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (a.k.a. Swiss Roll) is easier than you think! The cake batter has just 4 ingredients and the whipped blackberry frosting is ridiculously simple to make.
This cake only looks like it took forever but really it has simple ingredients, comes together quickly and is definitely a show-stopping cake! Take a bite of this Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll and you’ll have no words, only sound effects…. mmm…
Watch the Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll Video:
The combination of blackberries and lemon just makes my mouth water. P.S. You can make this cake roll a day in advance, cover and refrigerate and it will be just as good the next day. Hooray for make-ahead desserts!
That topping looks so lovely but it’s the easiest part of the cake!!
Tools You Will Need (affiliate):
Flour Sifter or fine mesh sieve
18×13 (half sheet) rimmed baking sheet
parchment paper to line baking sheet
clean tea towel or linen towel
flexible spatula
High powered stand mixer*
Piping Bag and Large Open Star Wilton 1M Tip
*If using a good electric hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, add 2 min to eggs/sugar mixing time.
The Ingredients are surprisingly really simple but the results are awesome!
⬇️Print-Friendly Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll Recipe:
Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (VIDEO)
Ingredients
Sponge Cake Ingredients:
- 5 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Lemon Syrup:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 med/large lemon
For the Blackberry Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 Tbsp 113 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 oz blackberries, chopped (reserving 6 whole berries to garnish)
Optional Garnish:
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 lemon slices, cut into triangles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of an 18x13 baking sheet with parchment paper (do not grease).
- Add 5 eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat on high speed 1 min, or until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat on high 7 min. It will be thick, fluffy and tripled in volume**
- Whisk together flour and baking powder and sift into egg batter one third at a time, folding to incorporate between each addition and scraping from the bottom to catch hidden flour pockets. Stop mixing when you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Transfer to lined baking sheet and bake right away at 350˚F for 13-15 min (mine took 15 min) or until top is golden. Remove from oven and right away run a thin edged spatula or knife around edges of your cake to loosen from the pan. While cake is hot***, invert cake face down onto a clean, dry linen towel, remove parchment paper then roll cake into the towel. Let cool to room temp (30 min - 1hr) in a draft free room.
- Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for lemon syrup (water, sugar, lemon juice), stir to dissolve sugar and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 8 Tbsp softened butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat together starting on low speed to incorporate sugar, then turn the mixer up to high speed for 2-3 min or until whipped, white and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add coarsely chopped blackberries and stir into cream with mixer on low, just until incorporated.
- Carefully Unroll cake and loosen from the towel. Brush the top evenly with your lemon syrup. Put dollops of blackberry frosting over the surface and spread evenly. Roll the cake tightly in the same direction you rolled it the first time. Slice off the edges if desired and dust generously with powdered sugar.
- For the topping, beat together 3/4 cup heavy cream with 1 Tbsp powdered sugar for 2 min on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Transfer to a large piping bag with a large open star tip and pipe 6 flowers over the top, placing a fresh blackberry and lemon triangle into the center of each one.
Notes
***To prevent cracks in cake roll, it should be rolled in the linen towel right after it comes out of the oven.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This sponge cake base in this blackberry lemon cake roll is amazing! It takes on moisture really well and won’t get soggy for several days. Hungry for More? Check out all of my many cake recipes using this easy European sponge cake base.
Ready, Set,… Bake!! Enjoy this my friends! 🙂
Will this work with frozen blackberries?
Hi Tammy, that should still be ok, but thaw them according to package instructions and pat dry with a paper towel so they are not overly juicy. You probably wouldn’t want to decorate the top with frozen though.
Do I use the whole egg or just the whites for the sponge?
Hi Samantha, I use 5 whole eggs. Make sure to watch the video before starting – it will help! 🙂
Hi Natasha, do u think this roll would be just as good if I substitute raspberries instead of blackberries?
Hi Galina, I do think that would work well 🙂
Hi Natasha! We love your recipes. We just watched this recipe and my 5 year old daughter told me at the end “This lady is very beautiful.” Thank you again for this yummy recipe. We will try to make it today.
Awww, she’s so sweet! Please let me know what you both think of the recipe Elya!
Hi, Natasha, I made this recipe for the sponge cake. My cake was a little dry. After a day in the refrigerator, it was a little better, since the juices from the fruit made it more moist. Did I do something wrong? I followed your directions to the letter. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, this cake gets it’s moisture from the filling and syrup you use on it. If you omitted the syrup, it would seem a little dry. I have tested this one with more syrup and it was difficult to roll so I found this amount the be the best balance of moisture and roll-ability 🙂
Gotcha!!! It was an easy recipe, I will use it again!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Barbara! I’m glad to hear that! 🙂
hi Natasha,
can we make the spounge without eggs
Hi Nupur, unfortunately, this recipe will not work without eggs since it is the main ingredient and what causes the cake to rise.
OH WOW! This looks so delish! I would have to try this soon! 🙂
It is divine Trish! Please let me know what you think!
I’m commenting again–after I made one for Mother’s Day, I made two for my husband’s family for Memorial Day. There was nothing left to take home! I just made another for my Mom’s birthday, and used your cream cheese whipped cream frosting with the berries instead of the butter cream cheese frosting (which I used both times before). It’s amazing with the whipped cream cheese frosting too. Wow! Thanks again! And if you ever decide to create a recipe book, I’ll be first in line to get one!
You’re welcome Christina! I’m so glad you love it! Thanks for sharing your kind comments and wonderful review!
I made this last night for a church group gathering and sure enough everyone liked it! even the people that took a half slice asked for the other half later… thats when you know its really good!
However, I find myself worried a bit every time I bake your sponge cake. (I’ve made your strawberry cake at least 6 times). for some reason every time I bake the cake the top is super sticky, so much so that if I touch it with my finder, a big piece would stick to me and come off. Which is a bit of a problem since I have to touch it in order to flip it over and such. I will mention that my cakes don’t look as puffy and firm as yours do.
Is this normal? Or am I doing something wrong (yet I try to follow your recipe precisely)?
Hi Lina, have you had a change to read my sponge cake tutorial? If not, it should really help! Oh and ps. do you possibly live in a high humidity area? You might let the cake sit in the pan 5 minutes before removing it from the pan and see if that helps (although with the cake roll, you do want to roll it right away). I sure hope the tutorial helps!! 🙂
Hi Natasha, thank you for the great recipes! I have a question about this cake. Will it be ok to bake a sponge cake on Thursday, put frosting on Friday for the Saturday party? And if yes, should I “moist the sponge cake ” at once or so it before frosting? Thank you
Hi Snezha, yes that will work, to bake the sponge cake on Thursday and roll it up. Once it’s at room temp, cover loosely but fully with plastic wrap and you can keep it at room temperature overnight. On Friday, add the syrup, frost and assemble the cake roll then cover and refrigerate overnight for your party on Saturday.
Great Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll recipe!! I made it for my family. This cake was delicious and it made the cake more moist and yummy!Thanks for sharing nice cake recipe.
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Hi Natasha, this roll is amazing. I made yesterday the first time, and guess what?? Making tonight again :)))
Thank you
You’re welcome Tanya! I’m glad to hear you love recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review 😀
Natasha….you are seriously amazing! This recipe was phenomenal. I made this for my mother and mother-in-law (yes…I made two lol) in honor of Mother’s Day. They both thought it was store bought because it not only looked beautiful, it turned out so DELICIOUS (these people never give me any credit…lol). Not too sweet, but yet delightful and so incredibly yummy. You’re the best 🙂 Thank you again!
You’re welcome Sarah! Thank you for the wonderful compliments! I’m happy to hear everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review! 😀
I served this tonight for Mother’s Day–wow! It was a huge hit and there was nothing left! Thank you so much for the recipe! It was easy to follow and tasted amazing! I’ll be making this again very soon!
That’s so great to hear Christina! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review! 🙂
Hi Natasha, I was SO excited to make this for Mother’s Day tomorrow. Had trouble with rolling the cake, and I used the Philadelphia 1/3 cream cheese to save calories…..cheese/butter mixture got soooo soft & when I rolled it, it oozed everywhere, cake split – UGH!! I did the best I could, covered it in Saran Wrap to chill overnight in the fridge……I really loved this recipe, you make it seem so easy!
Hi Kristina! Thank you for writing in :). The best advice I can give for preventing a cake roll from splitting is to roll it while the cake is hot and right out of the oven. If you wait, the cake won’t mold into the log shape as readily and is more likely to crack. You can dust a surface with a whole bunch of powdered sugar and roll the cake around in it to help conceal cracks. Also, with the cream – I had a similar experience when I tried to speed soften the butter and cream cheese and overdid it. Also, adding too many blackberries or adding frozen blackberries that are too juicy could also loosen the frosting. It should firm up some in the refrigerator anyways since it is butter/cream cheese based. I sure hope that helps for next time! 🙂
Hi Natasha! Can I make the roll and let it sit in the towel for a few hours before frosting it ? Also do you think rolling it “hot dog style” would be a bad idea? 🤔 Thank you!
Hi ally, I don’t think it would hold together well rolling hot dog style and it would be more difficult to slice. Yes that is totally ok to make it earlier and frost it later. I have ever frozen the rolled cake then thawed and frosted a couple of weeks later 🙂
I LOVE THAT CAKE BUT MY RECOMMENDATION EAT RIGHT AFTER YOU MAKE IT (OR AT LEAST 2 HOURS AFTER YOU MAKE IT). DON’T STORE OVERNIGHT, IT TASTE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. FRESH CAKE TASTE SOOO GOOD.
I have made it in advance and I thought it was just as good even on day 3. Maybe it has to do with using frozen berries or keeping it uncovered. If making it ahead, I would recommend using fresh berries and make sure to cover when it is refrigerated so it does not absorb food odors.
Terrific! I just made mine for Mother’s Day dessert for tomorrow…..hope it’s okay.
Hi Kristina, I did not have that experience. Maybe it has to do with using frozen blackberries – I’m not sure but I have made it in advance and it was just as good the next day.
Love this recipe! So simple and easy to make and is absolutely delicious! Had some company over and didn’t have a single piece leftover. Crowd pleaser for sure 🙂
I’m happy to hear everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Do you have a cookbook.
Hi Ruth, that is so sweet of you to ask. We do not have a book yet but it is on my life’s to-do list.
Love this recipe but found that the cake that was not eaten the first day was “soggier” the next day…I’m thinking from the lemon syrup. Would it be possible to incorporate lemon juice/rind into the cake batter before baking?
Hi Marilyn, the lemon syrup should keep it moist but this being a sponge cake should never really get “soggy.” It normally holds moisture really well in the refrigerator for several days. It can seem that way if you add extra syrup than what is called for in the recipe. I haven’t tried adding the rind so maybe that would work – not sure. I would however advise not using the lemon juice as it can easily deflate your mixture. With this classic European sponge cake, the flavorings are added in the syrup. I’ve done a large variety of flavorings and even coffee for a Tiramisu! 🙂
So good. Thanks for the recipe.
My pleasure Jack! I’m glad you like it!