Old-Fashioned Chocolate Raspberry Cream Roll

Name: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Raspberry Cream Roll
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 egg yolk, room temperature; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1½ tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp neutral oil (avocado, vegetable, or canola); ¼ cup cocoa powder; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; 8 oz cream cheese, softened; ½ stick butter, softened; Powdered sugar, to taste; 1 tsp vanilla extract; Raspberry jam, to taste; Crushed freeze-dried raspberries; A little over 1 cup heavy whipping cream; Powdered sugar (for whipping cream); Dark chocolate; Heavy cream

Soft cocoa sponge filled with fluffy raspberry cream — Toti's no-crack method.

Time

1 hr

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Raspberry Cream Roll

A rich cocoa sponge filled with a creamy raspberry whipped filling made with cream cheese, whipped cream, raspberry jam, and crushed freeze-dried raspberries. Stays soft and flexible thanks to Toti's no-crack rolling method.

Instructions

Cake

1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a sheet pan or jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
2
Beat eggs, egg yolk, and sugar until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume.
3
Add vanilla and oil and mix gently until combined.
4
Sift cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt together, then gently fold into the egg mixture until fully combined.
5
Pour into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and bake 10–12 minutes — the cake should spring back lightly when touched.

Toti's No-Crack Rolling Method

1
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, lightly dust the top with powdered sugar.
2
Place another sheet of parchment paper over the cake and carefully flip it over.
3
Keep the original parchment attached underneath the cake.
4
Place a clean kitchen towel over the parchment.
5
Gently roll the cake while still warm, using the towel to guide and support the roll.
6
Let the rolled cake cool completely before filling.

Raspberry Cream

1
Beat cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together.
2
Add raspberry jam and crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
3
In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until fluffy.
4
Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula.

Assemble

1
Carefully unroll the cooled cake.
2
Spread the raspberry cream evenly over the cake and roll it back up gently.
3
Optional: drizzle with chocolate ganache and pipe extra raspberry cream on top.
4
Chill before slicing for cleaner cuts.

Toti’s Tips

✓Beat the eggs, yolk, and sugar until they're pale and doubled in volume before adding anything else. That trapped air is basically the only leavening this sponge gets, so skimping here leaves you with a flat, dense roll.
✓Fold the dry ingredients in gently rather than stirring hard. Aggressive mixing knocks the air back out of the eggs you just worked to whip in.
✓The oil in the batter isn't optional — cocoa powder dries a sponge out more than plain flour does, and that little bit of oil is what keeps this cake flexible enough to roll without cracking.
✓Roll the cake up while it's still warm, using the towel underneath to guide the shape. A warm cake bends easily; once it cools flat, it loses that flexibility and cracks when you try to roll it later.
✓Let the rolled cake cool completely before unrolling to fill it. Filling a warm sponge melts the cream cheese mixture and makes the whole roll slide apart instead of holding together.
✓Don't overbake the sponge — a few extra minutes in the oven and it turns dry, which makes it far more likely to crack during rolling no matter how careful you are with the towel.
✓Freeze-dried raspberries work better than fresh ones in this filling because they don't add extra moisture, which would otherwise loosen the cream and make it harder to spread evenly.