Introduction

This festive Christmas Cake Roll is a colorful and delightful dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. Its vibrant tie-dye pattern and creamy frosting make it both fun to make and impressive to serve. Enjoy a sweet treat that combines classic vanilla flavors with a playful twist.

A colorful rolled cake with three layers swirled together: a bright red layer, a green layer, and a white creamy filling in the center. The red and green cake layers have a soft, spongy texture with irregular edges, tightly wrapped around the smooth, creamy white filling. The cake is placed on a wooden surface with scattered red crumbs around it. In the blurred background, there are brown pinecones and green pine branches on a white marbled texture. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

1 white cake mix, including ingredients listed on box directions
½ cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tbsp milk
Red and green food coloring gel

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Prepare a jelly roll pan by greasing with shortening and lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the white cake batter according to the box directions. Once ready, divide the batter evenly into two separate bowls.
Step 3: Add red food coloring gel to one bowl and green food coloring gel to the other. Stir each until the color is uniform throughout.

Step 4: Transfer each colored batter into separate ziplock bags and cut a small corner off each bag to create piping bags.
Step 5: Squeeze diagonal stripes of alternating colors onto the prepared pan, filling the pan. Use any remaining batter to fill gaps as needed.
Step 6: Gently shake the pan to even out the batter. Use a toothpick to swirl the colors for a tie-dye effect.

Step 7: Bake for 18 minutes or until the cake is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
Step 8: Lay a clean kitchen towel on a flat surface and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Carefully flip the cake out of the pan onto the towel.
Step 9: Lightly dust the top of the cake with flour and cover with another towel. From one end, roll the cake up gently but tightly with the towels inside. Let the rolled cake cool completely.

Step 10: Once cool, gently unroll the cake. In a bowl, beat the softened butter with vanilla extract, then gradually add powdered sugar and milk until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
Step 11: Spread the frosting evenly over the unrolled cake. Carefully roll the cake up again, using a towel to help guide and keep it tight.
Step 12: Wrap the rolled cake tightly with the towel and place it in the freezer for 4 hours to set its shape.

Step 13: Remove the cake roll from the freezer, unwrap, and slice to serve.

Tips & Variations

For extra flavor, add a teaspoon of almond extract to the frosting instead of vanilla.
If you prefer, substitute the white cake mix with homemade vanilla cake batter for a scratch version.

Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors without thinning the batter.
To prevent cracking, roll the cake while it’s still warm but not hot.

Storage

Store the Christmas Cake Roll tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and slice before serving.

How to Serve

A colorful rolled cake is placed on a white rectangular plate over a white marbled surface. The cake has a patchwork pattern made of red and green sections that alternate irregularly across the whole visible outer layer. The cake texture looks soft but firm, with a smooth, slightly cracked surface. The overall shape is cylindrical and thick, with the pattern wrapping neatly around it. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use other colors besides red and green?

Absolutely! You can use any food coloring colors you like to customize the look of your cake roll for different occasions or preferences.

What if my cake cracks when rolling?

If the cake cracks, it’s usually because it cooled too much before rolling or was rolled too tightly. To avoid this, roll the cake while it’s still warm and handle it gently.