Carrot Cake Swiss Roll

Name: Carrot Cake Swiss Roll
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 202 min
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 1/4 cup of brown sugar, packed; 1/3 cup of granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons of olive oil; 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract; 2 cups of carrots, finely shredded; 3/4 cup of all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon of baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 1/4 teaspoon of cloves; 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature; 6 tablespoons of salted butter, room temperature; 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract; 2 - 2 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted

March 29, 2026
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I feel like carrot cake is one of those desserts that people either love or… not so much. I love it, but totally understand why some people don’t. I was blessed with my grandmothers famous carrot cake recipe that everyone loved and now I can share it with you, but I have also had some other versions of carrot cake that just don’t hit the mark, so I get it…

Today, we are making a carrot cake swiss roll. Yes, she is beautiful, but more importantly, she is moist, sweet and has a bold cake to filling ratio that is perfect for those of us that “love” carrot cake just for the frosting.

If you love carrot cake or know someone who does and you don’t want to bake them something basic or predictable then you may want to give this swiss roll version of carrot cake a try.

Let’s get started…

Begin by whisking 3 large eggs with 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or your favorite neutral oil) and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract until smooth in a large bowl.

Mix 2 cups of finely shredded carrots into the mix…

… and then add 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and mix until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly over a parchment lined 10″x15″ jelly roll or sided baking sheet. It will feel like you don’t even have enough to cover the whole pan, but if your pan is a 10″x15″, you’ll have the perfect amount.

Bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 11-12 minutes or until it feels set and a little springy to a light touch.

While the cake is baking, generously dust a clean kitchen towel with confectioners sugar. If you have never made a swiss roll cake, this step probably sounds a bit weird, but in order to successfully roll this cake up without any cracks or splits, it needs to cool rolled up, so it relaxes in that position.

Dusting the towel with confectioners sugar will help prevent the hot cake from sticking to the towel.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, carefully invert the cake onto the prepared towel and roll it up tightly starting on the short end.

Set the cake aside (preferably over a cooling rack to assist in airflow) until it is completely cooled.

While the cake cools, make the filling by beating 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with 6 tablespoons of room temperature salted butter and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract until it is creamy.

Gradually add 2 – 2 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, while continuing to mix, until the filling is thick and reaches your desired level of sweetness.

Once the cake has cooled fully, carefully unwrap the towel and lay the cake over a sheet of plastic wrap top side up.

Spread the filling over the cake leaving about 1/2″ border empty around 3 sides, but make sure to push the filling into the beginning of the roll (which will eventually be the center of your swiss roll).

So, let’s talk about getting a beautifully shaped swiss roll cake.

Nothing is more disappointing than doing all of this work only to have a flat, wide, smooshed swiss roll. Nobody wants that and there are a few things that you can do to make sure it comes out with a nice tall, round shape…

- - Make sure both the cake and the filling are cool when you assemble. If the cake is even just a little bit warm or the frosting is too soft to hold its shape, your roll will be doomed from the start.
  - Be sure to roll the cake tightly in plastic wrap before you chill it in the refrigerator. It can be tough to get the first layer tight and thats totally fine, just add another layer and pull it tightly to make sure everything is pulled in nice and firm.
  - This last tip is my favorite – once your cake is wrapped tightly, place it in between a few heavy things in your refrigerator to help keep it tall as it chills. I like to place it against a wall and press my egg container along the other side, so it is hugged on both sides helping to keep it tall and round as it chills. Once its chilled through, it will hold its beautiful shape!

When the cake is fully chilled and you are ready to serve, carefully unwrap the cake and generously dust the outside with confectioners sugar. You could also frost the outside if you prefer!

The only things left to do is slice your carrot cake swiss roll into thick slices and enjoy one of the most beautifully moist carrot cake sponges paired with a generous amount of perfectly sweet cream cheese frosting. Its the carrot cake you didn’t know you needed in your life…

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