The only gluten free Dairy Free Swiss roll recipe you'll ever need. Possibly the ONLY recipe you'll need!
Unlike traditional Swiss roll recipes, which always seem to create thin, rubbery sponges, this cake is the complete opposite. And completely foolproof. Just follow these steps and it will be practically impossible to go wrong.
If I quote my 8 year old sister, “it tastes like clouds!”

The Secret Behind the Perfect Swirl
I’ve explained this briefly in the recipe, but if you're a visual learner like me, it’ll probably make more sense once you’ve seen it.
If you’ve seen classic Japanese desserts they’re known for making the softest, pillowy – chiffon cakes. Which this cake essentially is. But rolled.
They also have some epic patisserie tips. For instance, when making Swiss rolls they tend to score the sponge 3x lengthways, which allows you to roll it easily to create that perfect swirl.
Which I have implemented in this recipe and it works!
- First start by making 3 light scores lengthways down the cake – make sure NOT to cut into the cake, we're just trying to make a dent so it easy for us to roll later on.

- Next you want to flip the cake on its back and on the opposite side to where we made the scores.

- Here we're going to trim the very edge of the cake at a 45 degree angle. This will give us a nice neat surface for the cake to stand on, once rolled.
- Once you’ve made all the scoring and cuts it's time to add the filling. Start by spreading an evenly layer of jam on the cake - if you have really stiff/thick jam then simply place it in the microwave for 30-45seconds or until you have loose spreadable consistency.

- Then whip your vegan double cream. Elmlea 100% plant based is INCREDIBLE and it's what I used here, it whips and stiffens up like regular cream and tastes brilliant!
If however, you can’t get your hands on any, whipped coconut cream works amazingly well too!
- Then the final thing to do is roll the cake! Make sure to start rolling the cake from where you made the scores and roll to make a tight swirl.

- To finish dust with icing sugar or piped chantilly cream. Cut yourself a slice and ENJOY.

Chantilly Cream
I must say this may be the most over exaggerated ‘fancy cream’ there is and ganache second. They make it sound so technical when in reality it's just double cream with a bit of vanilla and icing sugar. There's really nothing technical about it.

So please don’t feel daunted by it. But I guess a really good plus when it comes to Chantilly cream and ganache is that whenever you have guests and they ask, ‘oh so how did you make this!’ you can slap on these technical terms and they’ll bewildered by your skills.
And to be honest the reason why it's believable and why it earns these respectable titles is because they do in fact taste that damn good.
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
Baking Free From 101
The Ingredients – Nutrition
Sponge Ingredients

White flour has very little nutritional value. It’s high in carbohydrates and calories, and low in everything else like fiber, protein and vitamins.
However, to add more nutritional benefits to this cake you can substitute it for enriched wheat flour which may be a good source of iron, thiamine, niacin, calcium, and vitamin B6. Although, I haven’t yet tried this sub, if you do, please let me know how you get on, in the comments below ?
Sugar provides energy, and should be consumed in small amounts. This recipe requires very little sugar when maintaining to the recommended portion size so is a good treat that won’t over shoot your blood sugar like a slice of chocolate cake would.
Eggs
Eggs are also incredibly nutritious as they contain protein, healthy fats, and many nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, choline, iron and folate.
And are vital for this recipe as their aerating properties is what creates that light, cloudy texture. As well as adding stability to the cake, to help it roll.
Oil has numerous benefits, primarily it is a major source of energy and a carrier of essential nutrients which are vital for growth and metabolism, protecting brain cells, reducing the risk of heart diseases, etc.
But when eaten in large amounts can lead to various heart diseases, so should be eaten moderately. However, this recipe requires a very minute amount, solely to add flexibility to the cake, so we can roll it, without tearing.
Filling Ingredients
Non-dairy whipping cream is healthier due to it being dairy free. However, these tend to include trans fats, so should be eaten in controlled amounts – like the serving size for the Swiss roll.
Jam
The jam I used for this role was a homemade strawberry jam with honey as a sweetener. And thickened with cornstarch, posting the recipe to this soon.
You may also use regular store bought jam, but these tend to be very high in sugar, so have a look at the nutritional labels and try and opt for one where sugar isn’t the first ingredient.

The Method
Another awesome thing about this recipe is that there is no more faff! All that horrible mess of flipping your sponge over on a tea towel and rolling it as fast as possible whilst it's hot. So it can mold into that roll shape before it cools. In fear of the sponge tearing if you leave it too late. Which will inevitably lead to it tearing.
It’s absolute nonsense, there’s no need for. Just add some oil to the batter and that will give your sponge flexibility!
Substitutes
If you’d like to make a non-gluten free version, that is absolutely fine. Just simply substitute the GF plain flour for normal plain flour and remove the xanthan gum. But don’t feel like you're missing out by making this gluten free version because it hands down tastes the EXACT same.
And those sorts of recipes are hard to come by.
Feel free to substitute the dairy free whipped cream for fresh double cream if you prefer. But this substitute is pretty great!
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
Baking Free From 101

FoolProof Perfect Gluten Free Swiss roll Every time
Equipment
- 12" Baking tray
- Stand mixer/Electric hand mixer
- spatula
Ingredients
The Cake
- 35 g Caster sugar (for meringue)
- 133 g Egg White (approx 1 large and 2 medium eggs)
- 30 g Caster sugar (for yolk)
- 66 g Egg yolk
- 27 g Gluten free plain flour
- 23 g Corn flour
- 2 teaspoon Xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
- 23 g Veg oil
- 27 g Dairy free milk alternative
Filling
- 100 ml Dairy free/Plant based whipped cream
- 2 tablespoon Icing sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoon Jam
Decorate
- ½ tablespoon Icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180° and line a 12" cake tray with grease proof paper.
- Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks then gradually add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. (see notes for image)35 g Caster sugar, 133 g Egg White
- In seperate bowl whisk the egg yolks and caster with a hand held whisker/stand mixer until thick and pale. The batter should be thick enough for you to be able to lift the batter and draw an 8.30 g Caster sugar, 66 g Egg yolk
- Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to get rid of too much air.
- Sift in the flour, cornflour, baking powder and xanthan gum and fold in gently. See image in notes for what consistency you should be looking for.27 g Gluten free plain flour, 23 g Corn flour, 2 teaspoon Xanthan gum, ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
- Pour in the milk and veg oil, again folding in gently.23 g Veg oil, 27 g Dairy free milk alternative
- Pour batter onto tray and spread gently to the corners of the tray distributing the batter evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 mins ir until golden brown and springy to the touch.
Filling
- Whilst the cake bakes to make the chantaliy cream, whip some dairy free double cream with icing sugar until stiff peaks.100 ml Dairy free/Plant based whipped cream, 2 tablespoon Icing sugar
Assembly
- Once the cake has baked score 3 consecutive lines (long ways) being careful NOT to cut the cake - Refer to notes.
- Turn the cake upside down, on the opposite side of the scores cut a thin slice at the end of the cake at a 45° angle. Refer to notes.
- Spread a generous layer of jam to all 4 corners of the cake (making sure the golden brown side of the cake is at the bottom)2 ½ tablespoon Jam
- Dollop the whipped cream onto - being careful not to add too much as it will run of the cake. And spread evenly across the whole cake.
- To make the swirl, tightly fold the cake lengthways - were we made the scores making sure to handle the cake gently to prevent any tears.
- Cut the ends of the swirl off - you can snack on these ? and lightly dust with icing sugar or piped whipped cream.½ tablespoon Icing sugar
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes



Your Thoughts
As always, I’m really excited to hear your thoughts on this vegan apple pie. And if you have any questions at all leave me a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can x
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Carrie says
Yum! This looks like a delicious dessert to give a try!
Leena. says
thank you Carrie! it truly is
Evie says
This looks so delicious. Love your easy to follow instructions and tips for the perfect jelly roll.
Leena. says
Thanks Evie!