Matcha Swiss Roll is a fluffy sponge cake with a swirl of fresh matcha cream filling. Light, creamy, and mildly sweet, it‘s a delicious afternoon snack or post-dinner dessert to enjoy with coffee or tea. With its festive vibrant color from the green tea powder, this roll cake will be an instant favorite for any celebration, too.
Swiss Rolls, or Roll Cakes (ロールケーキ) which we call in Japan, are a type of sponge cake filled with whipped cream, buttercream, and custard cream, and sometimes include fruits like strawberries.
Just like any other dessert, we do have Matcha Swiss Roll (抹茶ロールケーキ) and it’s always a popular choice in Japan. If you have a soft spot for anything matcha (green tea), I am pretty sure you’re going to be as obsessed with this cake as I am.
What Differentiate Japanese Roll Cake from Swiss Roll
1. Not so sweet
When it comes to Asian sweets, you have to know one more expression to complement the dessert, and that is “oh, this dessert is not so sweet.” What it really means is the sweetness is just right.
Swiss rolls are of western origin, but I want to emphasize that the Asian version of Swiss rolls is guaranteed not so sweet. If you enjoy not-so-sweet desserts, this one is for you.
2. Light and fluffy
The fluffiness and light texture of the sponge cake come from the egg whites that are beaten to stiff peaks, like in a chiffon cake recipe. Besides fresh whipped cream for the filling, there is no butter or oil added to the recipe. I know this makes us all feel less guilty about eating more than one slice!
3. Unique flavors
Classic Japanese roll cakes are very similar to western Swiss rolls. You can find flavors such as vanilla, cocoa, chocolate, tiramisu, coffee, strawberry, lemon, raspberry, and so on. Japanese (and some other Asian) varieties include matcha, black sesame, chestnut, purin (crème caramel), and interesting flavors like almond jelly, and mitarashi dango (see below).
Endless choices of roll cakes! (image source)
5 Tips to Remember When Making Matcha Swiss Roll
1. Egg yolks at room temp & egg whites in the fridge
You can make the sponge cake two ways: The Genoise Method (The whole eggs are combined with sugar and gently heated over simmering water, then whipped) or the Biscuit (bees-kwee) Method (the whites and yolks are whipped separately and then folded back together). The Genoise method creates a more moist texture but the Biscuit creates a lighter texture.
I chose the Biscuit method this time. When you separate the eggs, keep egg yolks at room temperature and egg whites in the fridge. As you may know, already most Japanese recipes tell you to beat cold egg whites without cream of tartar to make meringues.
2. Remember to “fold in”
Folding is a very gentle way of mixing additional ingredients into a batter to prevent entrapped air from escaping. The way to do this is to first run the spatula (or whisk) around the side, then along the base of the bowl. Now fold the mixture over onto itself. Rotate the bowl to 90º and repeat until combined.
3. Don’t overbake
Because it’s a thin cake, it’s best to avoid baking slowly; otherwise, the cake will be dry. Therefore, bake around 375ºF (190ºC) for 10-12 minutes, until the sponge springs back. The bottom of the cake pan will become the surface of the cake, so we’ll make sure it doesn’t get burnt on the bottom.
4. Remove the parchment paper immediately
You will need to remove the cake immediately from the pan after baking, in order to prevent the cake from drying. But, what do you do with the parchment paper?
There is a whole discussion on when to remove parchment paper – right after baking OR after cooling down. I remove it while it’s warm and it comes off beautifully. I don’t like the parchment paper become too moist while cooling down, but it’s up to you. I think either way works.
5. Pre-roll the cake while warm
It’s easier to roll up the cake when it’s still warm and flexible, so I roll up the cake first and let it cool down. The cake has muscle memory so it’s easier to roll up again with fillings. Some people don’t pre-roll but score on top of the cake before rolling so it’s easier to roll. Some don’t do either one but still make the beautiful roll. Again, it’s also up to you.
Delicious Matcha Whipped Cream Filling
Some matcha roll cakes include anko, sweet red bean paste, inside the whipped cream filling. The red bean gives some texture to the soft sponge and creamy whipped cream. Even though I love sweet red bean paste, I prefer keeping it out of my cake to keep the fluffy texture in my mouth. When I brought this matcha roll cake to my friend’s house, she served the cake with red bean ice cream and it was wonderful!
For the whipped cream filling, I like mine to enhance more matcha flavor, so I included matcha powder in my whipped cream, but that’s optional. Simple white-color whipped cream will give a nice contrast to the matcha cake, and it looks pretty and delicious too!
If you visit Japan, you will find them all over the country – from fancy versions at bakeries and pastry shops to more affordable ones at grocery stores or convenience stores. But don’t be fooled by the “grocery store” or “convenience store” label. The quality is still reasonably good.
Roll cakes sold at a convenience store
I feel this rolled-up cake has a lot more casual look than a classic round cake, yet it’s still elegant enough that you can bring it to a potluck or serve it at your dinner party to wow your guests. For more matcha dessert recipes, click here.
I hope this Matcha Swiss Roll recipe will inspire you to try making it at home. You will need to apply a few techniques but it’s really not as difficult as you may think.
Other Delicious Matcha Recipes
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Matcha Swiss Roll (Roll Cake)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- ¾ cup cake flour (weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; you can make homemade cake flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) (1 Tbsp matcha is 6 g)
- ½ cup sugar (divided)
- 3 Tbsp whole milk (microwave until warm to the touch)
For the Matcha Cream Filling
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream (chilled)
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp matcha (green tea powder)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Please note that this recipe requires 30 minutes of resting time and 2 hours of chilling time.
- Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line a 15- x 10-inch (38- x 25-cm) jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Separate 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) into egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another. Keep the whites in the refrigerator and the egg yolks at room temperature.
To Make the Cake Batter
- Prepare a work surface with a sheet of parchment paper. To a fine-mesh sieve, add ¾ cup cake flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and 2 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder). Sift these dry ingredients onto the parchment paper.
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the dry ingredients to a bowl. Repeat sifting and transferring the dry ingredients two more times (for a total of three times). Set aside. Tip: Matcha is a very fine powder that’s difficult to blend into a batter without clumping. Sifting the dry ingredients three times ensures that the matcha and flour are well blended with no lumps and that air is incorporated into the mixture so it making it easier to blend into the batter.
- In a large bowl, add the egg yolks and break them with a hand whisk.
- Add half of the ½ cup sugar and whisk until the egg mixture doubles in volume. When you lift the whisk into the air with some of the mixture on it, the mixture should fall back into the bowl in ribbons, which slowly disappear back into the mixture.
- Next, add the cold egg whites to a large, dry bowl. With an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat the egg whites until foamy.
- Gradually add the remaining half of the sugar, one-third at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are glossy.
- Using a hand whisk, gently fold about one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until well incorporated.
- Then, add the egg yolk mixture back into the bowl with remaining the egg whites. Gently fold in the egg whites with a silicone spatula until just incorporated. Tip: Rotate the bowl a quarter turn counterclockwise while you scoop up and fold the mixture onto itself clockwise.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Using the silicone spatula, fold in gently until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Tip: Adding the dry ingredients last avoids overmixing, which results in a dense (not fluffy) sponge.
- Add 3 Tbsp whole milk (warmed) to the batter and fold it in until incorporated.
To Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly using an offset spatula or silicone pastry scraper.
- Tap the jelly roll pan a few times on your working surface to remove any air pockets in the batter. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the top of cake springs back when touched. Tip: Do not overbake it or the cake will be too dry and break when you roll it.
- Remove the pan from the oven and drop the pan on your working surface once to prevent the cake from shrinking.
To Remove the Cake from the Pan
- While the pan is still hot, place a sheet of parchment paper across the surface of the cake. Place a baking sheet (or a cutting board) on top with the bottom of the pan against the paper.
- Wearing oven mitts, hold the two baking sheets together with the cake sandwiched in between and flip them over. Using a knife or spatula, lift the jelly roll pan to reveal the cake.
- Gently peel off the parchment paper attached to the cake. This side will be the exterior of the Swiss roll, so be gentle!
- Now, flip over the cake one more time: Place another “protective” sheet of parchment paper across the cake surface, then place a baking sheet on top with the bottom of the pan against the paper.
- Hold both baking sheets together and flip them over so the brown side of the cake is now facing up. Remove the top pan and parchment paper.
- Remove the bottom baking sheet and place the cake with its parchment paper on a work surface. Slicing at an angle, cut off ½ inch (1.3 cm) of the cake from one of the short ends. This will help stabilize the Swiss roll when rolled up.
- While it‘s still warm, roll the cake: Start at the other short end and use your hands to slowly roll up the cake together with its parchment paper, finishing at the angled end that you just sliced. Once the cake and paper are rolled up, transfer to a wire rack with the seam side down.
- Cover with a kitchen towel to keep it secure and let it cool completely until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
To Prepare the Matcha Cream Filling
- When the cake is completely cool, combine ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream, 1½ Tbsp sugar, and 2 tsp matcha (green tea powder) in a large bowl.
- Beat with an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) until firm and spreadable, so it won’t ooze out of the cake when you’re rolling it up.
To Assemble the Swiss Cake
- Transfer the Swiss roll to a flat surface and unroll the cake. It’s okay if the ends curl up a bit.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the matcha cream filling evenly over the cake, leaving a ½-inch (1.3 cm) border on all sides. Tip: Spread slightly less filling toward the last one-third of the cake, as the cream will pile up toward the end when rolling up.
- Carefully but tightly reroll the cake with the filling inside. End with the seam side on the bottom. Secure the cake by rolling it in the parchment paper and twisting it at both ends, like a candy wrapper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up the cream.
- Remove and unwrap the Swiss roll. Slice off about ½ inch (1.3 cm) of the cake on both ends to show off the beautiful swirls. Transfer it to your serving dish. Slice and serve.
To Store
- If you have leftovers, just rewrap the Swiss roll in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Hi Nami! I’m just about to get started on making these after a success with your chiffon cake recipes 🙂 Can I check, if I want to make it chocolate or just plain vanilla, do I just replace the matcha powder w cocoa powder for chocolate, and simply replace with flour and vanilla extract for vanilla flavour? Thank you! 🙂
Hi TM! Yes, that’s what I would do! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Hi! If I would like to make this Swiss roll, but in vanilla flavour + chopped fruits, what do I replace the matcha with? Or do I just omit the matcha powder? Thank you!
Hi Kay! I’ve never tried it so I can’t share from my experience… but definitely remove matcha and add vanilla extract for the “plain” flavor.
Hi can I use a normal baking sheet instead of a jelly roll tray? 🙂
Hi Kris! The sizes are different (https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/difference-between-half-sheet-quarter-sheet-pans-cookie-sheets-article)…so you will need to adjust based on your baking sheet. 🙂
Hi Nami! I have yet to try this recipe but I have a question. Can I use my 10x10x1 cake pan for this instead of the 10×15?
Hi Dee! Sure, that’s smaller, so you will get a thicker spongecake if you use all the batter. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Nami, will this cake stay moist and soft after being refrigerated? Thanks!
Hi Regina! It should be okay for a day. My family finish eating the cake within 24 hours or so so I am not too sure after that… Make sure it is covered/wrapped well though.
I made this cake and it turned out dry like others have mentioned. I’ve compared other Swiss roll recipes and noticed this one doesn’t use oil but the others do as well you fold the flour in last while others mix the egg with flour before combining it with the whites. Also in your video you used 110g cake flour but written down you put 90g-102g cake flour which is pretty confusing.
Hi Win! Thanks for trying this recipe! This recipe was based on this cookbook I mentioned in my Note section and it does not use any oil. As for the cake flour, I included the various cake flour weight to give the range. But it can be confusing. So I have updated my recipes that use cake flour to be 1 cup = 120 g. So this recipe will be ¾ cup cake flour (90 g). Thank you for your feedback.
Hello! For the cake, can I make it a day in advance then put the whipped cream on the next day? Would it last 3 days after I make the cake or put on the whipped cream? Thanks!
Also, if we don’t finish the cake, would freezing ruin anything?
Hi Angelina! Since we use fresh whipped cream, I recommend consuming sooner or freeze the leftover. You can make ahead all the way as you have to roll up the sponge cake on the same day you bake. 🙂
because i want to make for my mother. does halving the amount of sugar affect the dryness of the cake?
i’m sure it’s cuz i overmixed it the first time. i will try again
but i was wondering if decreasing the sugar amount affects the cake consistency
Hi Windy! I’m afraid so. Sugar turns into moisture in the cake and you have to be very careful cutting down. I haven’t tried cutting down so I can’t say how much you can actually cut down. Try by gradually decreasing while you don’t change anything else in the recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami! Would using 2% milk instead of whole milk still work? Thanks!
Hi Ava! It should work. 🙂
would love to try this recipe but i don’t have any green tea powder. Can I just take out the green tea powder and bake it as a plain whipped cream swiss roll?? Do I need to change anything else?
Thank you!
Hi Jacky! Sure, that should work. 🙂
Thank you Nami! I tried it and it came out good but doesn’t look that great because I had a hard time rolling it, it broke ☹️
Hi Jacky! Did you roll it while it’s warm and flexible? It will break if it’s cooled down already. Do you think it was over-baked? This is very crucial when to take it out (it’s thin cake, so it’s easily ovebake). And I’m not using a convection (fan) mode, it’s a regular convention. If you’re using a convection oven, you must reduce the oven by 25 ºF.
Hi nami. Yes I rolled it while warm but I think I over baked it a little bit. It’s a little dry… I will try again one minute less next time 🙂 thank you!
Check the doneness with a skewer – if the skewer comes out clean, you can remove from the oven. It could be done a few minutes earlier too. 🙂
I’ll definitely try taking out few minutes early next time. 👍Do you think we can also use cocoa powder instead of green tea powder.? Do you think we need to adjust the recipe or keep everything the same? Thank you!!! 😀
Hi Jacky! I feel like someone commented here or emailed me that it worked well with just swapping with cocoa powder… I haven’t tried it myself so please give it a try to test. 🙂
Hi Nami, thank you for this great recipe which I find it relatively easy to follow. I actually followed it to a T but mine turned out to be not as soft and fluffy as yours…. not sure what went wrong? Which step is the most important to Ensure it being soft and fluffy?
Hi Nami-san, thank you for the good recommendation, Match Swiss roll. My family loves it a lot!
Seeking advise:
Does your Matcha Swiss roll meant to be slightly rougher and less fluffy than traditional vanilla Swiss roll which is usually softer and fluffy? From the photo, it seem the roll should be rougher. Otherwise, it might be due to my poor folding-in skill even though following your instruction and making tips.
When folding in the mixture, can we ‘cut through’ the egg yolk and egg white white in slow motion?
Stay safe!
Hi Eileen! Thank you for trying this recipe! Maybe trying baking less time? 🙂
Hi Cara! My first thought is if it was over-baked? A bit too long? Try to take out 1-2 minutes earlier to see the difference. Each oven is slightly different, so we need to adjust the baking time. Was the spongecake too close to the heat source?
Hi! I tried this today but the cake turned out dry. :'( I only put it in the oven for 12 mins, not even 13. I also removed it from the pan right away. The only thing I changed was using 1% milk instead of whole milk and using greased aluminum foil instead of parchment paper for lining. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Do you know what might have happened or how I could get this right next time? I loved the light matcha cream though!
Thanks 🙂
Hi Emily! Looking at my video (https://youtu.be/27ol1zZJyPQ?t=257) how much drier yours was? Do you think 12 mins was even too long? My oven is pretty big, and maybe your sponge cake doesn’t even need to be in the oven for that long (since it’s thin sponge). It’s hard to know but you may really want to test your actual baking time by inserting a skier / touching the surface of the cake (until it bounces back). I’d like to make my recipe with whole milk, but it should not make a big difference… Aluminum foil probably conducts heat more than parchment paper, but I am not sure if that could be the reason. I recommend cutting down the baking time or spray the water on the sponge cake (with a mister) if that helps. Oh, and you’re not using a convection oven right (fan)? I mentioned in my FAQ page but I only use the regular conventional oven (no fan) for all my recipes (even though my oven has it). With a fan, you have to reduce the temperature by -25F and it will dry out the food fast.
Thanks for your reply! No, I didn’t use convection bake. I’m thinking I’ll likely have to decrease the baking time then. Looking at your video again, mine was a little bit golden too on the edge. I guess all ovens are a little different 🙂 Thanks for all your help!
Wishing you the best, Emily! 🙂
Hi! I wanted to incorporate red bean into the filling- how much do I add and how do I add it?
Hi Lucy! I would sprinkle (not sure if this is the right word…) small amount of chunky red bean paste on the whipped cream before rolling.
Hi! thanks for sharing your recipe. I just want to ask if its possible to use matcha chocolate bar instead of matcha powder? what should I do if its possible. Thank you
Hi Luchie! I’m not too sure. If you adjust the recipe, you may be able to use it?! But you can’t swap the powder and bar din this recipe. You will need 100% matcha powder. 🙂
Hi,
My baking tray is 37 x 27cm, what percentage should I increase the batter by?
Thanks,
Hi Charlie! I’m not very good at adjusting the recipe for a different size pan (except for my chiffon cake recipes, where I made the calculation). I think your tray is close enough? Sorry I wish I could help….
Hi Nami, thank you for spending the time to document every step of your baking.. must not have been easy. I tried this recipe yst and although the color is not as nice as yours( I used Itoen matcha ), I had no issues with the rolling and it was moist and delicious. One problem tho, my roll had very hideous “holes” . They were not big air pockets, on the contrary, they were even and small but bigger than chiffon cake air pockets and I believe contributed to making my Swiss roll extremely fluffy since there were so many air pockets. They are just not very pleasant looking 🙁 what did I do to make the air pockets so much bigger than normal?
Joelle
Hello Joelle! I’m glad to hear you had no issue with rolling and the cake came out moist!
Regarding your tiny bubbles/holes… 1) tap the pan a few times before putting in the oven to remove the air pockets. 2) While I was researching the reason, I saw the advice that says to switch to low speed after making meringue. So you use high speed to make the meringue, but when it’s almost done, slow down and whisk everything in a slow/medium speed. High speed creates small bubbles so you will switch to slower to make bigger bubbles instead. Maybe that might help?
Dear Nami,
After taking on board your comments on the choc chiffon, I managed to improve on the appearance of my cake. It still had surface cracks, not that deep though. I took some photos, but unsure how to send them across.
Yesterday. I baked my first matcha cake roll. It was a bit dry, had no cracks whatsoever, rather good.
Hence today, I picked up my courage to do the 2nd. However, it did crack when I iced it whilst still slightly warm. Not willing to settle for a cracked roll, I baked my 3rd. It was rather good – moist, no cracks. I waited until it was properly cool, much longer than 30 mins as suggested. Very pleased, thank you for your most detailed step by step instructions.
Next time, I might experiment with rolling it when it has cooled down a bit, but still slightly warm to touch, and “workable”. You mentioned that this didnt change the outcome for you.
Question for you — why have you not used the chiffon cake format or method to bake the for the sponge in your matcha cake roll. As in there is no oil used in cake roll for one and sequence of mixing ingredients is different. In cake roll, dry ingredients at the end whilst in chiffon, flour is added to yolks. Could the chiffon formula be applied here to the cake roll, seeing the chiffon has an even fluffier texture?
My oven was set at 180C all the while. 190C is too hot – my humble opinion.
Btw, loved your Shioyaki salmon recipe and your Almond cookies, both a success!
The sophisticated cheese souffle looked a bit embarrassing to shiw anyonne . Will try again.
Thanks
Chin x
Hi Chin! Thank you for your feedback! First of all, thank you so much for trying this recipe (3 times!). It reminded me of my tasting stage of this recipe (and my family said no more swiss roll for a while. LOL. I hope you have someone kind to enjoy your cake!). Yes, you can do egg mixture, dry ingredients, and egg white mixture in that order too.
190C (375F) is pretty standard for the swiss roll, but everyone’s oven is different (size, how it heats etc), so it’s hard to say. We all have to learn to adjust our oven by experimenting with it.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy my other recipes. Thank you so much for your kind feedback.
Hi! I was just wondering if it is possible to make a normal cake (i.e. in a 9 inch cake pan) with this Green Tea Swiss Roll Recipe. The roll cake that your have made seems amazing! Thank you.
Hi Sabrina! I think it’s possible? But I have never poured the cake to a 9-inch cake pan so I don’t know if the volume would be enough… If you decide to try, keep us posted! I’m curious! 🙂