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.
My parchment paper stuck to the cake in certain parts and tore the cake. Why do you think this is so?
Hi Vicki, Thank you very much for trying this recipe.
When condensation is forming, the parchment paper might get stuck. You can grease the parchment paper before you use it, or try peeling the parchment off the cake by gently pulling it back at a 30-degree angle may help. (not 90-degree up)
We hope this helps!
Hi! I loved this recipe but my sponge came out a little sticky and was a little hard to roll up, I baked the cake for 20 mins but it still came out like that, should I bake it for longer??
Hi Clare! Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
20 minutes for baking this cake is quite long. We recommend checking your oven’s internal temperature and make sure you measure your ingredient correctly.
We hope this helps!
This is not a good recipe 🙁 It is the 5th Swiss roll I’ve made this week and the only flop. It came out flat, dense, and spongy rather than soft and fluffy. I think there is something about folding in the dry mixture last that takes too much air out of the batter. 375 is also too high for a Swiss roll- I’d say at least 325 or 350. Flavor wasn’t there either. I’ll stick to my other matcha roll recipe. But your matcha cream is delicious!
Hi M! We’re sorry that this recipe didn’t turn out for you. Our recipes have been carefully and repeatedly tested for perfection before we publish them. Please read many tips Nami provided in this blog post and recipe. If the folding technic did not work for you, please try gentry fold the batter with a whisk.
Please check this link to learn more about the Matcha powder was used for this recipe for the flavor. https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-powder-matcha/ The Matcha powder is the key to an excellent flavored in this recipe.
As for the oven temperature, each oven is different (size, heat), so please feel free to adjust for your oven.
As we were not in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to know what went wrong, but we are more than happy to assist. Thank you for trying this recipe!
I did this with my foods class in highschool and it was a hit! great lesson to teach them about hard peaks. we did a chocolate version because matcha is too expensive for school budget XD. We subed 2tbsp of matcha with 3 tbsp of cocoa powder in both the cake and the filling. In the filling we also increased icing sugar to 75ml (kids needed their sweet tooth satisfied ).
your pictures were a life saver with some of my international students to help with their comprehension as they had trouble understanding some of the recipe due to language barriers
Hi Betty, Wow! We are glad to hear Nami’s step by step instructions worked out very well for many students! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your story.😊
I love making sponge cakes but wanted a quicker, smaller and simpler version to make for afternoon tea. Rolling the sponge is pretty easy and intuitive once you’ve done it the first time. This recipe yields a sponge that is easy to roll and is the perfect texture. Wonderful like all your recipes!
Hi Emma, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! We are so happy to hear it turned out perfect texture!
This cake recipe was so delicious! I have been making jelly roll cakes and sponge cakes for many years, but this will be my new go to recipe. So light and fluffy, and the ingredients fold together perfectly without sticking or clumping.
I made one recipe as written with matcha and then another with 2 T cocoa powder instead of matcha.
Thanks again, Nami! I just love your website.
Hi Sesame!
Aww… Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear this recipe worked very well for your oven!🥰
Can I substitute the matcha powder for hojicha powder?
Hi Nariko,
Sure! Another reader tried it and commented that it turned out to be great.
We hope yours will be great too!🙂
I’m excited to try this recipe. Do you think it will be ok to use almond milk instead of whole milk? Also, do you think coconut whip cream will hold in the cake? I need to substitute do to allergy to cow’s milk.
Hi Cindy,
We have never tried this recipe with almond milk or coconut whip cream and don’t know how the outcome will be…sorry.
Please let us know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
I made it! The cake turned out fine with the almond milk. I made the red bean paste and put a layer of it. Then the coconut whip on top of the beans … the taste was great but the whip didn’t really show through on the roll, after I cut it. I think it got absorbed by the cake. I’ll still make it again. My husband loved it. I mean loved it! He’s never had it before and doesn’t like very sweet desserts anyway. It’s a hit, and cow milk free.
Hi Cindy!
Fantastic!🤩 Thank you very much for the update!
We are so happy to hear the cake turned out fine with almond milk and your husband loved it!
Thank you for sharing your baking experience and tips with us.💕
Another great recipe! I put half the amount of sugar in the biscuit and filled it with a different cream because I had mascarpone cheese that I wanted to use. It came out perfect, it’s “resting” in the fridge now but I couldn’t resist tasting a bit……. well, I can’t wait for tomorrow to have it :-). Thank you so much!!!
Hi Silvia,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
The mascarpone cheese sounds soooo yummy! We wish we can taste it.😁
Happy Baking!
Hey Nami! I tried this recipe and it is SOOO good. I had leftovers which I stored in the fridge, however the next day the cake was too dry it became hard! Like a biscuit! Any tips of proper storage to avoid this problem?
Hi Lish,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
If you would like to have leftover for the next day, please wrap the swiss roll in a plastic wrap or put the swiss roll in an airtight container, then store it in the fridge. So it will not dry out your fabulous cake!
We hope this helps.
Hi Nami! Your recipe looks amazing and I’m really excited to make it. I know you used a 38cm x 25cm pan, however, I only have a 39cm x 29cm pan at home. Do you think this will be ok?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Emily!
Thank you for trying this recipe!
If you use your baking pan, the cake will be more flat. So you need to adjust the cooking time a little shorter.
Another idea is to increase the ingredient amount to fit your baking sheet or use aluminum foil and make one side of your baking sheet a little shorter.
We hope this helps!
Oh my word! It worked! I am a completely, slap dash, amateur baker who hates being too accurate. But I was so determined to get this right and with your clear intructions and helpful photos I did it! My cake came out incredible, I couldn’t believe it as I saw this recipe to be way out of my capability but gave it ago anyway. I first ate Matcha roll cake at a Japanese restaurant in Barcelona, on their 15 course tasting menu! So much respect and adoration for Japanese cooking! Thank you, thank you so much for sharing!
I chose to leave the matcha out of the cream to create a contrast of colours. I also bought my matcha on ebay, it was inexpensive and a decent quality, the cake definately came out green!
Hi Birdie!
We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Yes. The matcha quality makes a big difference in this Cake color.
Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!♥️
I found some of the methods a bit odd. Folding in the yolk mixture then the egg white mixture caused the air the deflate and I ended up accidentally over mixing it to get the dry ingredients to incorporate. I would suggest mixing the dry ingredients in the egg yolk batter first, then mixing the egg whites into that mixture. I think this is why some others have had issues with a hard sponge.
Hi Anon! Thank you for your input!
Hi Nami=)
I love making cakes and cookies and just discovered your matcha cookies recipe and it is phenomenal!~~ Got me hooked to matcha desserts and very keen to try making this roll soon. Actually, may I please ask whether you have any thoughts about making the famous Tokyo banana cake? I always get boxes of it when I visit Japan because it is just heavenly. But nothing tastes better than homemade food so I really want to try making it but no sure where to start.
Cheers!
June
Hi June!
So happy to hear you like matcha sweets! Here is a link to more Matcha recipe; https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=matcha
Thank you for your recipe request. We added to Nami’s list!😉
Halo Nami, I always like your recipes. I want to try this matcha swissroll soon, but without matcha because I don’t have it right now. About the flavour substitute, I’ve read them from the comments below. I’m just curious, can I use this recipe to make japanese deco roll? If can, how to do it? Thank you in advance..
Hi Windy!
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We currently don’t have the recipe on the site. We’ll make sure to add the recipe to Nami’s list. Thanks for your request!
As for making this recipe without Matcha, we have not tested it before. If you take out 2 Tbsp Matcha from this recipe, please adjusting the ingredients as you need it. 😉
Thank you for your response, Naomi.. I made it two days ago.. the cake was delicious but broken when I rolled it.. The problem is my oven, the temperature inside the oven was not the same with the temperature shown on the oven. Yup..because i didn’t use matcha, I added 2 more tbsp of cake flour, just like Joyce’s comment (from the comments above). Will try it again with different flavours n put some deco on it.. :). I’ll appreciate if you post deco roll recipe soon..coz I need it for my daughter’s b’day.. Thank You..
Hi Windy,
It’s our pleasure!
We hope your next try will be successful!☺️