Chocolate Cake Roll with Cookie Dough Buttercream
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This Chocolate Cake Roll with Cookie Dough Buttercream is decadent and a must try! The chocolate cake roll is soft, light, and extra chocolatey. It’s filled with the tastiest cookie dough Swiss meringue buttercream that tastes like straight-up cookie dough ice cream. Yes, it does have ice cream in it!
This is the kind of dessert that looks fancy, slices perfectly, and gets an audible “WOW” when you cut into it. It’s perfect for holidays, birthday, or anytime you want a show-stopping dessert without actually baking a layer cake.
So, here we have dark chocolate rolled cake with a cookie dough buttercream. I made the cookie dough with a homemade vanilla ice cream that really kicked up the flavor.
I normally only make pumpkin roll with my jelly roll pan, but I think I may start making different rolls. This was a rather easy cake to make and absolutely beautiful to present to family and friends. They’ll be amazed, I promise.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake Roll
- Cookie dough frosting – It’s creamy, rich, and made with vanilla ice cream!
- Make-ahead – This cake roll can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
- Impressive but doable – There aren’t any scary techniques here!
Substitutions and Variations
- You can substitute the dark cocoa powder for regular cocoa powder.
- You can substitute the flavor of ice cream to any flavor you like that will pair well with the cookie dough flavor.
- You can add mini chocolate chips or any flavor regular chocolate chips to the filling.
- You can top the cake roll with melted chocolate or a chocolate ganache.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
After I made this cake, I realized that I didn’t need quite so much cookie dough frosting. I would cut it down, but who doesn’t need an excessive amount of cookie dough buttercream? The correct answer is no one, just so we’re clear.
How to Make Chocolate Cake Roll with Cookie Dough Frosting
Make the Chocolate Sponge Cake
Prep Work: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder.
Step 1: Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
Step 2: Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together. You can also whisk it together if you don’t have a fine mesh sieve.
Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in thirds.
Step 4: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 5: While the cake is still warm, roll the cake while it’s still on the parchment paper from the long side. Let the cake cool completely while it’s rolled up.
Make is Swiss Meringue Buttercake
Step 6: In a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water simmering in it, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until they reach 115 degrees F and the sugar is fully melted.
Step 7: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip until stiff peaks form.
Step 8: Add the vanilla extract and then chunks of room temperature butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time until combined. Once all of the butter is combined, if the mixture looks runny, place it in the fridge to chill and firm up. Then rewhip the mixture until light and fluffy.
Make Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting
Step 9: You’ll need to heat treat the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour for the cookie dough portion of this recipe. Add the flour into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches 160 degrees F. You must whisk after each interval in the microwave to avoid lumps in the flour. Let the flour cool until it reaches room temperature.
Step 10: Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 11: Mix in the softened vanilla ice cream.
Step 12: Mix in the flour until combined. The mixture will be loose.
Step 13: Beat in the swiss meringue buttercrream until smooth.
Step 14: Unroll the cooled cake and spread the frosting evenly on the cake being sure to fill under the curled end of the cake so the center has plenty of frosting. Roll the cake back up tightly. Trim the cake roll and cut in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.
Tips for Success
- Roll the cake to prevent cracking while it’s still warm.
- Don’t panic if the swiss meringue buttercream looks soupy or curdled. Chilling it and rewhipping it will fix it.
- Chill the cake roll before slicing it up. That allows everything to firm up and you’ll have beautiful slices.
- If you have extra frosting, throw it in a freezer container and freeze it.
How to Store and Freeze
To store the chocolate cake roll, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrapa nd store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
This chocolate cake roll also freezes well. Wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving!
More Cookie Dough Desserts
Chocolate Cake Roll with Cookie Dough Buttercream
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Cookie Dough
- 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons heat treated
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper in a 15×10 x1 inch pan. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray and then dust with cocoa powder.
- In a medium bowl, add the 4 large eggs, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until the eggs are pale and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- Fold a third of the flour into the egg mixture.
- Once all the flour is folded in, add another third of flour. Continue folding. Repeat with the last bit of flour.
- Pour into the prepared jelly roll pan. Smooth the batter out so it reaches all the sides and corners. Give it a tap on the counter.
- Place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute or two.
- Start rolling the warm cake the long ways while it’s still on the parchment paper. This will shape the cake and you won’t get splits in the cake as you roll it back up after you fill it. The parchment paper will prevent the cake from sticking together when it’s rolled up. Let it cool all rolled up.
Buttercream
- In a metal mixing bowl, over a double boiler, add in the 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 4 large egg whites. The water should be at a steam or gentle boil. Also, make sure the hot water doesn’t touch the bottom of the mixing bowl. It will cook the egg whites.
- Whisk the sugar and egg whites together to help dissolve the sugar. You want to use a candy thermometer and let the egg mixture come up to about 115 degrees. The eggs will be smooth and shiny.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the double boiler. Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, turn the mixer on low to help cool down the egg whites. Turn the mixer up on medium high until it reaches stiff peaks. It’ll probably take about 5 minutes.
- Once the meringue is at stiff peaks, add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of the1 cup salted butter at a time. Let it incorporate and then add in a few more pieces. My buttercream wasn’t firming up, so I placed it in the freezer for about 8-10 minutes. I mixed it after I took it out of the freezer and it whipped right up like a swiss meringue buttercream.
Cookie Dough
- In the stand mixer, add in the 1/4 cup salted butter. Let it mix for 30 seconds.
- Add in the 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add in the softened 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream and mix until completely incorporated.
- Add in the heaping 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons and mix until combined. The mixture will be kind of thin.
- Add the swiss meringue buttercream into the cookie dough and mix.
- Voila. Cookie Dough Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Assemble
- Unroll the cake and smooth buttercream on the cake. Make sure you get the curl that will be in the center of the cake. You will have extra buttercream. You can freeze it or use it in another recipe.
- Roll the cake up and cut the ends of the cake. Make a cut in the middle to have two rolls.
- Roll up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
OMG that looks incredible! Roulade cake…cookie dough….CHOCOLATE… I don’t think there’s anything else you could possibly add to make me love this more. 🙂
Aww thank you! 😀