Rainbow Pride Flag Swiss Roll Recipe

This Rainbow Pride Flag Swiss Roll has the pride flag colours lined into it and is a super fun way to celebrate pride month. It’s a simple swiss roll sponge with only 3 ingredients; eggs, sugar and flour and is filled with whipped cream and your favourite jam or curd. For this Swiss Roll, I decided on passionfruit curd for mine, produced locally by Vanilla Bean. I also added some sprinkles for fun and extra texture. I chose multicoloured sugar strands by Dr. Oetker but you can use your favourite mix.

What’s the difference between a Swiss Roll and a Roulade?

Swiss Rolls are generally made with a sweet sponge rolled with a sweet filling. A Roulade can be many things rolled with a filling, it could be a meringue roulade or gluten free cake roulade (See Here for my Chocolate & Peanut Butter Roulade) or even a savoury roulade with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Swiss rolls are technically a roulade, but not all roulades are swiss rolls.

So how do I make this Rainbow Pride Flag Swiss Roll from scratch?

This recipe comes together in 2 easy steps;

• Swiss Roll Sponge
• Filling

Swiss Roll Sponge

The swiss roll sponge is a very simple sponge recipe, needing only 3 ingredients(eggs, caster sugar and flour).

To begin making this sponge, add the eggs and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat on a medium-high speed with an electric whisk or stand mixer with a whisk attachment for 6-7 minutes until it reaches the ribbon stage. This means the eggs will have doubled in size and they will be pale. When you lift the whisk from the bowl the eggs should be thick enough to fall onto the surface of the eggs and leave trails. The ribbon lines should stay suspended on top of the batter, remaining clearly visible on the surface for a few moments before slowly disappearing.

Next, place the plain flour into the sieve and gently sieve into the whipped eggs. Using a rubber spatula, carefully “fold” the flour into the eggs. Folding means that you carefully mix with a rubber spatula by cutting through the middle of the mixture and using a scooping motion gently lift the batter on the bottom up to the top while scraping along the side of the bowl. Continue this motion until most of the lumps of flour have been incorporated. Take care not to knock out too much air by over mixing.

Divide the sponge mix into 8 small bowls and colour each of them a different colour from the pride flag using the food colouring or combinations of colours; purple, blue, aqua, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. Pour or pipe lines of each colour diagonally, starting at the corner in the colour order of the flag; purple, blue, aqua, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. Bake for 7-8 minutes, turning halfway between baking until dry to the touch and slightly risen.

Place a sheet of baking paper larger than the tray onto a clean work surface. Sieve two tablespoons of icing sugar directly onto the paper. When the sponge has cooked, remove it from the oven. Immediately turn upside down onto the icing sugar so the top of the sponge is on the bottom. Using the baking paper as a guide, roll up the sponge as if making cinnamon rolls. Wrap the roll in the baking paper. Take a damp cloth or tea towel and wrap around the paper. Leave to cool.

Filling

Once fully cooled, gently unroll the sponge. Spread the jam or curd evenly over the sponge and top with the whipped cream. Scatter a tablespoon or two of sprinkles on top of the cream. Carefully roll back up and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving for easy cutting. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days if covered tightly.

How long will this Swiss Roll last?

The sponge will keep for about a day once cooked. Roll it while hot with baking paper, wrap it in a damp cloth and leave it at room temperature until you are ready to fill. Once filled, store in the fridge wrapped lightly in cling film for up to 3 days. To freeze once filled, don’t decorate the top and wrap tightly in cling film before placing in the freezer. The filled swiss roll will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Why did my swiss roll crack?

There are a few issues you could run into that creates cracks in the swiss roll sponge.

If the flour isn’t fully incorporated and there are large lumps left, there may be lumps of flour left in the cooked sponge, making it crack in places.

The sponge must be rolled while it’s still hot and pliable. If you try to roll the sponge once it has cooled it may crack. If you can’t roll while hot, place a damp cloth over the surface of the sponge as soon as it comes out of the oven and roll as soon as you can.

You might have slightly over cooked the sponge. Oven temperatures can differ wildly and using an oven thermometer can help gauge the correct oven temperature. Try decreasing the temperature by 10 degrees and reducing the bake time by 2 minutes the next time.

Why did my Swiss Roll Sponge turn out rubbery?

A rubbery sponge can be caused by a few different things.

If the eggs are not whipped to full volume the sponge may not rise sufficiently. This can cause a slightly rubbery texture.

Under cooking can also contribute to a rubbery sponge. To check if the sponge is baked, press lightly into the top of the sponge. It should be dry to the touch and spring back after pressing.

Another possible issue that is common is over mixing. When adding the flour, carefully fold it in to avoid knocking out the air. When adding the colours to the separated batter, work carefully but quickly. Allowing the batter to stand for too long may deflate it slightly and produce a rubbery texture.

Want more Cake Recipes? Check out my Cake Category, here.