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Earl grey roll cake with a spiral of whipped cream

Earl Grey Roll Cake (伯爵红茶蛋糕卷): Soft Tea-Scented Sponge

Lin
A soft Earl Grey Swiss roll — tea-simmered milk sponge wrapped around sweetened whipped cream, chilled and sliced into bakery-style spirals.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine British-inspired, Chinese
Servings 8 servings
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • Electric Mixer
  • Swiss-roll pan
  • Pastry bag (optional)

Ingredients
  

For the Sponge

  • 5 large eggs, separated use 6 if small
  • 0.25 cup corn or neutral oil 50 g
  • 0.5 cup cake flour 60 g
  • 0.27 cup milk 65 g
  • 3 tbsp fine sugar 40 g
  • 1.5 tbsp Earl Grey tea powder 4 g
  • 0.5 tsp lemon juice 3 g

For the Cream Filling

  • 0.85 cup heavy cream 200 g
  • 1 tbsp sugar 12 g

Instructions
 

  • Weigh out all the ingredients; use 6 eggs if yours are small.
    All the weighed ingredients for the roll cake
  • Simmer the milk with the tea powder over low heat until it colors like milk tea, cover, and steep 5 minutes.
  • Combine the warm tea milk with the oil, cake flour, and egg yolks in a bowl.
    Tea milk oil flour and egg yolks combined in a bowl
  • Whip the egg whites, adding the sugar and lemon juice.
    Egg whites being whipped with sugar and lemon juice
  • Whip on low speed until the meringue forms fine, glossy, firm peaks.
    Meringue whipped to firm glossy peaks
  • Whisk the yolk batter until smooth.
    The yolk batter whisked smooth
  • Whisk until the batter is silky with no lumps.
    Silky smooth glossy roll cake batter
  • Fold one-third of the meringue into the yolk batter to lighten it.
    One-third of the meringue folded into the yolk batter
  • Fold the lightened batter into the remaining meringue until just combined.
    The lightened batter folded into the remaining meringue
  • The batter should fall in a long thick ribbon that folds back on itself.
    The batter falling in a thick ribbon from the whisk
  • Pour the batter into the parchment-lined sheet pan.
    Roll cake batter poured into the lined pan
  • Level the batter and tap the pan to release large bubbles.
  • Bake on the middle-lower rack at 150°C top / 130°C bottom (300°F / 265°F) for about 30 minutes, adjusting to your oven.
  • When the top is nicely colored, remove the cake and tap the pan to release the steam.
  • Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.
  • Whip the cream with the sugar to stiff peaks.
  • Spoon the cream into a piping bag.
    Whipped cream being spooned into a piping bag
  • Flip the cooled cake and peel off the parchment to reveal the towel texture.
    The roll cake flipped to show the towel texture underside
  • Pipe a thick line of cream one-third of the way across, and spread a thin layer over the rest.
    A thick line of cream piped at one edge of the cake
  • Roll with the five-step method and press the roll inward at the end.
    The cake being rolled tightly with the five-step method
  • Refrigerate the rolled cake to set its shape.
    The rolled cake chilling in the refrigerator
  • If you have no rolling frame, set the cake in a box and chill about 30 minutes.
    The rolled cake chilling in a box as a rolling frame
  • Slice the chilled cake cleanly.
  • Wrap the slices in parchment and store in a box.
    Slices of roll cake wrapped in parchment paper
  • Admire the perfect tea-scented spiral.
    Perfectly sliced earl grey roll cake on a plate
  • Serve and enjoy every bite.
    A slice of earl grey roll cake ready to enjoy

Notes

Tips: Simmer the tea into the milk and steep 5 minutes for real flavor. Fold the meringue gently in thirds, bake at a gentle temperature, and roll while slightly warm. Chill the rolled cake 30 minutes before slicing.
Food Safety: Keep the cream-filled roll refrigerated and serve within 2-3 days. Freeze the unfilled sponge for up to a month.
Allergen Notice: Contains egg, dairy, and wheat.
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
Keyword earl grey dessert, earl grey roll cake, roll cake recipe, sponge roll, swiss roll, tea roll cake, 伯爵红茶蛋糕卷