Light and airy vanilla cake with elderberry cream swirled in the center. This heavenly dessert will leave you in awe.

This vanilla and elderberry cake roll is one of my all-time favorite desserts for hosting — it tastes absolutely divine and looks adorable. Your guests will surely be impressed — how couldn’t they not? It’s picture-perfect and delicious — almost too good to share. 

The vanilla cake is so tasty, perfectly fluffy and soft — the kind of texture we all crave when it comes to a good, soft cake. To enhance the flavor, light and silky elderberry cream is gently marbled in. 

This elderberry cream filling is what makes this cake unique. Adding a touch of Organic Elderberry Syrup to the whipped cream gives it a beautiful pop of color. It also brings a delicate fruity flavor into the mix — it pairs perfectly with the vanilla cake. 

Believe it or not, that’s not even the best part. Elderberries are full of immune-boosting nutrients and antioxidants. So you can do your health a favor while adding a delicious touch to this recipe (and indulging your sweet tooth). 

With this cake roll’s elegant looks, you may wonder how complicated it is to make. I’ll let you in on a little secret: it’s not that hard. As proof, I’ll let you in on how nervous I was to try this recipe — and how it pleasantly surprised me and became one of my favorite desserts.

Be Confident and Give It a Go

I remember the first time I tried this recipe — I was trying to come up with a dessert to bring to a family gathering. It took me a while to finally make up my mind — way longer than I’d like to admit. 

I decided to try my hand at baking a cake roll. To be honest, I was super intimidated. I had never baked a cake roll before. Plus, my mother-in-law was a highly passionate baker — one more thing to stress about, lucky me. 

What if she thought I didn’t know how to bake?  

What if it turned out to be a complete mess? 

Eventually, I pushed those fears away and reminded myself that it was just food. It’s no biggie… right? 

I can’t help but giggle when I look back at how terrified I was — especially baking something that turned out to be simple and painless. Sure, it took some time to make, but it was beautiful and flavorful. Plus, I received so many compliments.

So, if you feel a little worried about trying this cake roll recipe, let this remind you that it’s easy and completely doable. Be confident and give it a go — you’ve got this!

The Ingredients Behind This Cake Roll

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to bake this cake roll. These ingredients play a part in making this dessert as gorgeous and delicious as possible.

For the Vanilla Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 

• ⅔ cup cane sugar

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 4 room-temperature eggs

• 2 tbsp whole milk

• 3 tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Elderberry Cream:

• 1 tbsp Organic Elderberry Syrup

• 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Get everything on this list, and you’ll be ready to start baking this delight. 

Let’s Get Rollin’

It’s time to start putting together this mouthwatering masterpiece. Follow all these steps, and your cake roll will turn out wonderfully. 

• Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350℉ and lightly grease a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan or baking sheet. Then, line the pan with parchment paper. 

• Mix the Wet Ingredients: Beat the eggs in a stand mixer on high speed for about three minutes. It should double in size. Slowly add the sugar as you continue to mix for five minutes until the size has increased even more. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Slowly add this to the egg mixture while beating it on low speed. 

• Mix the Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl and add the salt. Stir the dry ingredients together well. 

• Form the Batter & Bake: Slowly sift the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat it at low speed. Only beat until incorporated — don’t over-mix. Spread the batter evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. It should spring back when lightly pressed. Lightly dust with powdered sugar a couple of minutes after you take it out of the oven.

• Roll & Cool: Now, we can start the rolling process. Lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper it’s on. Roll it gently and tightly on the parchment paper with the seam facing down and let it cool for an hour.

• Make the Filling: Use a stand mixer to whip the heavy cream on medium speed and slowly add in the elderberry syrup, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until firm peaks form. 

• Fill the Cake & Cool Again: Once your cake is cooled, unroll it carefully and spread the filling evenly over the cake. Leave ½ inch space on all the edges so the cream doesn’t spill out. Now, roll it gently again, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to cool for at least two hours. 

• Serve: Once it’s cooled, you can unwrap it and dust it with powdered sugar — slice it and enjoy.
  
  

With these instructions, it isn’t that hard, right? Be proud of yourself — you did it! Now go ahead, dig in and enjoy this irresistible treat. 

Perfect Pairings

This velvety, fluffy and yummy roll cake goes with almost anything. I’ve got a couple of ideas you can use to elevate this dessert. 

Check out these ideas:

• A Cup of Tea: Warm herbal tea goes so well with this vanilla cake roll. The fruity flavors of herbal tea pair wonderfully with the smooth elderberry cream filling. 

• Fruit Salad: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries… mix any fruits you like and eat it with this cake roll. Fresh fruit always adds a vibrant and wholesome flavor when eaten with cake. 

• Hot Coffee: Sipping on a latte, cappuccino or a regular mug of black coffee is the perfect drink to pair with the vanilla and elderberry cake roll.

• Ice Cream: Cake and ice cream — a classic combination. Choose any flavor you wish and enjoy it with this flavorful cake roll. 

• Sparkling Drinks: Elevate the experience with champagne, sparkling water or sparkling juice on the side. This is great for more sociable occasions or just relaxing at home. 

This vanilla and elderberry cake roll is sure to be a hit whether you use these ideas or enjoy it without. Savor every last slice because it’ll be gone before you know it.

Keeping Your Cake Roll Fresh

This cake roll is very easy to store for later. That’s if you have leftovers (which is fortunate, trust me). You can wrap it up in plastic wrap and ziploc it to store in the fridge. It should be good for three to five days, so the goodness can keep on rollin’.

Shop Our Elderberry Syrup Here

This vanilla and elderberry cake roll has one special key ingredient: elderberry syrup. Make sure to stock up on our Organic Elderberry Syrup so you can use it in all of our recipes. 

Besides cooking and baking, elderberries have some incredible benefits, including:

• Rich with antioxidants 

• Anti-inflammatory 

• Full of vitamins 

• Promotes heart health

• Combats colds and sickness

Snag a bottle here and enjoy all the wonderful ways you can use elderberry syrup!

Tag us at #elderberryqueen with pics of your baked creations. We love seeing what you make!