Best Vegan Chocolate Swiss Roll

This is the Best Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Swiss Roll, with a rich, chocolatey and light sponge rolled around gingerbread buttercream. Decorate this Yule Log with dark chocolate ganache and mini gingerbread for a Christmas showstopper.

This Swiss roll has been a long time coming as I actually wanted to make one for Christmas 2021 but after 1 or 2 attempts, I abandoned ship. This year, I approached the task with a new zeal and was determined to produce a chocolate Swiss roll, or a vegan yule log that was easy to make, didn’t crack and works every time. Say hello to the very best chocolate Christmas swirl cake and below I have included top tips using everything I have learned from my many trials and errors.

This recipe is even more excited, as I have teamed up with fellow vegan creator, food lover and social media sensation, Holly of The Little Blog of Vegan. We have both created Christmassy Swiss Roll cakes, and you can see photos of her cake below – go check her out too!

Why will I love this cake?

This chocolate swirl cake is delicious:

• Chocolatey, light and packed with gingerbread spices
• Moreish, tender and fluffy
• Filled with a gingerbread buttercream
• Decorated with a dark chocolate ganache (only 2-ingredients)
• Naturally vegan and nut-free
• Easy to make with step-by-step instructions
• Smaller in size, serves 6-8 perfectly
• Fun to decorate and make this festive season
• Great to prepare the day before

If you already love the sound of the Best Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Swiss Roll then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

I’ve kept the ingredient list as accessible as possible for the sponge cake:

• Aquafaba: this is the key egg replacer (which is important for the light and fluffy fat-free sponge). This is the water from a tin of chickpeas so make sure to keep your aquafaba when you use your chickpeas next time (you can keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days after draining the chickpeas, in a sealed container). Beat and whip this up with the sugar to form a glossy white mixture that is full of air.
• Caster sugar: I prefer to use white, fine sugar for this roll to keep the batter as silky smooth as possible.
• Applesauce: this adds moisture and helps to bind the batter. Make sure its 100% apple and is unsweetened and smooth. I love the one from KoRo which is perfect for baking.
• Thick dairy-free yoghurt: this also adds moisture, fat and helps bind the mix while adding a lovely texture. The yoghurt needs to be thick and creamy, like Cocos Organic yoghurt and cannot be runny otherwise the batter will be too wet. Other Greek-style thick dairy-free yoghurts will also work.
• Vanilla essence: for flavour.
• Chia or flax seeds: for binding the batter a little more. Make sure these are ground up and stir together with the other wet ingredients.
• Plain flour: to keep the sponge really light and moist, make sure you use plain flour. I can imagine this will work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains some sort of thickener or gum.
• Cocoa powder: for the chocolate flavour.
• Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda: for rise.
• Cornflour or starch: this is important for the texture of the baked sponge, so that I can roll and hold its shape.
• Xanthan gum: as above, this will allow the sponge to be more flexible and roll more easily. Be sure to only use ¼ tsp (it’s important to measure it, otherwise the cake will be gummy).
• Gingerbread spices: for the delicious warming flavour of the sponge, use ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg.

As for the rest of the cake, we need:

• Vegan butter: both for the buttercream filling and for the ganache. This is the block-style of butter and not the spreadable kind. This cannot be swapped for coconut oil.
• Icing sugar: for the buttercream.
• Dark chocolate: for the chocolate ganache. Chop this up small or use chocolate chips and any dairy-free chocolate will be great here although I prefer one that is at least 70% cocoa.
• Gingerbread cookies: to decorate. I used my easy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies.

How do I make this?

To make a Swiss roll cake is easy when you know how, and for more technical tips, read my trouble shooting section below.

• Prepare all the ingredients before you begin: stir together some of the wet ingredients and sift together the dry ingredients.
• Whip together the aquafaba and sugar: in a freestanding mixer or using a handheld electric mixer. This will take at least 5 minutes to make the mixture glossy, thick and white.
• Carefully beat in the wet ingredients: in three portions.
• Now fold in the dry ingredients using a spatula: working in three amounts.
• Spread the cake batter into a lined tin: and smooth over the top.
• Bake for 7 ½ minutes until springy to touch: and immediately remove from the oven.
• Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder: and place a teatowel or linen on top.
• Use a cooling rack to invert the cake: and remove the tin and then peel away the parchment paper.
• Dust the top liberally with cocoa powder: and use the linen to roll up the cake, rolling in linen with it.
• Allow to cool on the wire rack for 30 minutes: it will still be warm.
• Meanwhile make the buttercream: till light and fluffy.
• Very carefully unroll the cake: working quacking.
• Spread the buttercream all over the cake: leaving a small gap around the edges but filling in the inner roll.
• Carefully roll the cake back up: and cover with clingfilm.
• Place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours or until needed: this can be prepared the day in advance.
• Melt together the chocolate and vegan butter: for the ganache.
• Place the Swiss roll on a serving plate and trim off the ends: to make this neater.
• Pour over the chocolate ganache: to cover the roll.
• Decorate with gingerbread cookies and other things: like redcurrants and sprinkles.
• Slice and enjoy: once the ganache is set, you can cover and keep this yule log for a few days.

Trouble shooting tips for the best Swiss roll!

After many trials and errors (each one delicious but not quite so pretty) I have learned a few tricks for the perfect Swiss roll cake that have helped me to make this recipe as amazing as it is today:

• Make sure the ingredients are room temperature: where specified. This is important to prevent any curdling or splitting of the batter.
• Beat the aquafaba and sugar for the full 5 minutes: to ensure as much air as possible is in the mixture. The mix wil be glossy, white and thickened although not as thick as meringue.
• Work quickly! Once the cake is out the oven, immediately dust with cocoa and invert onto a cooling rack. Don’t wait around for the cake to start cooling as it firms up. Similarly, bake the cake as soon as it’s spread into the tin.
• Roll the cake loosely: you want to aim for 3 full rotations but do not be tempted to roll the cake too tightly as it will crack more.
• Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes: but not much longer. I have tried cooling the cake fully and find it is more likely to crack. It is more pliable while it’s still a bit warm.
• Work carefully and quickly when unrolling the cake: do not push the cake down but simply unroll and if any cracks appear, fill these up quickly with buttercream.
• If the cake does crack: don’t’ worry, no one can tell. With the buttercream, push the pieces back together as you roll it up and press between your hands.
• Wrap it tightly in clingfilm once filled and rolled: this sets the cake and you’ll notice the cracks won’t appear nearly as big anymore.
• Practise makes perfect: after making a few Swiss rolls, you can “feel” how tightly or loosely you’re rolling the cake the first-time round, so don’t be put off if you have some cracks the first, second or even third time.

How long will this last?

Once you have rolled and filled the cake, you can cover and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 days (keeping in mind the longer it stays in the fridge now, the less time it will keep once you have decorated it). Once you have decorated the cake, you can also cover and keep it for 3-5 days (if made and decorated on the same day) or 2-3 days (if decorated a day or so after). You can also freeze the cake for up to 1 month, wrapped well, and allow to defrost at room temperature.

Is this gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes this cake is nut-free, just check that your yoghurt, butter and chocolate are all free of nuts. To make this gluten-free, make sure your flour is a 1:1 baking blend of flour that contains xanthan gum or another gum to help stabilise the cake. Note that the cake will be more likely to crack so I advise plain flour, if possible.

What else can I make?

If you love this festive bake and are looking for more ideas, how about my:

• Vegan Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways
• Christmas Banana Bread
• Gingerbread Goldenberry Christmas Sponge Cake
• Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Best Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Swiss Roll so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Swiss roll love x