This honeydew roll cake is made with a soft and fluffy chiffon cake filled with whipped cream and fresh honeydew melon chunks. It rolls perfectly without cracking or rippling!
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This honeydew roll cake or honeydew swiss roll is the perfect light and airy cake that's not too sweet. This cake roll looks and tastes like it came straight from an Asian bakery!
Roll cakes are always a joy to make and eat and trying different fruit and flavour variations is my favourite thing to do. The honeydew in this cake add the perfect amount of sweetness and fruitiness without being overpowering. Try it with different fresh fruits for a completely new cake!
Why you'll love this recipe
- The chiffon cake is so soft and airy! It's like eating a cloud.
- This roll cake doesn't crack or ripple with the soft and pliable cake and my tips!
- The flavour is light, delicate, and not too sweet with juicy honeydew melon in every bite.
- This roll cake recipe is a perfect basic recipe for other flavours and fruit variations.
Tools you'll need
- Electric hand mixer - I use my Kitchenaid hand mixer because it's the most convenient but occasionally I'll also use my stand mixer. This is a must for whipping the meringue. Don't try to whip the egg whites manually with a whisk unless you're trying to get an intense arm workout in.
- Baking tray - Use a regular 9x13" baking tray with a 1" high lip around the sides that you would normally use for baking cookies. You can also use a smaller rectangular pan meant specifically for jelly rolls but keep in mind that the cake sheet will be smaller and thicker depending on the size of the pan. Don't use anything larger than 9x13" otherwise the cake will be too thin unless you make more batter.
- Offset spatula - An offset spatula makes frosting a cake much easier.
Ingredients
- Eggs - You'll need to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks for this recipe. Be careful not to get any egg yolk into your egg whites otherwise, they won't whip up into a meringue properly.
- Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize the egg whites so that they form strong stiff peaks quickly.
- Granulated sugar - Divide the sugar into two bowls with 100g in one and 50g in another.
- Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk. I just use whatever I have on hand which is usually oat milk or almond milk.
- Oil - Use any light-tasting oil like canola oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Vanilla extract
- Melon flavouring - This is optional but would be fun to add to your roll cake! You can find melon flavouring at some specialty grocery stores or online. Without it, the honeydew flavour will just come from the fresh honeydew in the cake.
- Green gel food colouring - This is to colour your cake roll. Use just a single drop of a fresh green colour for the perfect pastel green colour.
- Cake flour - Cake flour has less gluten which will help make this cake soft and airy.
- Whipping cream or heavy cream - Both work well for this recipe. Use whipping cream (30-36% fat content) for a lighter texture or heavy cream (36%+ fat content) for a thicker and richer cream. I personally usually use whipping cream because it's easily accessible for me.
- Powdered sugar
- Honeydew melon - You only need half of a medium honeydew. Cut the honeydew into wedges and slice down vertically along each wedge to create segments. Then, run the knife along the peel horizontally to release the chunks.
How to make a honeydew roll cake
Make the chiffon cake sheet
Prep - Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 9x13" baking tray with parchment paper on the bottom, trimmed to fit. Set aside.
Separate the eggs - Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two large mixing bowls, being careful not to get any yolk in the egg whites. Set aside the bowl of yolks for now.
Beat egg whites - To the bowl of egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until it becomes frothy like cappuccino foam.
Beat into meringue - Sprinkle 100g of granulated sugar into the egg whites, one spoonful at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. When all the sugar has been added, continue beating until the meringue reaches stiff peaks. Set aside.
Mix egg yolk mixture - To the bowl of egg yolks, add the remaining 50g of granulated sugar and mix with the same hand mixer until combined. Add the milk, oil, vanilla extract, melon flavouring (optional), and green gel food colouring. Mix again until combined.
Add flour - Sift in the cake flour and fold together until no big lumps remain.
Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture - Add ⅓ of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold together until combined. Add the rest of the meringue and fold together until no streaks remain and the batter is airy and fluffy.
Fill pan with batter - Pour the batter into your lined baking tray. Use an offset spatula to push the batter into the corners of the tray and smooth the top.
Bake - Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the top surface has some resistance when you press on it. After taking it out of the oven, let the cake cool for a few minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the cake sheet to release it from the pan.
Release the cake sheet - Flip the cake out onto a wire rack, peel off the sheet of parchment paper, and then flip it again onto a new sheet of parchment paper so that the side that you want to be on the outside of the cake roll is on the bottom.
Roll up the cake - Cut the browned edges off the two shorter ends of the cake sheet. Roll the cake sheet up with the parchment paper and let it cool completely resting in this rolled-up log shape.
Make the filling
Whip cream - In a mixing bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip until it reaches firm peaks.
Spread whipped cream onto cake - Unroll your cooled cake sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top of the cake, leaving a 2" space at one of the short ends empty (this will be the end of the roll).
Arrange honeydew chunks - Place down 2 rows of honeydew chunks at the other short end of the cake, about 1" from the edge.
Roll up the cake - Starting from the end with the honeydew chunks, roll the cake up until you get to the end. Use a spatula to scrape away any excess whipped cream that squishes out at the end of the roll.
Wrap and chill cake - Wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap and gently shape it with your hands if needed. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing into it.
Slice cake roll - When ready, slice off about 1" off each end to reveal a beautiful swirl. Then, slice the roll cake into 1.5-2" sections.
Decorate cake slices - Add any remaining whipped cream on top of each slice and garnish with honeydew chunks and greens!
Storage
This honeydew roll cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Wrap it in plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container to prevent the cake from drying out.
Freezing
Leftovers can be frozen by wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freezing for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Tips & tricks
Separating egg whites from egg yolks
I recommend cracking each egg into a smaller bowl, one at a time. Pass the egg yolk back and forth between your hands until the egg whites slip through your fingers. Place the yolk into one mixing bowl and pour the whites from the small bowl into another mixing bowl.
This way the shell is less likely to break the yolk and if the yolk does break, it won't ruin the rest of your egg whites.
Rolling the cake roll
Pre-roll your cake sheet while it's still warm and let it cool completely while resting in a rolled-up log shape to help prevent cracking later on.
After adding the whipped cream filling, roll the cake in the same way as how you pre-rolled it. Leave a few inches of empty space at the end of the cake sheet to allow for some whipped cream to squish out of the roll.
Chill the roll cake
Chilling the roll cake allows the whipped cream to firm up so that the cake roll will keep its shape. Make sure to chill the cake for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. This is the best way to get clean and perfect slices.
Frequently asked questions
They are essentially the same thing - a rolled-up sponge cake filled with whipped cream and fresh fruits. There are many other names for similar desserts such as jelly roll, yule log, and roulade.
Pre-rolling the cake sheet while it's warm helps to "train" the cake to stay in that shape so that it won't crack when it has cooled. Preventing cracks mostly has to do with the pliability of your cake though. Sponge cakes or chiffon cakes are perfect for this because they're soft and airy and less likely to crack than dense or dry cakes.
Yes! That's what I've used in this recipe. Roll cakes are typically made in a jelly roll pan made specifically for this type of cake but you can use a baking tray with at least 1" high walls. Make sure it isn't bigger than 9x13" otherwise the cake will be too thin.
Yes, this is a great cake to make in advance because it needs overnight chilling time before it's ready to be served anyways. You can also make just the cake sheet and store it rolled up at room temperature or in the fridge for 1 day before filling it with whipped cream on the next day.
More roll cake recipes to try
Recipe
Honeydew Roll Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chiffon Cake
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 150 g granulated sugar, divided into 100g + 50g
- 50 g milk
- 50 g oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon melon flavouring, optional
- green gel food colouring
- 120 g cake flour
Filling
- 400 g whipping cream or heavy cream
- 40 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ a medium honeydew melon, peeled & cut into chunks
Instructions
Chiffon Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 9x13" baking tray with parchment paper on the bottom, trimmed to fit. Set aside.
- Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two large mixing bowls, being careful not to get any yolk in the egg whites. Set aside the bowl of yolks for now.
- To the bowl of egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until it becomes frothy like cappuccino foam.
- Sprinkle 100g of granulated sugar into the egg whites, one spoonful at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. When all the sugar has been added, continue beating until the meringue reaches stiff peaks. Set aside.
- To the bowl of egg yolks, add the remaining 50g of granulated sugar and mix with the same hand mixer until combined. Add the milk, oil, vanilla extract, melon flavouring (optional), and green gel food colouring. Mix again until combined.
- Sift in the cake flour and fold together until no big lumps remain.
- Add ⅓ of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold together until combined. Add the rest of the meringue and fold together until no streaks remain and the batter is airy and fluffy.
- Pour the batter into your lined baking tray. Use an offset spatula to push the batter into the corners of the tray and smooth the top.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the top surface has some resistance when you press on it.
- After taking it out of the oven, let the cake cool for a few minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the cake sheet to release it from the pan.
- Flip the cake out onto a wire rack, peel off the sheet of parchment paper, and then flip it again onto a new sheet of parchment paper so that the side that you want to be on the outside of the cake roll is on the bottom.
- Cut the browned edges off the two shorter ends of the cake sheet. Roll the cake sheet up with the parchment paper and let it cool completely resting in this rolled-up log shape.
Filling
- In a mixing bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip until it reaches firm peaks.
- Unroll your cooled cake sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top of the cake, leaving a 2" space at one of the short ends empty (this will be the end of the roll).
- Place down 2 rows of honeydew chunks at the other short end of the cake, about 1" from the edge.
- Starting from the end with the honeydew chunks, roll the cake up until you get to the end. Use a spatula to scrape away any excess whipped cream that squishes out at the end of the roll.
- Wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap and gently shape with your hands if needed. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing into it.
- When ready, slice off about 1" off each end to reveal a beautiful swirl. Then, slice the roll cake into 1.5-2" sections.
- Add any remaining whipped cream on top of each slice and garnish with honeydew chunks and greens!
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