This Swiss roll is exploding with cookie butter flavor! Biscoff cookies in the cake batter and frosting and a layer of pure cookie butter spread in between. You will love this pretty spiraled cake!
I think it's becoming clear that I have an obsession with Biscoff and cookie butter! The spiced, slightly gingerbread and cinnamon flavor just screams fall baking to me. Cookie butter is absolute heaven, in my opinion. If you haven't tried it yet, I seriously suggest you give it a try!
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We are also celebrating around here this coming week. On Tuesday two sugar bugs officially turns one year old!
Thank you to each one of you for following along!! It makes my heart so happy to see you making and enjoying my recipes.💗. I have content planned until the end of the year, but would love to hear from YOU about any recipes that you would like to see.
It's crazy to me to have hit this milestone. I can honestly tell you that it doesn't feel like a year has passed. Maybe because it's still a few days away??
In all honesty, it has been a whirl wind of a year. I always thought my grandparents were crazy when they talked about how fast time was going. Truth be told, somewhere in my mid 20's I started to understand their perspective. These days I feel like I blink and three months have flown by!😂
My cookie butter cake was one of the first recipes that I posted on two sugar bugs. I thought it was only fitting to celebrate the blog's first birthday with a twist ~ see what I did there? ~ on what is still the most popular recipe here.
Enough about me though, let's make this cookie butter Swiss roll cake!
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A SWISS ROLL CAKE?
A Swiss roll cake is a sponge cake typically filled with whipped cream, jam or frosting. The cake is baked on a sheet pan and rolled up in a thin towel or parchment paper while hot. After the cake has cooled it gets unrolled, spread with a layer of filling and then it is rolled back up. A Swiss roll has a spiraled appearance once sliced.
HOW DID BISCOFF GET IT'S NAME?
I love how David at Spiced explains it, "Lotus is the most common brand of speculoos, and in Europe these cookies are sold as “Lotus Speculoos” cookies. If you order a coffee at just about any cafe in Belgium, chances are it will be served with a speculoos cookie. So where does Biscoff come into the picture? Well, Delta signed on to serve speculoos cookies on its’ flights, but it feared that Americans would have a hard time pronouncing ‘speculoos.’ So they merged biscuit (European for cookie) with coffee. Bis-coff. Interesting back story, huh?" Thanks for the information David!
IS MAKING A COOKIE BUTTER SWISS ROLL HARD?
No. There are many steps in making this cookie butter Swiss roll, but none of them are hard. The trickiest parts are folding in the whipped egg whites and flipping the hot pan over after the cake has baked. I tell you though, if I can do it, I know you can too!
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS TO HELP YOUR CONFIDENCE
First, grind your Biscoff cookies to a flour-like consistency. I like using my Cuisinart mini-prep for this step. You can also crush the cookies in a heavy duty zip-top bag with a rolling pin. I prepare the cookies for the cake and the frosting at the same time, but in two separate batches.
Next, prepare your baking pan. It was important to me that this recipe be developed to use a half sheet pan. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time buying specialty pans that I rarely use. My half sheet baking pans are work horses in my kitchen; cookies, brownies, focaccia bread, roasted vegetables and pizza are just a few things I use them for.
The baking pan needs to be greased well as we want an extremely non-stick surface for this cake. This is so the cake will effortlessly release from the hot baking pan so we can quickly roll it up after it has baked.
I prefer to use butter, but I suspect if you like baking spray that it would do the job too. Butter the entire pan; making sure to get all the sides, corners and bottom of pan.
Once the whole pan is greased, lay down a piece of parchment paper and grease it well. Parchment paper is an absolute MUST for letting the cake seamlessly release.
NEXT PREPARE THE CAKE BATTER
Whisk the flour, ground Biscoff cookies, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Then separate the egg whites and yolks. Place the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high for 3-4 minutes until medium-stiff to stiff peaks form. Carefully move the egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside.
Add the egg yolks, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the mixing bowl (no need to clean it in between!) and whisk until pale and creamy. Then add in the canola oil and vanilla and mix well.
Next, scrape down the bowl and add half of the flour mixture. Mix on low until barely combined. Stop the mixer and scrape up and down the bowl again and add the remaining half of the flour mixture. Mix on low again until barely combined. Finish by hand mixing until fully combined. The mixture is VERY thick.
Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites. I start with a small scoop to loosen the mixture. Then add the remaining egg whites in three additions. Gently fold in the egg whites until completely combined. Avoid over mixing and deflating the egg whites! Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake.
I tested this cake multiple times and 15 minutes was the magical time for having it bake through. It will lightly spring back when touched with your finger or you can test with a cake tester or toothpick. It should not take any longer than 17 minutes.
GET READY TO ROLL THE CAKE!
While the cake is baking, get prepared for rolling the cake. Place a thin towel or a large piece of parchment paper on the counter. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
Once the cake is baked, immediately invert it onto the prepared surface. I've done this lots of times and I still find it a little nerve wracking. If you prepared your pan well the cake should release without a problem.
Work quickly to gently remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Then starting with a narrow side gently roll the cake up with the towel or parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool completely, about 2 hours. You can speed this process up by placing the cake in the refrigerator.
PREPARE THE COOKIE BUTTER FROSTING
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter for 3-4 minutes until lighter in color. Next add the cream cheese and beat another 1-2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low until combined; then beat another 2 minutes until combined and creamy. Finally, beat in the 4 ground Biscoff cookies.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE A SWISS ROLL CAKE
Once the cake is cool, gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread a thin layer of cookie butter spread over the cake. Then spread the frosting evenly over the layer of cookie butter.
Gently roll the cake back up, without the towel this time. Be sure to go slowly and roll the cake tightly. Some frosting may spill out of the sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Making this cookie butter Swiss roll cake is a bit more involved than most of my other recipes. I apologize for all the dirty dishes that will be created. Trust me when I tell you the time and dirty dishes are worth it when you take that first bite! Enjoy and THANK YOU again for following along!!
WANT MORE COOKIE BUTTER RECIPES?
- Biscoff Caramel Tart
- Biscoff Cookie Butter Cupcakes
- Cookie Butter Cake
- Easy Cookie Butter Frosting
- Chocolate Biscoff Sandwich Cookies
- Homemade Cookie Butter Caramel Sauce
- Cookie Butter Crispy Cookies
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Cookie Butter Swiss Roll
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cookie Butter Roll Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 Biscoff cookies ground to flour consistency
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs separated
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cookie butter spread
Cookie Butter Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 Biscoff cookies ground (a few remaining larger chunks are okay)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a half sheet pan (18x13), then line it with parchment paper and butter it again. We want an extremely nonstick surface for the cake roll!
- Make the cake: Grind or mash the 4 Biscoff cookies to a flour-like consistency. I prefer to use a food processor, but you can also crush them in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. In a medium size bowl, combine the crushed Biscoff cookies with the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand held mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed (8 on a KitchenAid) for 3-4 minutes or until medium-stiff to stiff peaks form. Gently move the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside. Add the egg yolks, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the mixing bowl (no need to clean it in between!) and whisk on high until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the canola oil and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1-2 minutes more. Add half the dry mixture and mix on low until mostly combined. Scrape up and down the bowl and add the remaining half of dry ingredients. Mix on low until mostly combined, then hand mix the remaining. The mixture will be very thick.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg whites until completely combined. I do a small scoop to start, which loosens the batter. Then I split the whites into three additions. Avoid over-mixing and deflating the egg whites. Spread the batter into the prepared baking sheet. Work quickly to maintain the loft of the egg whites. Bake for about 15 minutes until the top of the cake lightly springs back when touched with your finger.
- Roll the cake: While the cake bakes, place a thin kitchen towel or a piece of parchment paper (larger than the cake) on the counter. Sprinkle with a generous layer of powdered sugar (about ¾ cup). Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert in onto the prepared surface. Gently peel the parchment paper off the bottom of the cake. Starting with a narrow end, slowly and gently roll the cake up in the towel. The cake is warm. Allow the cake to cool completely in the rolled towel. About 2 hours. You can speed this process up by placing in the refigerator.
- Make the cookie butter frosting: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter for 3-4 minutes until lighter in color. Then add the cream cheese and beat another 1-2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low until combined; then beat another 2 minutes until combined and creamy. Finally, beat in the 4 ground Biscoff cookies.
- Once the cake is cool, gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread a thin layer of cookie butter over the cake. Spread the frosting evenly over the layer of cookie butter. Gently roll the cake back up, without the towel this time. Be sure to go slowly and roll the cake tightly. Some frosting may spill out of the sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Kim says
I am just as addicted to cookie butter as you are, Tasia! This cake OMG!!! I NEED to make it as soon as possible. It looks amazing and your photos of how to make it are so helpful!
Tasia says
Thank you Kim!! Can't wait to hear how you like it!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
Cookie butter is soooo good, Tasia. This roll looks like pure heaven! My family would devour this. Your step by step photos are the best!
Tasia says
Thank you so much Katherine! I'm happy the step by step photos are helpful!
Amanda says
Hi! Love your recipe and would love to try it out! May I know is there anything that I can use instead of cream cheese for the frosting? Thanks!
Tasia says
Hi Amanada! If you want to eliminate the cream cheese, you should be able to replace it with butter; the frosting will be a little bit more stiff. Mascarpone would also be an acceptable substitute. Let me know how it goes!
Jen says
I made this cake yesterday for our New Year's Day dinner and it was a bit of a disappointment. The cake was very hard and dry! Rolling it was like rolling a piece of cardboard. The recipe calls for a half sheet cake pan so I used my largest sheet pan (11 x13) sheet pan instead of a jelly roll pan and I barely had enough batter to fill my pan! The edges and corners were incredibly thin and crispy after 14 minutes of baking. The filling was yummy (I doubled the cream cheese because it just didn't look like there would be enough) and I may consider using the biscoff filling with a different cake recipe.
Tasia says
Hi Jen, I'm sorry this recipe did not work out for you. It's hard to say what went wrong without me being in your kitchen with you. I tested this recipe multiple times with a half sheet pan (18x13x1) so it sounds like something might have been off with your batter (and maybe oven temperature too). Thank you for trying it.
Donna says
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I drizzled with cookie butter and white chocolate.
Tasia says
Thank you for coming back to leave a review Donna. Drizzling this Swiss roll with cookie butter and white chocolate is a brilliant move; I need to try that the next time I make it! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do.
Holly says
I've made this twice now and it's become a family favorite. thank you for the recipe.
Karen says
I made this cake for Christmas dessert and everyone loved it. My first time making a Swiss roll and I appreciated all the helpful photos.
Rayanne says
HELP! 🙏🏼 Can you please tell me where to add the 1/2 cup of cookie butter in the recipe? The measurements are there but I’ve read it 4 times and don’t see it in any of the mixing instructions. I don’t wanna throw everything I’ve done away 🥲
Tasia says
Hi Rayanne, it's in step 7 "Once the cake is cool, gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread a thin layer of cookie butter over the cake. Spread the frosting evenly over the layer of cookie butter".