In this recipe I am going to take you step by step and show you how to bake a red velvet Swiss roll cake.  I have added step by step photos to make the process easier to understand and follow.  You can also make this recipe as an alternative yule log and make it a red velvet yule log.

The first time I baked a red velvet cake I used liquid red food colouring but it did not work.  The cake was not even pink to show that I had added food colouring.  It still tasted great but it just did not have the distinct red colour.  I advise that you always use red food colouring paste and not the liquid.

It important to roll up the cake whilst it is still hot to prevent any cracking.

Ingredients

• 150 grams plain flour
• 150 grams caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon red food colouring paste

For the filling and the decoration on top

• Sprinkles
• Double my favourite cream cheese icing

Method

• Butter and line a swiss roll tin (about 32cm x 22cm x 2.5cm ) with baking paper

• Preheat the oven to 175Celsius
• Mix all the dry ingredients, EXCEPT the sugar and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl and set aside.
• In a small bowl mix the red food colouring and milk, stir and put to one side.
• Put the four large eggs in a large bowl together with the sugar and mix with a hand whisk until double or triple in volume and the mixture is light and quite airy. If you have a stand mixer you can use that too.

• Add the vanilla and vegetable oil to the egg mixture and whisk slowly. Pour in the milk and red food colouring mixture and carry on mixing.

• Sieve in the flour mixture a little at a time and mix gently with a spatula so as not to deflate the air bubbles. Add the bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice with the final addition of flour and mix.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared swiss roll tin and gently easy to the sides of the tray.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-13 minutes. Test with a toothpick to check if it’s cooked through.
• While the cake is baking cut a piece of greaseproof or any other baking paper which is slightly larger than the cake and sprinkle it with caster sugar.

• When the cake is ready tip it onto the grease proof paper with sugar and peel of the paper off the back

• Roll the cake up from the short side in the paper and leave it to cool completely on a cooling rack, while rolled up.

• Make the cream cheese icing and add half of the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle.
• When the red velvet swiss roll has cooled down completely, gently unroll it, and spread some off the cream cheese icing on the cake. You can add the remainder to the piping bag.

• Roll the cake up again and put it on a serving plate, pipe on the rest of the cream cheese. You can just decorate the top and sides if you do not have enough to ice the ends too. Sprinkle on your sprinkles and serve.

You can also have a look at my other Home made Swiss roll recipe here