This Chocolate Roll Cake Red Ribbon Recipe is a sweet and delicious cake full of chocolate, rolled in cinnamon sugar and iced with a chocolate ganache.
Topped with mocha cream icing and cocoa sprinkles, it’s perfect for any occasion.
This cake is a labor of love, but the beauty of baking a cake like this is you can bake it in advance, then cover and refrigerate it until ready to serve. It will keep for a couple of days, maybe up to a week.
How To Make Chocolate Roll Cake Red Ribbon Recipe?
- Prepare Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 45-50 minutes
- Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 Hour 1 – 2 hours
- Serving Size: 10-16
Ingredients:
For the Roll Cake
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (400g)
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (100g)
- 3/4 cup white sugar (a pinch of salt)
- 3 cups hot water (600ml)
- 1 1.1 ounces (30g) package of active dry yeast (use 1/2 a package if using fresh yeast)
- 1/2 cup warm water (100ml)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120ml)
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
- For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 oz. cream cheese (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (120g)
- 2 1/2 pound powdered sugar (300g)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Make the Cake:
Step 1. Mix the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the water and oil. Stir in the yeast and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
Step 3. Add the beaten eggs, oil, cinnamon, salt, and butter to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Step 4. Add the flour and cocoa powder to the yeast mixture, stirring until a thick batter forms (approximately 5 minutes). Remove from heat and pour into a well-greased 9×13 in. pan.
Step 5. Cover and rest in a warm place for about 45 minutes until the batter has risen and is firm enough to handle.
Step 6. Using a knife, cut the rolled cake into 10 pieces. Please place them in a large bowl and pour the yogurt over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Step 7. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Step 8. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Line a 9×13 in. a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 9. In a small bowl, combine 2 tsp. Chocolate frosting and toss with 1 tsp. Cinnamon.
Step 10. Place a roll of cake on the top shelf of the pan and drizzle with chocolate frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon-chocolate frosting; repeat with remaining rolls. Refrigerate while baking the cake.
Step 11. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate.
Step 12. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese icing, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 13. Place a roll cake on a serving plate and spread with the frosting to assemble the cake. Repeat with remaining cakes.
Tips:
- Sprinkle with cocoa powder or chocolate curls before serving.
- You can cut squares from the rolled cake instead of slices.
- Leftover rolls can be warmed in the oven and served as cinnamon rolls.
- Roll cakes are difficult to cut, so if you have a large, sharp, serrated knife, it will make cutting much easier.
- The cake is really good and pretty easy to make. You can also drizzle the ganache with melted chocolate if you like, but it’s not so red-ribbon-worthy.
Nutrition Fact of Chocolate Roll Cake Red Ribbon Recipe:
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 434 |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Carbs | 43.1 g |
| Protein | 13.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Sodium | 270 mg |
| Fiber | 4.1 g |
| Iron | 1.3 mg |
| Zinc | 0.1 mg |
| Calcium | 65 mg |
| Magnesium | 3.4 mg |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
What is the Japanese name for chocolate roll cake?
The Japanese name for chocolate roll cake is because it is a red ribbon and a popular wedding cake in Japan. It was also an extremely popular cake to use when decorating birthday cakes.
Why is it called red ribbon instead of pink ribbon?
The red ribbon is used because it is a classic red color, and the ribbon is not pink. This cake has very little pink in it at all. It would be considered a red color cake by most people, but the name has stuck for years, and many still refer to it as a pink ribbon cake.
When was chocolate roll cake first made?
It is believed this cake was first made in the late 1940s by Nestlé, but other companies are saying that they created the recipe first.
Perhaps one of the Nestlé recipes was a copycat? The cake has been around for nearly 75 years, and it seems that this is not going to go away anytime soon!
What have other chocolate roll cakes been created?
There are quite a few different types of chocolate roll cakes. The most popular chocolate roll is the classic chocolate roll.
Others include: pecan, butterscotch, coconut, white chocolate, and even red velvet. Other than the chocolate roll cake, Nestlé has also created a chocolate roll cake with white icing and a chocolate roll cake with raspberry filling.
One thing about these other cakes that differ from the traditional chocolate roll is that they are not always easy to find. They are pretty expensive and can be hard to find.
Final Word
I hope you enjoy this recipe and find it helpful! If you like chocolate roll cakes, please also check out my other blog for another simple chocolate roll cake recipe.
I have also shared many dessert recipes over there as well. I hope you will stop by and enjoy it! This is one of the best chocolate roll cakes recipe that is a favorite all over the world. It is very easy to make, and it tastes fantastic!