Attention all coffee lovers! This hazelnut and coffee roll cake (aka coffee Swiss roll) is a festive dessert made with a biscuit Joconde soaked with maple syrup and generously covered with the coffee-flavored mascarpone cream. It is simply irresistible.
After making rich Royal Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Meringue Cake Concorde, it is the time to please coffee lovers with a new coffee-flavored dessert.
I adapted the recipe for coffee Yule log created by French chef Nicolas Bernardé. I had to make some changes to make it easier and more affordable.
Yes, you can make it as a Yule log using Christmas edible decorations or make a simplified version of the cake as a coffee roll cake (aka coffee Swiss roll cake).
There is one challenging part of making the cake. It is a fancy-looking decoration made with the use of St. Honore tip.
If you do not have one, decrease the cream ingredients by ⅓ and spread the mascarpone cream all over the cake. Use a rubber or bent spatula or the back of a tablespoon to spoon it out.
Want to be inspired by the roll cakes’ decorations? Please, have a look at this Nutella Cake Roll or Raspberry Pistachio Roulade. I am pretty sure you will fall in love with their simplicity.
Jump to:
What is biscuit Joconde
Biscuit Joconde is a light sponge cake made with almond flour, eggs, all-purpose flour, sugar, and butter. It takes its name from the French La Joconde, meaning Mona Lisa.
The main difference between biscuit Joconde and other sponge cakes is that its recipe calls for whole eggs and not just egg whites.
Biscuit Joconde is the basic sponge for Opera cakes, the decorative collar to entremets filled with mousse or buttercream.
Tips for making mascarpone cream
Mascarpone cream, better-saying mascarpone whipped cream, is a stabilized version of the whipped cream. Mascarpone works as a stabilizer in this case.
This cream is perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes. It is easy to make, but it quickly dries out at room temperature and even being refrigerated.
It is better to pipe the mascarpone cream about one hour before serving and then storing it in the fridge.
To make the mascarpone cream, make sure to use the chilled mascarpone, but slightly softened one. Take mascarpone out of the fridge 15 minutes at maximum before whisking the cream. It is essential.
Then whip the cheese for a few seconds, and add whipped cream, sugar, and flavorings.
If the cream starts curding, use a water bath to heat the curded cream while constantly whisking it.
Once the lumps are gone, stop the heating. Let the cream get to room temperature and whip it one more time for a few seconds.
How to pipe with St. Honore tip
St. Honore pastry tip is a stainless steel tube with a triangle cut tip. It is mostly used to pipe icing onto one of the most famous French desserts – St. Honore cake. It is also used to decorate other types of cakes, cupcakes, and pies.
The decorative element is made with St. Honore tip is a big wave. To properly pipe with this tip, first, fix the St. Honore tip and fill your pastry bag with the cream.
Then holding the pastry bag sideways, place the tip onto the cake. Make sure that its opening faces upwards. Press the bag gently and draw a wave.
In the case of this coffee Swiss roll, hold the pastry bag with St. Honore tip and draw straight lines, starting from one side of the cake and moving towards another side.
Why you should try this recipe
- This coffee-flavored Swiss roll is for coffee lovers.
- The recipe is straightforward, and it is made within 2 hours.
- It is best served for birthday parties: add alcohol to the cream to serve adults and keep it as in the recipe if you serve for kids.
- Topped with Christmas chocolate decorations, meringue mushrooms, nougatine pieces, and/or chocolate crisps, this roll cake is easily transformed into a coffee Yule log.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results.
Almond flour: use blanched finely ground almond flour (not a coarse almond meal). While measuring almond flour, spoon it from a container gently into a measuring cup. Please, do not press it down.
Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use a store-bought powdered sugar.
Granulated sugar: replace it with caster sugar if you prefer.
Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Butter: use unsalted butter melted in advance.
Eggs: use whole large eggs and large egg whites. To separate egg whites from egg yolks, use an egg separator.
Hazelnuts: use store-bought toasted hazelnuts or toast nuts yourself as written in the recipe.
Maple syrup: it is used to soak the biscuit. Replace it with light corn syrup if you desire.
Mascarpone: it is added to stabilize the whipped cream. Take mascarpone out of the fridge 15 minutes (maximum!) before you start making the cream.
Whipping cream: use whipping cream with 35% fat content.
Espresso coffee: it is the star of this roll cake. Use your favorite one!
Instant coffee powder: use your preferred brand of instant coffee. To make it powdered, use either a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
Dark chocolate crisps: this is an optional chocolate decoration. Also, decorate the cake with store-bought chocolate thins or homemade pieces of tempered chocolate.
Caramelized hazelnuts: follow the instructions on how to caramelize hazelnuts provided in the recipe for Hazelnut Cake.
How to make coffee roll cake
To toast hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C. Spread all the hazelnuts – 5.3 oz. (150 g) – on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Let cool and chop the nuts.
To make the biscuit Joconde, increase the oven temperature to 355 F/180 C. Place icing (powdered) sugar, almond flour, all-purpose flour, and 2 whole eggs in a bowl. Whisk at slow speed, using an electric or stand mixer.
Increase the speed and continue to whisk. Add the other 2 whole eggs, cold melted butter, and mix again (photo 1).
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they are mounted. Add granulated (caster) sugar and beat again until stiff peaks (photo 2).
Add half of the meringue to the main preparation and mix gently with a rubber spatula. Finally, add the rest of the meringue and combine (photo 3).
Pour the biscuit dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or on a non-spill baking sheet to the thickness of 25/64 inch/1 cm. Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts (photo 4).
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the biscuit from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes.
To make the mascarpone cream, place mascarpone, icing (powdered) sugar, whipping cream, espresso coffee, and instant coffee powder in a bowl.
Mix with a hand whisk to homogenize everything. Then whisk with a stand or electric mixer until firm (photo 5).
Cover the bowl with plastic film and refrigerate the cream until assembling the cake.
To assemble the roll cake, flip the biscuit on a sheet of parchment. Then peel parchment paper or the baking mat.
Soak the biscuit with maple syrup using a silicone brush. Spread the mascarpone cream and even the surface with a bent spatula. Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Roll the biscuit from top to bottom along the biscuit’s long side, using the parchment sheet (photo 6). Tight it as much as possible. Refrigerate the rolled biscuit for 4 hours.
To decorate the cake, cut the roll cake 10-inch/25 cm long. Use a knife to make the ends of the cake neat. Spread a layer of cream on the rolled cake (photo 7).
Place the remaining cream in a pastry bag with a St. Honore tip and cover the cake’s entire surface. Pipe straight lines, starting from one side of the cake and moving towards another side.
Decorate it with dark chocolate crisps and caramelized hazelnuts (photo 8).
Expert tips
- While rolling the baked biscuit, it may crack. Continue to roll the biscuit, tight it into parchment paper, and refrigerate. It will be fine once it is chilled.
- Add one tablespoon white rum or Grand Marnier to the mascarpone cream if you desire.
- To caramelize hazelnuts, follow the instructions in the recipe for Hazelnut Cake.
- Keep the cake wrapped in parchment paper until assembling. Since the mascarpone cream tends to dry out quickly, it is best to assemble the cake 1 hour before serving. Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can bake the biscuit, roll it with ⅓ of the cream, and wrap it one day ahead. Store it wrapped in parchment paper in the fridge. Next day, one hour before serving, decorate the cake with cream, nuts, and chocolate crisps, and keep it in the refrigerator. In this case, I recommend making the mascarpone cream twice: ⅓ of the cream to fill the cake, and the next day ⅔ of the cream to decorate.
No, I do not recommend freezing this cake. To the best taste, make it on the day of serving.
Please, note that the recipe was primarily developed using gram measurements for the high precision and then converted to the US volume and weight measurements. I recommend using a kitchen scale for accuracy and the best results.
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Hazelnut and Coffee Roll Cake
Attention all coffee lovers! This hazelnut and coffee roll cake (or Swiss roll) is a festive dessert made with a biscuit Joconde soaked with maple syrup and generously covered with the coffee-flavored mascarpone cream. It is simply irresistible.
- Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 – 10 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For the biscuit Joconde:
- 2 cups + 4 teaspoons (200 g) almond flour
- 1 cup + 9 ½ teaspoons (150 g) icing (powdered) sugar
- ⅓ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (100 g) granulated (caster) sugar
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (80 g) all-purpose flour
- 2.1 oz. (60 g) butter, melted
- 4 whole large eggs
- 5 room-temperature large egg whites (150 g)
- 3.5 oz. (100 g) toasted hazelnuts
For the mascarpone cream:
- 11.6 oz. (330 g) mascarpone
- 2 ⅔ cups + 3 ½ tablespoons (665 g) whipping cream
- 1 cup + ½ tablespoon (130 g) icing (powdered) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (35 ml) of espresso coffee
- 1 ½ tablespoons instant coffee powder
For assembling:
- 2.7 fl. oz. (80 ml) maple syrup
- 1.7 oz. (50 g) toasted hazelnuts
- 6 dark chocolate crisps
- 10 caramelized hazelnuts
Instructions
-
To toast hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C. Spread all the hazelnuts – 5.3 oz. (150 g) – on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Let cool and chop the nuts.
-
To make the biscuit Joconde, increase the oven temperature to 355 F/180 C. Place icing (powdered) sugar, almond flour, all-purpose flour, and 2 whole eggs in a bowl. Whisk at slow speed, using an electric or stand mixer. Increase the speed and continue to whisk. Add the other 2 whole eggs, cold melted butter, and mix again.
-
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they are mounted. Add granulated (caster) sugar and beat again until stiff peaks. Add half of the meringue to the main preparation and mix gently with a rubber spatula. Finally, add the rest of the meringue and combine. Pour the biscuit dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or on a non-spill baking sheet to Pour the biscuit dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or on a non-spill baking sheet to the thickness of 25/64 inch/1 cm. Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the biscuit from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes.
-
To make the mascarpone cream, place mascarpone, icing (powdered) sugar, whipping cream, espresso coffee, and instant coffee powder in a bowl. Mix with a hand whisk to homogenize everything. Then whisk with a stand or electric mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic film and refrigerate the cream until assembling the cake.
-
To assemble the roll cake, flip the biscuit on a sheet of parchment. Then peel parchment paper or the baking mat. Soak the biscuit with maple syrup using a silicone brush. Spread the mascarpone cream and even the surface with a bent spatula. Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts. Roll the biscuit from top to bottom along the biscuit’s long side, using the parchment sheet. Tight it as much as possible. Refrigerate the rolled biscuit for 4 hours.
-
To decorate the cake, cut the roll cake 10-inch/25 cm long. Use a knife to make the ends of the cake neat. Spread a layer of cream on the rolled cake. Place the remaining cream in a pastry bag with a St. Honore tip and cover the cake’s entire surface. Pipe straight lines, starting from one side of the cake and moving towards another side.
-
Decorate it with dark chocolate crisps and caramelized hazelnuts.
Notes
- While rolling the biscuit, it may crack. Continue to roll the biscuit, tight it into parchment paper, and refrigerate. It will be fine once it is chilled.
- Add one tablespoon white rum or Grand Marnier to the mascarpone cream if you desire.
- To caramelize hazelnuts, follow the instructions in the recipe for Hazelnut Cake.
- Keep the cake wrapped in parchment paper until assembling. Since the mascarpone cream tends to dry out quickly, it is best to assemble the cake 1 hour before serving. Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 754
- Sugar: 46.7 g
- Sodium: 128 mg
- Fat: 51.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 21.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.6 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 16.7 g
- Cholesterol: 169 mg
Keywords: coffee roll cake, coffee swiss roll, coffee cream swiss roll, coffee swiss roll recipe, coffee and hazelnut swiss roll
The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool. Please, read the disclaimers in our Privacy Policy.
The recipe was adapted from here https://www.femmeactuelle.fr. It was originally published on December 17, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Shanna says
This was so good I am already making the second one. Thanks so much for sharing.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Shanna, for letting me know! I am happy to read.
Tara says
What an incredible cake for the holidays! I absolutely love the combination of hazelnut and coffee. Yum!
★★★★★
Irina says
Tara, thanks for your interest in the recipe. Please, enjoy it!
Jersey says
What a decadent Christmas Dessert! I love it!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Jersey!
Kylie says
So glad I found this recipe! It’s so delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
Please, enjoy the recipe, Kylie. I hope you will make it. 🙂
Toni says
This cake is amazing! The flavors are SO delicious. I never thought I could make something like this, but your instructions make it so easy.
★★★★★
Irina says
Kylie, I am happy to hear that! Please, enjoy it.
Fara Kay says
Can you make this cake a day early (not assembled)? Also, will the whipped cream be ok if made a day early too, or should that be done the day you want to assemble? Finally, if the above is not recommended, can I make the assembled cake a day early to be served the next day?
Thank you! This cake looks really good, and I want to make it for X-mas if I can find hazelnuts in the store
Irina says
Hi Fara, thanks for your interest in the recipe. Yes, you can bake the biscuit, roll it with ⅓ of the cream, and wrap it one day ahead. Store it wrapped in parchment in the fridge. Next day, one hour before serving, decorate the cake with cream, nuts, and chocolate crisps, and keep it in the refrigerator. In this case, I recommend making the mascarpone cream twice: ⅓ of the cream to fill the cake, and the next day ⅔ of the cream to decorate. I do not recommend assembling the cake one day ahead since the mascarpone-baed whipped cream tends to dry out. Try to assemble the cake 1-2 hours before serving to keep the cream fresh-looking 🙂 And please, read all the post including the FAQ: there is plenty of information there. Happy baking!!!
Farwah Kuhafa says
I did make the cake and cream a day ahead and assembled it the next day. I had to make some changes to the recipe b/c I just couldn’t find hazelnuts, and ordering online wouldn’t have come in on time fast enough. I omitted the hazelnuts and was thinking to crush up some Ferrer rocher and use it to decorate the outside of the cake (I ended up not doing that, maybe next time)
I am not a maple syrup fan, so I changed it to a chocolate ganache and then topped it off with the mascarpone cream and rolled the cake. I didn’t have espresso powder, so I used more instant Nescafe instead. If I could post a pic of my cake, I would.
Everyone loved it! The cake does have many cracked looks when rolling than a swiss cake roll, but that’s ok b/c you’re covering it with the cream anyway.
The cake I made was a little longer than the typical swiss cake roll recipe. Fit into a normal jelly size pan and was enough for 18 people (there were other desserts available)
★★★★★
Irina says
Hi Farwah, I am happy to hear that your guests and you loved the cake. It is also great that you could make replacements without problems. As for cracking, yes, this roll cake cracks while rolling it. I have made it a few times, and it happened, but the following chilling and decoration cover it. As for the roll cake length, I personally always cut the ends to fit a serving platter I have. Please, share the picture of your cake on Instagram using the hashtag #bakinglikeachef or send me by email at [email protected]. Thanks!!!