Japanese Cake Roll (Dojima Roll)

Here is the best Japanese cake roll, or Dojima roll, made with a soft, fluffy chiffon cake and mouthwatering, fresh whipped cream. It is one of the best Asian roll cakes ever.

Get ready to experience Japanese sweets without ever leaving your kitchen. From the fluffy cake texture to the sweet cream filling, this dessert is absolutely delicious.

Jump to:

• What is Japanese roll cake?
• Japanese roll cake recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make Japanese cake roll
• Expert Tips
• Recipe variations
• Storing and freezing
• Recipe FAQ
• Love roll cakes? Try these next!
• Recipe card
• Comments

So whether you are a fan of Japanese cuisine or simply looking for a deliciously unique dessert to impress your friends and family, the Japanese cake roll is the perfect choice. Don't wait any longer to try this authentic Japanese treat.

What is Japanese roll cake?

Japanese roll cake is a fluffy chiffon cake roll filled with plenty of airy and light fresh whipped cream. It is also known as a Japanese Swiss roll cake, chiffon cake roll, or simply chiffon roll.

Like the famous Japanese strawberry shortcake, the Dojima Roll is a popular dessert in Japan. Created by Itsuro Arita, this roll cake is sold at the sweet shop "Patisserie Mon Cher" in Japan and other Asian countries. The cake symbolizes "eternity" and "harmony."

Made with fluffy chiffon cake, the Japanese roll has a moister and softer texture than a dry and thin European-style sponge cake roll. It is also distinct from the tightly rolled vanilla Swiss roll in terms of rolling technique.

Japanese roll cake recipe

• This Japanese roll cake recipe is easy and quick, and can be made in 45 minutes.

• It is prepared with a chiffon sheet cake that doesn't use baking powder. Instead, it gets its fluffy texture from whisked egg whites in the meringue.

• The cake contains less sugar than European Swiss rolls, which are filled with jam, buttercream, and other cream fillings.

• It is a classic Asian roll cake: soft, fluffy, airy, and light, with a melt-in-your-mouth, moist texture. Read more about how to make a cake moist.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs: egg whites and yolks. Make sure to add the right amount of sugar to each of them. Use chilled eggs and an egg separator to separate the whites from the yolks. Bring the yolks to room temperature and refrigerate the whites until needed.

• Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar to make the cake batter and icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered sugar) for making the cream frosting.

• Salt enhances the cake's flavors.

• Vanilla extract: Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor, or replace it with vanilla bean paste in a 1:1 ratio.

• Oil adds and keeps moisture in the cake. Opt for neutral flavorless oil like grapeseed, avocado, or vegetable oil. Avoid olive, peanut oil, and other kinds of fat.

• Milk: Use whole milk for the best results.

• Flour: The recipe uses store-bought or homemade cake flour. To make it yourself, remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour from 1 cup and replace it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Alternatively, mix 15 grams of cornstarch with 110 grams of all-purpose flour.

• Baking powder, a chemical leavening agent, helps a cake rise.

• Heavy cream: Choose heavy or heavy whipped cream with at least 30% fat to make a whipped cream filling.

• Sweetened condensed milk brings a beautiful taste and flavor to the cream. Use store-bought or homemade condensed milk.

How to make Japanese cake roll

Step 1. Prepare a 15 x 10-inch (25 x 38 cm) jelly roll pan. Line it with a sheet of parchment paper by following a tutorial on how to line a Swiss roll tin.

Step 2. To make the cake roll, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Use a flour sifter to sift all-purpose flour and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.

Step 3: Pour milk with oil into a small bowl and place it over a larger container with hot water. Warm up the oil and milk to 104°F (40°C).

Step 4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1 ½ tablespoons (20 g) of sugar, salt, and vanilla extract with a hand whisk a few times just until combined (photo 1).

Step 5. Add oil and milk and mix to combine. Sift the dry ingredients over the bowl with principal preparation and gently mix with a hand whisk.

Step 6. In a clean and dry separate large bowl, beat cold egg whites with an electric mixer until they become bubbly and foamy.

Step 7. Gradually add the remaining sugar (90 g) to the beaten egg whites in three parts. Whisk the meringue until soft peaks form. The peaks should be firm enough to have a curved hook pointing to the floor, but avoid stiff peaks (photo 2).

Pro tip: Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, but be cautious of over-whisking the egg whites.

Step 8. Give a couple of string movements to the egg yolk mixture, and add ⅓ of the egg white meringue. Carefully fold it with a silicone spatula, add ⅓ again, and mix. Pour the mixture into the remaining meringue and gently fold (photo 3).

Pro tip: When folding the meringue, avoid deflating the batter. This is crucial for achieving a soft and fluffy roll cake.

Step 9. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan (photo 4), and level it with a long bent spatula or a dough scraper (avoid excessive smoothing in one spot). Tap the pan on the work surface a couple of times to release large air bubbles.

Step 10. Bring the tin to the middle rack of the oven, and immediately decrease the oven temperature to 340°F (170°C). Bake for 25-27 minutes until golden brown (photo 5).

Pro tip: Check for doneness with a toothpick: if the toothpick comes out dry, the cake is done.

Step 11. Prepare a long sheet of baking paper, ensuring it is at least 1.5x the length of the cake's long side. Slightly grease it with neutral oil.

Step 12. Take the cake from the oven and tap it once against the table to prevent it from shrinking. Quickly flip it on the prepared parchment paper.

Pro tip: Avoid flipping the cake on a cooling rack lined with parchment to prevent the rack's traces on the surface of the cake.

Step 13. To prepare the cake for rolling, follow these steps:

1. Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
2. Use a serrated knife to trim the edges of the cake on both long sides and one short side.
3. Cut the opposite short of the cake at a 45-degree angle, diagonally (photo 6).
4. Let the cake cool a bit so it's warm enough to roll.

Pro tip: There is no need to pre-roll the cake in a tea towel beforehand.

Step 14. To make sweetened whipped cream, pour cold heavy cream, add icing sugar, and condensed milk into the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until firm.

Pro tip: Consult the sugar-free whipped cream recipe for step-by-step photographed explanations, helpful tips, and tricks.

Step 15. To assemble the roll cake, spread the cream over the cooled cake using an offset spatula, leaving the angled cut bare.

Step 16. Apply a thicker layer of cream in the middle, like a slope, to shape it correctly (photo 7). Roll the cake with the help of parchment paper so that both ends touch.

Step 17. Keep the bottom paper down, cover it with the top paper, and use a metal ruler to tighten it a little. Try to push the ruler towards the roll, tightening it while pulling the bottom baking paper away. Take care not to over-tighten the roll.

Step 18. Keep the rolled cake wrapped in parchment paper with the end of the roll at the bottom (photo 9). Cover the exposed ends of the roll cake with parchment paper (like candy) to prevent them from drying out. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 19. Gently remove the parchment paper from the cake. Transfer it to a serving tray.

To serve, cut the cake into slices of desired thickness (ideally 1 inch (2.5 cm) with a warm knife, cleaning the blade between cuts.

Expert Tips

1. Read more about how to make a cake roll for useful tips and tricks.
2. Choose a light-colored jelly pan for an evenly baked cake. Avoid using a dark pan.
3. Make sure to slightly cool the cake before spreading the cream.
4. Respect the chilling time necessary for shaping the cake and setting the cream.
5. Use this simple cake pan calculator to adjust ingredient amounts for another pan size quickly. Just enter the length and width of your tray.

Recipe variations

Authentic Japanese roll cake is made with classic chiffon-like sponge cake and filled with fresh whipped cream, prepared with a special blend of 43% and 35% cream. Let's have a look at how to customize it.

• Cake batter: Replace some cake flour with unsweetened cocoa powder or matcha powder to make chocolate or matcha versions.

• Cake roll filling: Play with whipped cream using a cream with 30-48% fat content, or fill your cake with cream cheese filling.

• Rolling method: Roll the cake traditionally "skin" side out or with the "brown layer" facing inwards. Alternatively, you can peel the brown crust from the baked cake while it is warm.

• Decoration: Sprinkle the roll with powdered sugar, pipe whipped cream swirls or spirals, or decorate with fresh fruits.

Storing and freezing

Store Japanese cake roll with fresh whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze Japanese cake roll? You can freeze it covered with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for 2 months. Make sure the freezer temperature is between -0.4°F to 5°F (-18°C to -15°C). When ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight.

Recipe FAQ

Love roll cakes? Try these next!

• Nutella Swiss roll
• Coffee Swiss roll
• Pavlova roll cake
• Pistachio roulade
• Or browse all the cake recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.