This delicious, gorgeous Chocolate Cherry Cake Roll has a luscious cream cheese filling made with fresh cherries and is also topped with a cherry buttercream made with preserves. If you love summer cherries, you’ve got to try this dessert!
Didn’t I tell you this would be the summer of cake rolls? They’re so satisfying to make and they freeze beautifully. You could make a couple of these this summer and pull them out during the holidays. How festive!
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The cherry buttercream makes just enough to pipe a flourish on top and some garnishes on the sides. You of course could leave it off and just dust the cake with powdered sugar – that’s absolutely fine too! But the buttercream is amazing and only takes a couple of minutes to make.
I do recommend making the cake the morning of or night before you want to serve it. It’s best to let the cream cheese filling set for a few hours in the fridge before slicing into it.
Chocolate Cherry Cake Roll
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup , divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder (I love Hershey’s special dark)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Cherry Cream Cheese Filling, recipe follows
Cherry Buttercream, recipe follows
- Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 15.5×10.5×1-inch jelly-roll pan, line with parchment paper, and grease paper. Spread a thin towel on the counter and sprinkle with a handful of powdered sugar.
- Carefully separate eggs. Beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. In a stand mixer, beat egg yolks and vanilla on medium speed about three minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar; continue beating for two additional minutes.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to egg yolk mixture alternately with water, beating on low speed just until batter is smooth. Gently fold beaten egg whites into mixture with a spatula just until the batter is uniform in color. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Immediately invert onto prepared towel or parchment paper and peel off paper. Carefully roll cake with towel away from you starting at one of the narrow ends. Transfer to rack and cool completely.
- While cake is cooling, make the Cherry Cream Cheese Filling.
- Unroll cake, carefully spread Cherry Cream Cheese Filling in the center, roll back up, and slice the ends off. (Stop here and store in the fridge or wrap tightly and freeze for later if desired.)
- Make the Cherry Buttercream and pipe on top of cake, garnishing with a few cherries. Enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Cherry Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz block cream cheese
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup fresh cherries, rinsed, dried, pitted, and quartered
- Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Gently fold in quartered cherries.
Cherry Buttercream
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cherry preserves
1/2 Tbsp whipping cream
1/8 tsp almond extract
- Butter with a hand mixer, then mix in powdered sugar, cherry preserves, whipping cream, and almond extract. Add a bit more whipping cream to reach desired consistency.
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