This Triple Berry Angel Food Cake Roll is an easy red, white and blue dessert (or just red and white!) for the 4th of July or Canada Day, or any day! Perfect with fresh summer strawberries, raspberries and blueberries 🙂 Includes step by step recipe video.
So I had these grand plans to make you a chocolate cake roll.
I had made cake rolls. They were easy.
I figured I’d start with my favorite chocolate cake roll, and roll it up like you do a cake roll, and it would just work. (<– this attitude gets me in trouble more than you might think)
So I made my chocolate cake. And I rolled it up. When I unrolled it, it was in about 8 different pieces — it had cracked like crazy! I made it again. I rolled it up again. Once again — about 8 different pieces of cake that would definitely not be rolling back up. The cake is so moist and delicious, I have no idea why it wouldn’t unroll in one piece. Too much moisture maybe?
Since I was totally inspired by this Strawberry Shortcake Roll from Dorothy of Crazy for Crust — she is the queen of cake rolls, friends — I thought maybe I’d do something vanilla. I had made cake rolls with angel food cake before and they had turned out so well, so maybe I’ll go that route.
And because there is nothing better than fresh berries with angel food cake and whipped cream, and it’s May, and the whole red, white and blue orrrrr red and white thing (maybe you know I’m a proud Canadian, but I also have plenty of proud American friends here!)…. this is what we got.
The whole cream cheese whipped cream thing is a totally unintentional similarity between Dorothy’s and my own (surely you’ve heard of my love affair with cream cheese or you saw this awesome No Bake Lemon Cheesecake, Best Vanilla Cheesecake or this Brownie Batter Cheesecake?!?), and I can only hope she’ll still love me in the end 😉
Tips and Tricks for Making this Triple Berry Angel Food Cake Roll:
- You don’t need any special equipment for making this cake roll, but you will need a good rimmed baking sheet, a clean kitchen towel and some parchment paper.
- If you’re not as lame as me and you actually make angel food cake from scratch (and you have a dozen or so eggs to spare, which we never seem to!), feel free to go that route — it should work just as well! I don’t use cake mix often, but angel food cake is one of those things I usually cheat on. Someday I will go for the real deal!
- You can obviously mix up the filling and the fruit as you desire here — try pudding for a filling, or different sauces or frostings, try strawberries and kiwi or add blackberries, or fresh cherries…. the options are endless! Go nuts 😉
- This cake roll is best eaten the day it’s made, because the berries won’t last long and it’s difficult to cover without smearing. I made this the day we were heading to a potluck, and I left a happy woman with an empty plate and a ton of rave reviews!
Triple Berry Angel Food Cake Roll (a Red, White and Blue dessert) + VIDEO
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 Angel Food Cake mix plus ingredients to prepare
- 1/4 cup + ¾ cup powdered sugar divided
- 8 oz light cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 35%
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries diced
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line the bottom of a 10x15x1″ rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (make sure that it lays flat on the bottom). Do not grease the pan.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges start to crack. *NOTE: It will rise up in the pan significantly, even over the top. But even though it gets high it should not flow over — if you’re concerned, slip an extra baking sheet or a piece of foil underneath just in case.
- Loosen cake from the edges of the pan while it’s still warm — it’s going to be a little sticky, like angel food cake is, but it will come away easily.
- Spread out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup powdered sugar. Flip warm cake out onto the towel, peel off the parchment paper and immediately roll up starting at the short end, WITH the towel inside. Let cool completely (at room temperature for 1-2 hours or pop it in the fridge or freeze momentarily if you’re impatient like me! You don’t want it hot inside when you add your filling.)
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar, vanilla and cream and beat on low until combined, then on high for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and stiff peaks form.
- Unroll cooled cake (you can just leave it laying on the towel) and spread with half of the filling and top with half of the berries. Carefully roll back up (this time without the towel!) and place on a serving plate. Spread top and sides with remaining filling and top with remaining berries. Serve immediately (leftovers are best eaten within 24 hours).
Nutrition Information
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Carolyn says
Thank you for this recipe ! I will definitely make this one again soon! I made this cake yesterday ! It was easy,and delicious. Everybody agreed it is a keeper ! Other than way more fruit than I should have used to make rerolling the cake mess free, I made no changes. It is light and not too sweet, had no leftovers!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Karen says
I used an 11×15 pan because that’s all I had. I followed the directions to a T and it ran over on one side. Trimmed up and came out of the pan with no problem. It was a BIG hit with my 10 guests and there was plenty which I was concerned about initially. Very easy and looks very fancy. I will cut back the icing sugar next time because It was a bit too sweet for me. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Jackie says
Would you prepare for high altitude as the box suggests for this recipe as well?
Karen says
Good question. I’m at 3500 ft and mine ran over in an 11×15 pan. Trimmed up though and salvaged just fine.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad that it worked out in the end! I’ve never had a problem with it running over.
Jackie says
I ended up going with the high altitude adjustments (1/3 cup of corn starch and mixed for 3 minuets instead of 1…) worked very well! I’m in Denver so over 5300 ft. Did not have it spill over either time I made it 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing that!
Karen says
My box didn’t have high altitude instructions. You just added the 1/3 cup of cornstarch, didn’t substitute it for anything?
Marilee Hird says
I’m wondering if you could add cocoa powder to the mix, to make it chocolate?
Chzplz says
Made this for Father’s Day – big hit, no leftovers! One tip – my boxed Angel Food Cake recipe said to bake on the bottom rack and I ended up burning it a bit on the bottom. Re-did it on the middle rack and it came out perfect.
Making it again for a Canada Day lunch!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that you liked it!
Mia Lupinacci says
Was wondering if you had an email I could send you a picture of the one I made! I followed this recipe to the T and it turned out absolutely amazing! Thanks so much!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely! thereciperebel@gmail.com Thanks!
Nicole Crespo says
Can you make the cream filling a day ahead of time? I’d like to make the cake and the cream filling the day before and then put it all together the next day for an office lunch party.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, a day ahead will be fine! Just keep it very cold and don’t stir it or it will deflate.
FishFam Mom says
This was a huge hit at a family dinner last night and I will definitely make it again but I was disappointed that the cream filling/topping was somewhat runny. I followed the directions to the letter but it was never fluffy with stiff peaks. Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong and how I might correct it next time?
Ashley Fehr says
The only things I can think of that might have happened is if you didn’t use 35% cream or if it was too warm to whip — it should whip to stiff peaks very easily but it will take some time, maybe 5 minutes on high.
Kathy says
How do you know if the cream is 35%? I couldn’t find it on any of the heavy whipping cream containers.
Ashley Fehr says
On the cream we get here it says the fat content right on the carton, so I’m honestly not sure.
V. says
I made this tonight and it was easy and delicious! It didn’t spill over in the oven and it easily rolled up, (much easier than a traditional jellyroll). I honestly didn’t have high hopes for it, I thought it would be super sweet with the cream cheese filling and icing but it was perfect. I had some leftover icing from a carrot cake I’d made in the freezer so I just added the whipped cream to it, used fresh strawberries and blueberries. I will definitely make it again.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Liz Harring says
I was reading comments and hoping to make this for Father’s Day. Do I roll it up with or without the parchment paper. In the video it shows being rolled without it but a comment made me think you leave the parchment paper on it?
Ashley Fehr says
You will peel off the parchment paper but roll it up with the towel
Mary Lou Nadeau says
I made this using Martha Stewart’s Angel Food Cake Recipe from her “Baking Handbook” – a recipe I use often. It is a wonderful recipe and really worth a try if you own a Kitchen Aid style stand mixer. It really isn’t difficult to make.
I baked it in a 17.25 × 11.5× 1 inch deep pan. It took approximately 25 minutes in my Jenn-Air convection oven. I baked it until it sprung back when gently touched. I could tell that should I have attempted to roll it, it would have broken (I am an experienced baker of more than 50 years). So I waited until it was cooled, trimmed the uneven edges and cut it in half. I iced the top of one half and covered it with alternate rows of sliced strawberries and whole raspberries. I placed the remaining layer on top and fully iced tops and sides. I made rows of alternating fruit on top and a border of fruit around the edge. Though I have done this before with stabilized whipped cream, the addition of the cream cheese and increase in icing sugar results not only in a more stable icing but also a tastier icing! It was a big hit and is still quite stable the next day although I wouldn’t guarantee much longer.
I suspect the from-scratch recipe produces more batter and perhaps a more delicate sponge that is not as conducive to rolling as the mix is.
Thank you for the lovely icing recipe. I too love rolled cake recipes and cake recipes in general.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Mary!
Julie says
thank you for that information. Our grocery store doesn’t sell the angel food cake mix. I usually make mine from scratch anyway (don’t care for the boxed ones), so that is what I was going to do.
Maria says
Disappointed with the pan size as mine spilled over a lot!
It should be a 11x 17 pan grrr
Ashley Fehr says
I use 10×15 and I’ve never had any problems.
Chantel says
What is the nutritional values please ? Trying to figure out weight watchers points ! Ty!
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry it was removed but it’s added back in!
KP says
Very tasty! I made it pretty much as directed. The cake compressed a lot while rolled so I’m not sure if I baked it long enough. The berry part I didn’t measure, just eyeballed because I am lazy, but I would add more berries next time. Thanks for the recipe!….. My first rolled cake and it was waaaay easier then I expected.
Ashley Fehr says
Oh I’m so glad to hear it turned out well! The cake will definitely squish a bit so I don’t think you did anything wrong 🙂
Pam Brumble says
I made this with my girls today and it turned out perfectly! I’ve never rolled a cake before so I was a little nervous, but it was super easy and fast! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so glad!
Sandy says
I need to bake ahead of time. I though perhaps I could cover the cake with the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture and leave out the fruit. Roll it and freeze it, then add lots of fruit to the top and extra for serving. Do you think that would work?
Ashley Fehr says
It might work! My preference would be to make the cake, and leave it rolled and cooled (just be sure it’s completely covered so it doesn’t dry out), then fill and reroll just before serving. If you do try freezing it I’d love to hear how it works!
Adelaide campbell says
Thanks. I was going to ask could I make the cake roll the day before.
Ashley Fehr says
No problem!
Cassie says
Instead of rolling this, I cut the cut the cake into 1″ cubes and layered it with the filling and berries in a trifle bowl. So much easier and just as delicious! It looked gorgeous, too.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, I do that too! Equally as delicious 🙂
Denise Bolin says
I couldn’t wait to try this as soon as I saw it. I used a gluten free angel food cake mix that I had in my cupboard. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, especially since I’ve never used that cake mix before and I’ve never done a cake roll before. It turned out wonderful and was a hit at our Memorial Day get together.
Ashley Fehr says
Oh awesome! I haven’t tried it with a gluten free mix so I’m glad to hear your feedback.
Patti says
When I went to unroll the cake it all fell apart. Could you tell me what I did wrong. I still used it I just left it in strips and put crew, and berries on top everyone loved it.
Ashley Fehr says
Did you roll it fresh out of the oven? Was it completely cool when you unrolled it? Angel food cake is pretty spongey and holds together well when rolled, so I’m not sure how that could have happened!
Another Patti says
The same thing happened to me! I just layered the ingredients and it wasn’t as pretty but it still tasted amazing! I was wondering the same thing…did I do something wrong? I put it on a powdered sugar towel and rolled it and didn’t unroll it until it was cool. Maybe it’s because we are both Named Patti? (Joking)
Jenn D says
I can only find Fat free angel food cake mix. Will that work?
Ashley Fehr says
It will work just fine!
Sej says
Oh no just made this but used half n half instead of whipping cream so not getting the peaks. Is there a way to save this????
Elisa says
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-substitute-half-half-for-whipping-cream/
Jayne says
I just did the same thing. I didn’t think of heavy cream as whipping cream?
Ashley Fehr says
The fat percentage is listed right in the recipe — half and half is nowhere close to 35% fat
Ashley Fehr says
There isn’t really, as half and half doesn’t have the same fat content and won’t whip like heavy cream will. Unfortunately I would probably remake the filling.