German Cream Roll Recipe ~ Oma's Biskuitrolle

➤ by Gerhild Fulson

Oma's Cream Roll recipe, Biskuitrolle, is the German version of a Swiss roll or jelly roll. Filled with whipped cream and studded with berries, this is an easy-to-make treat anytime of the year.

This is best made in the morning, left to sit covered in the fridge for several hours and served later the same day or the next day.

Below, it is filled with raspberries and whipped cream, but you can choose whichever berries you can find in season. No berries? Just some jam brushed on the cake and covered with whipped cream before rolling works as well.

If you get everything ready before you start, the whole process actually goes quickly. AND the final result is so stunning!

In fact, the Blueberry Cream Roll, shown below was made by my 9-year old granddaughter, Lydia, many years ago. We rolled this one lengthwise, so there's not much swirl visible. But, we got more slices this way! We had so much fun making it that day ... love having wonderful memories!

Yes, 9-year old Lydia made this blueberry cream roll. If she can, YOU CAN!

How to make a Cream Roll:

After you make you cake and bake it, immediately turn it over onto a sugar-dusted clean dishtowel.

Dust powdered sugar on top of the cake. Do this quickly, because you want to roll the cake up while it is still hot.

The sugar will help keep the cake from sticking to the towel as you roll it. 

Roll it up with the towel, from the short side.

Once rolled, set it on a wire rack to cool down.

Meanwhile, gather the filling supplies that are shown here. Prep your fruit. Here I'm using strawberries. I've sliced some and the nice ones are being kept for the decoration on the top and sides.

Make sure that your whipped cream is COLD. It whips up best that way. I like to use Whip It as a heavy (whipping) cream stabilizer. Especially if I plan to keep the cake for a day or so in the fridge, the whipped cream won't get runny.

I'll spreading some strawberry jam over the cake. If the jam is very firm (perhaps it was in the fridge), then warm it slightly in the microwave. It will be easier to spread that way.

Once the cake is cold, carefully unroll it. Keep it on the towel, since you'll be using it again to aid in rolling the final cream roll.

Spread the jam, if you're using it, over the cake in a thin layer. Top that with the whipped cream. Don't make the layer too thick or it will ooze out as you roll it up.

Cover with your fruit. Here, I'm using sliced strawberries. If the fruit is small (blueberries) or squish-able (raspberries), you can keep them whole. 

Using your towel to help you keep the roll even, roll it up carefully. Once it's rolled, place it on a serving platter, cover and place in the fridge. 

The biscuit dough will absorb some of the liquid from the jam, cream, and fruit, making it softer and even more flavorful.

After several hours or the next day, sprinkle powdered sugar on top, cut off the end slices to reveal a beautiful swirl design, and top off with some fresh berries.

You can whip up an extra half cup of heavy (whipping) cream, add some Whip It and a bit of sugar, until stiff peaks develop. Use a pastry bag to decorate your cream roll as shown below.

For the fruit, you can use almost any variety. Sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen raspberries, currants, diced or sliced peaches, blueberries, etc., all work nicely.

Even a combination of fruit would be nice. Above is with raspberries, below that, the one made with blueberries. And below, filled with buttercream filling. 

The one below was made by my dear friend, Melania. She then invited me over to enjoy it. Yummy, yummy scrumptious!

She filled this with her secret buttercream filling. She hinted it's pudding, butter and icing sugar. That's simple. Love how she took my cream roll recipe and turned it into hers!

Oma says:

The cream roll is a fun recipe to do with kids. They just can't figure out how one can roll a cake!

Once they see how easy it is to do, and how much fun they had doing it, it's one they'll add to their growing list of their own special recipes, just like it did for my granddaughter, Lydia.

How to stabilize Whipped Cream

In Germany it's easy to do this. Just buy Dr. Oetker's Sahnesteif and add that to the heavy (whipping) cream. Once whipped, it will won't get all runny as it stands, making it an easy way to use whipped cream as a frosting.

However, it's not available in many countries. For me, I can find it at my Walmart in Canada and also at international delis in my area. However, there are substitutes that can be used.

Used to stabilize whipped cream, Dr. Oetker's Whip It really works best. However, it can be replaced with any of the following:

• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch per 1 cup (240 milliliters) of heavy (whipping) cream (plus sugar to taste)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (16 to 24 grams) powdered sugar per 1 cup (240 milliliters) of heavy (whipping) cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (28 to 42 grams) instant pudding powder per 1 cup (240 milliliters) of heavy (whipping) cream

Ready to make this German Cream Roll Recipe?

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