
May is upon us, which means one of the most important days of the year is approaching. I’m talking about Mother’s Day! And if your mother’s anything like mine, then you need to make something with chocolate.
This Mother’s Day, surprise the most important woman in your life with this homemade Chocolate Swiss Roll; made allergy friendly, vegan, and delicious.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know I had quite a bit of trouble with this recipe. When you’re restricted to using certain ingredients, you really really have to think outside the box. Sometimes it’s very straight forward like sub this for that, but other times, you have to understand what you’re taking out versus what you’re putting in to give you relatively similar results.

The toughest part about this recipe is spreading the batter – I’ll be honest. Because it is rather thick, you’ll have to be patient when spreading. Another thing to note is that this cake will crack! But don’t worry because once you roll it back up and tightly wrap it, it’ll seal up just fine. 🙂 Other than that, this is probably one of the easiest recipes you’ll come across for a swiss roll.
Especially that there’s absolutely no inverting or clean kitchen towel needed! You simply mix the few ingredients, spread onto a parchment-lined pan, and bake. Allow some time for it to cool down, roll, unroll, spread the goodness, then re-roll! Any simpler and I don’t know – there wouldn’t be a need for me to write this for you 😀

This incredibly easy and delicious Chocolate Swiss Roll is free from:
- Dairy
- Egg
- Soy
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Animal products and by-products
You’re going to love this Chocolate Swiss Roll; it’s easy, fun to make, and in under an hour, you’ve made what looks like a very difficult dessert – only you and I know that it was in fact a cinch to make. 😉
You have to have fun making food and accept that it isn’t going to turn out picture perfect every time – because inevitably you’re going to make mistakes but therein lies the beauty of it all. The fact that you’re in the kitchen in the first place should be something to be proud of. Restaurant chains are booming in sales because more and more people are spending less time in the kitchen.
So hold your spatulas up high, my friends, and let’s dance like no one’s watching. Happy baking!
And to all the amazing mamas out there – we love you! Thank you for all the hard work you put in day-in and day-out, for all of the sleepless nights, your constant worrying, and for being the best role model and influence your child/children could have. Without you, life wouldn’t exist.
x, Laila

Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake
The easiest way to make cake roll! No need to invert or use a towel. With simple ingredients, this cake will become a fav – free from dairy, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish/shellfish, sesame, mustard. Naturally vegan too! Made in 1 bowl and ready to serve in under 1 hour!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablsepoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch {or starch of choice – I used potato for this recipe}
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup aqua faba {chickpea brine}
- 1/4 cup seed or veggie oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dusting
- 1/2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon potato or corn starch
Filling
- Dairy free whipped cream {I used So Delicious Coconut Whip}
- Jam of choice {I used Crofter’s Morello Cherry jam}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9″x13″ cookie sheet/pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and starch for dusting the sheet cake later. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar to bowl and whisk well until all ingredients are combined.
- Next, add your liquids to the bowl: aqua faba, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Using a spatula, mix the wet and dry ingredients very well until batter comes together. IT WILL BE VERY THICK!!
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out using an offset spatula if available {regular spatula if not} until evenly distributed.
- Smack the pan a couple of times on the countertop then place in the preheated oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool in pan for 20-25 minutes.
- Generously dust top of cake with cocoa and starch mix.
- Then, working from one of the short ends, carefully roll the cake with the parchment paper still attached, and lay on its end side down. {see pic for reference} Leave on the counter to cool completely.
- Once cooled, very gently unroll the cake. It will crack but that’s ok!!
- Add a thick layer of jam all over. Follow with a thick layer of whipped cream. Make sure to leave about 1 – 1½” from edges to avoid over spilling of the cream.
- Slowly re-roll cake back up, peeling the parchment paper away as you go. Once cake is rolled up, cover with same parchment paper and cover that with plastic wrap. Smooth wrapped cake with your hands and place in the fridge to set. Minimum 20 minutes.
- When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap, remove parchment paper, and cut cake into 1″ slices or evenly and serve. Clean knife between each cut for a clean look/pieces. Store any remaining pieces or roll back in the fridge, rolled in the parchment/plastic wrap to preserve moisture.
Notes
Remember, the batter will be thick, so have patience when spreading it into the pan. Your hard work will pay off 🙂
Store Chocolate Swiss Roll in the fridge tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 week. Best consumed within 2-3 days.
This cake freezes very well too. Make sure it’s well wrapped before you store it in the freezer. Allow roll to thaw at room temp for a few minutes {5-10} before cutting into to serve.
Keywords: Dairy Free, Vegan, Chocolate, Swiss Roll, Cake
You may also like:
