The holiday season has finally arrived, and it has brought with it that special time of year when days are filled with gatherings, celebrations, and, of course, plenty of indulgent treats. If you’re looking to make your next winter gathering truly memorable, our Winter Wonderland Cake Roll will help you do just that. This stunning creation is filled with classic holiday flavors and decorated to look…well…like a winter wonderland! The rich, velvety red cake roll, cream cheese filling, buttercream frosting, and intricate decorations come together to make this holiday treat a real showstopper. It’s the perfect way to sweeten your gatherings and celebrations during this most wonderful time of year.
Other Winter-Inspired Recipes for You to Enjoy!
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches
These cookie sandwiches are made from two rich, decadent triple chocolate cookies that are sandwiched together by a fluffy peppermint-flavored buttercream filling. Top with a milk chocolate drizzle and crushed peppermint pieces for a treat that’s sweet, refreshing, and beautiful.
Polar Bear Cake Roll
Turn any seasonal celebration into a winter wonderland with a Polar Bear Cake Roll. Now, anyone can decorate a festive centerpiece that will effortlessly impress adults and kids alike at their next holiday gathering. The best part? It’s as delicious as it is adorable.
Hot Chocolate Cake Roll
Our Hot Chocolate Cake Roll is just the thing you need when the weather turns cold. It’s everything you love about the classic beverage but in cake form! It’s guaranteed to help carry you through these long winter nights and into the sunny days of spring.
What You’ll Need
- A stand mixer and bowl to make the buttercream frosting. This will help make sure your ingredients are well combined, so you don’t have any large chunks in your frosting. Alternatively, you can use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer.
- To get a smooth finish on your cake, a turntable is a great tool to have. It allows you to spin the cake around smoothly, so you get a consistent finish on the frosting.
- A bench scraper will be used to even out the buttercream and give your cake a smooth, professional finish.
- For the frosting and decorating, you’ll need 2 piping bags.
- Grab a cake board to place your cake roll on while decorating.
Storage Information
A frosted cake can last up to a week when stored in the refrigerator. The frosting helps to lock in the moisture of the cake, keeping it fresh while you wait to serve. If you cut the cake first and then want to store it, put the pieces in an airtight container or cover the cut sections with any leftover frosting you may have. The cake can be stored like this for a week in the refrigerator.
Tips for Making a Winter Wonderland Cake Roll
- Don’t take your cake roll out of the freezer until you are ready to start putting on the frosting. A cold cake is easier to decorate as it is less delicate. A room temperature cake is tender and fragile which means it is more likely to fall apart.
- Gel food coloring works best with this buttercream recipe. A standard food coloring would make the frosting too loose, and it wouldn’t hold its shape.
- Get creative with the decorations you choose! Mix up the sizes and colors of your lollipops, candy canes, sprinkles, and marshmallows or throw in your own favorite holiday candies and treats. This is the perfect time to add your own spin to your creations!
Are You Ready to Whisk Up a Winter Wonderland Cake Roll?
Servings: This seasonal specialty will serve approx. 8 people at your next holiday celebration.
Ingredients
- 1 Dutch Apron® Bakery Red Velvet Cake Roll
- Full and mini candy canes
- Candy cane lollipops
- Mini and regular-sized marshmallows
- Holiday-themed sprinkles
- Buttercream frosting
- 2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. salt
- 7 c. powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- Red gel food coloring
Instructions
Make the Buttercream Frosting
- In your stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and light in color, about two minutes.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add your powdered sugar. Once it has been completely incorporated, add in the cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Once combined, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Divide the buttercream into two bowls. Take your red gel food coloring and add it to one of the bowls until the frosting in it becomes a vibrant red color.
- Place each color into its own piping bag and cut off 1” from the tip.
Prepare Your Cake Roll
- Take the Red Velvet Cake Roll out of the packaging and let it sit on the counter to thaw for about 15 minutes. It should still be chilled but starting to soften slightly.
- Cut 1-2” off each end to make a nice, flat surface. Set those excess pieces aside. You can save them for later or use them to make some mini cake pops!
- Place a small amount of white buttercream on your cake board and place the cake roll on it vertically, so it is standing up on one end.
- Now, carefully move the cake and cake board onto your turntable.
Add the Buttercream Stripes
- Starting from the bottom of your cake roll, pipe a ring of white buttercream all around the base of the cake roll, slowly turning the turntable as you go.
- Next, take the red buttercream and pipe a ring right above the white ring all the way around the cake.
- Repeat steps 10 and 11 until you reach the top of your cake roll. Fill in the flat, top part with either of your buttercream colors.
- Tip: We used the white buttercream as this helped the candy cane decorations on top really pop.
- Take your bench scraper and slowly start smoothing the sides of the cake while rotating your turntable. Scrape about half of the cake then wipe off the excess frosting from the bench scraper.
- Start from where you stopped and scrape the rest of the cake.
- If there are any holes in the frosting or places that need more, add more of the appropriate color to those places then scrape over those areas again to even out the buttercream.
- Tip: Make sure you wipe the excess frosting from the scraper often to avoid having your colors run together too much.
Decorate Your Cake Roll
- Once the frosting has been smoothed to your liking, start adding the lollipops and marshmallows.
- Start by sticking the candy cane lollipops in the center of the top of your cake. Push them in at different heights to give your design some depth.
- Arrange your mini and regular-sized marshmallows around the lollipops.
- Stick in candy canes where you see any gaps.
- Add a few more marshmallows in a clump or two near the bottom of your cake roll and add a mini candy cane in between them to fill the gaps and add a little more color and dimension.
- Finally, decorate with sprinkles on the top of the cake roll and near the marshmallow and candy cane clusters you made.
- Tip: We chose silver, white, and gold sprinkles to give the cake roll a little “sparkle”.
Whether you’re hosting a festive gathering, a cozy dinner, or simply want to treat your friends and family to something special this season, the Winter Wonderland Cake Roll is the perfect dessert. The taste of rich, red velvet cake, smooth cream cheese filling, and sweet buttercream make each bite a wintery wonderland for your taste buds while the decorations transform this delicious dessert into a festive, candy-cane-themed, seasonal delight. It’s a wonderful centerpiece for any winter celebration and just what you need to bring the magic of the season to your next festive gathering.
