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    TaraTeaspoon » Recipes » Valentines

    Valentine's Day Strawberry Cake Roll

    Published: Feb 6, 2022 · Updated: Feb 9, 2026 by Tara Teaspoon · This page may contain affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

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    Your friends and family will fall in love with this showstopping Valentine’s Day Strawberry Cake Roll! Filled with strawberry jam and sweet cream cheese, it delivers bakery-style results with easy-to-follow steps and helpful pro tips.

    Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll with one slice cut off on a white platter.

    In this article you'll learn:

    • Make a bakery-style strawberry cake roll with a soft, flexible génoise that rolls smoothly around sweet cream cheese filling and jam without cracking.
    • The simple mixing method and pro baking tips that create a light texture, clean spiral, and darling presentation with heart designs.
    • Easy ingredient choices and make-ahead timing that allow the cake to chill, slice neatly, and serve beautifully for gatherings or gifting.
    • Troubleshooting guidance for common cake-roll issues like cracking, sogginess, or dense texture so the final dessert turns out tender and balanced.
    • To make a festive dessert developed by a test-kitchen expert, designed to feel impressive while remaining doable at home.

    Generated with AI and experts from the Tara Teaspoon team.

    I grew up with mom making cake rolls. I thought they were the most fun dessert imaginable! Most often they were simple jelly rolls (cake with a layer of jelly inside) or cake rolled around ice cream, sliced and served with hot fudge.

    One of the most popular cake recipes is a fall-themed Pumpkin Cake Roll. With strawberries and cream in mind, I set out to recreate that popular cake for the perfect Valentine's Day dessert!

    I started my Valentine's Day Strawberry Cake Roll with an almond flavored Génoise cake with pink and red hearts on the outside! I'll show you the trick to making those below!

    Jump to:
    • In this article you'll learn:
    • What is a génoise cake?
    • What makes this cake special
    • Ingredients
    • How to make this Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll
    • Make the heart pattern
    • Make the cake
    • Baking tips for patterned cake roll
    • Make the filling and roll the cake
    • Rolling tips for patterned cake roll
    • Equipment
    • Storage & make ahead
    • FAQ
    • More Valentine's Day dessert recipes
    • 📖 Full Recipe
    • 💬 Comments & Reviews

    What is a génoise cake?

    Génoise originated in Italy and is used in French pastry shops. It is a light and airy, eggy cake that is perfect for layering and for cake rolls. The fluffy texture is created with a combination of whipped eggs and granulated sugar.

    Since it's also made with less butter than a regular American cake, génoise has the perfect flexible texture needed for rolling. If you try to roll a traditional cake, it will crack because of the excess butter in the crumb.

    The simple flavor of génoise really complements rich fillings. It's traditionally brushed with simple syrup or layered with jam to add moisture and flavor.

    What makes this cake special

    For a festive twist, I used sweet strawberry jam in this cake roll, paired with a rich, filling made from cream cheese and heavy cream.

    I know you are already drooling, but I couldn't make this just a regular strawberry jelly roll cake. Oh no, I had to make it a patterned roll cake with cute polka dots and pretty hearts for Valentine's Day!

    This heart roll cake is absolutely delicious on its own, and even better served with fresh strawberries or a drizzle of homemade strawberry sauce.

    Keep swooning, there's more to love:

    • Simple ingredients: You'll be surprised to find out that such an impressive cake is actually made with simple pantry ingredients, like eggs, sugar, and flour.
    • Easy to make: This showstopper is easier to make than it looks because I'm sharing the pro tips that will make your cake a success.
    • Impressive: Get ready for the oohs and aahs when your family and friends see this professional bakery-style cake made right in your own kitchen!
    • Versatile: You can make the cake recipe as written, or you can omit the extra heart designs to create a classic strawberry roll cake any time of the year.

    Don't let Valentine's Day pass you by without making this fresh and easy Raspberry Tart (with Pastry Cream) and these cute Chocolate Marshmallow Valentine's Cookies.

    A slice of Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll on a small white plate next to strawberries with the rest of the cake in the background.

    So normally I’m pretty skeptical of recipes on the internet but when I say this recipe literally had me licking the bowl of everything I made, it was SOOOO good!!! When I unrolled the cake it did fall apart a little bit but I’ve always struggled with that no matter what recipe or how fast I roll or unroll the cake. Nonetheless, the little heart designs came out so cute!!! Definitely making this come valentines day, thank you for sharing this recipe!!!

    - Silas

    Ingredients

    Believe it or not, the Valentine cake roll itself requires minimal ingredients. Check out these tips as you gather everything to make the cake. See recipe card for quantities.

    Ingredients needed to make a strawberry roll cake.

    For the pattern and cake batter

    • Large eggs
    • Granulated sugar
    • Oil: Use a neutral oil like canola.
    • All-purpose flour: Provides structure to the cake. Make sure to measure it properly (I suggest weighing it) and fold it into the batter gently.
    • Food coloring: For the best results, use gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring.
    • Salt
    • Baking powder
    • Almond extract: You could also use vanilla extract.
    • Salted butter: The entire cake is made with just ¼ cup of melted butter for a little boost of flavor.
    • Confectioners' sugar: You'll need plenty to roll the cake into the classic jelly roll shape.

    For the filling and garnish

    • Heavy cream: Adds body and richness to the filling.
    • Cream cheese: Use room temperature cream cheese for lump-free filling. Make sure to buy brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. If you use lite or spreadable cream cheese, the filling won't set up properly.
    • Confectioners' sugar: Helps to sweeten and thicken the filling.
    • Almond extract
    • Strawberry jam: If desired, you can use other flavors of jam.
    • Garnish: I like to garnish with fresh strawberries. If you use another flavor of jam, select the fresh fruit that matches best.

    I’ve made this twice now, one strawberry and one blackberry, and both times they’ve been huge hits! I’m a serious Fail Baker, but this was too easy to mess up! Simple but elegant and amazing!

    - Holli

    Close up of a Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll with a slice cut off on a white platter.

    How to make this Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll

    Let's get started! Follow these step-by-step instructions to learn how to make this Valentine recipe. See recipe card for comprehensive directions.

    Make the heart pattern

    You'll make a separate batter to create a pattern on the outside of the cake roll.

    adding oil in slowly to a bowl of whipped egg whites and sugar.
    1. Step 1: Whip egg whites, sugar and then oil together, for a mini batch of batter.
    Whip egg white mixture to firm peaks for the hearts on a Valentine's cake roll.
    1. Step 2: The mixture should form firm peaks.
    Whisk flour mixture in by hand
    1. Step 3: Whisk flour in by hand, and don't overmix.
    Divide batter in half and color each half a different shade or red or pink.
    1. Step 4: Use gel food coloring to tint half pink and half red.
    snipping the corner of a batter-filled zip top bag to create a piping bag.
    1. Step 5: Use zip top bags with the corner snipped, or piping bags for the batter.
    user piping colored batter into heart shapes on a parchment-lined jelly roll pan.
    1. Step 6: Pipe hearts and dots, or desired designs, on the parchment in a jelly roll pan. Freeze the entire pan.

    Make the cake

    This cake relies on whipping the eggs quite a bit. Using a stand mixer makes this process easier.

    gradually adding sugar to cake batter as it whips in stand mixer.
    1. Step 1: Whip the eggs, salt, and baking powder together until mixture is very fluffy. Gradually add the sugar while mixer is running.
    egg mixture will be thick and very fluffy in the bowl.
    1. Step 2: After the sugar, add the butter and almond extract. The mixture will be very light and aerated.
    gently adding flour to whipped egg batter in mixing bowl.
    1. Step 3: Remove from the mixer and stir the flour in by hand, making sure not to deflate the batter.
    pouring cake batter over heart designs in jelly roll pan.
    1. Step 4: Pour and smooth the batter over the frozen hearts and immediately bake.
    dusting a clean towel with confectioners' sugar.
    1. Step 5: Dust a clean towel with confectioners' sugar.
    running a knife around the edge of the cake to remove from pan.
    1. Step 6: Run a knife around the edges of the hot cake and flip over onto the prepared towel.
    remove parchment from flipped cake for cake roll.
    1. Step 7: Gently remove parchment from cake and place ANOTHER towel on top of the hearts. Flip the entire cake over so the hearts are on the bottom.
    gently rolling cake in a towel to cool in a roll shape.
    1. Step 8: Roll the cake in the towel so the hearts are on the outside of the roll, and let it cool.

    Baking tips for patterned cake roll

    • Make separate piping batter: Because the cake batter relies heavily on aeration to rise, it needs to be baked immediately after being whipped and is not ideal for making the outside pattern. Instead, I created a separate mini cake batter recipe for the pink and red hearts. It should be piped onto the pan and frozen solid while you make the génoise.
    • Don't over whip the egg whites: The eggs should only be whipped to soft peaks (the tip easily falls over on the peak) before mixing in the oil and flour.
    • Easier whipped method: Classic génoise recipes call for heating the eggs and sugar, but this is tedious, and I wanted an easier, make-at-home kind of method. I opted to beat the eggs like crazy to aerate them and add the sugar slowly, so it would dissolve without deflating the mixture. The air that gets whipped into the eggs acts as the leavening for the cake, so you'll only need a little baking powder.
    • Omit the design: I baked this specifically as a Valentine's Day cake, but you don't have to make the outside heart pattern. Leave it plain for a classic strawberry roll cake or change the pattern for another holiday.

    Make the filling and roll the cake

    Tip: To save washing an extra bowl, you'll whip the cream first, remove it from the bowl, then mix the cream cheese. Add the whipped cream back to the cream cheese mixture! Make sure the cream cheese is soft so there are not lumps.

    whipped cream in a bowl ready for filling.
    1. Step 1: Whip cream to firm peaks and remove from the mixing bowl.
    whipping cream cheese and sugar together for the filling.
    1. Step 2: In the same mixing bowl combine the sugar and soft cream cheese.
    folding whipped cream into cream cheese and sugar mixture.
    1. Step 3: Stir the whipped cream and extract into the cream cheese mixture.
    unrolling cooled cake from towel.
    1. Step 4: Unroll cooled cake and remove towel. (Tip: roll it back up to easily move the cake around.)
    unrolling cooled cake onto plastic wrap.
    1. Step 5: Unroll cake onto a piece of plastic wrap.
    spreading jam then cream cheese filling on cake before rolling up.
    1. Step 6: Spread cake with jam then prepared filling.
    gently rolling cake into a log over the fluffy filling.
    1. Step 7: Gently roll cake over filling, lifting as you roll so the filling doesn't all squish out!
    wrapping cake roll in plastic wrap to chill.
    1. Step 8: Wrap cake in the plastic wrap, plus more as needed, and chill entire cake.

    Rolling tips for patterned cake roll

    • Prepare cake to be flipped: Right out of the oven, let the cake sit in the pan for about one minute, then loosen it by gently running a knife around the edges.
    • Dust towels with confectioners' sugar: Lightly dust a tea towel with powdered sugar, I use two clean kitchen towels to do this.
    • Flip and roll: For a regular cake roll, you simply turn the cake out of the pan onto a towel before rolling it. However, since the heart design is on the bottom when baked, you need to do an extra flip. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the first dusted towel and pull off the parchment. Then lay the second towel over the cake and carefully flip it over in the towels.
    • Shape and cool: Now the cake is ready to be rolled into a spiral. Remove the towel from the plain side of the cake, then roll the warm cake inside the second towel from one short end to the other. The heart designs should be facing outward. Let cake roll cool until it is no longer warm to the touch.
    • Don't overfill: Leaving at least an inch at the end of the cake without filling accounts for the filling squishing towards the end as it gets rolled. This will ensure none of the filling is lost!
    Top view of a slice of Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll on a small plate with the rest of the cake on a larger platter.

    Equipment

    I used a jelly roll pan to get just the right size for a cake roll. Jelly roll pans are slightly smaller than a typical rimmed baking sheet (often called a half-sheet pan that measure 13-by-17-inches).

    A jelly roll pan measures 10-by-15 inches, but even jelly roll pans can differ in size! This jelly roll pan, and this one are both very standard and fit my recipe. This one from Oxo is slightly smaller and you can see my adjusted recipe in the Recipe Notes if you are using this pan.

    Trim your parchment paper sheet to fit just inside the bottom of the pan.

    Clean, thin dish towels, or flour sack towels are great for rolling the cake. I have even used a clean cloth napkin that is big enough to fit the cake.

    Storage & make ahead

    Make-ahead: The cake needs to chill for at least 2 hours before it can be sliced and served. However, it can be prepared up to 1 day before serving. Once filled and chilled, wrap well in plastic wrap so the cake doesn't dry out.

    Leftovers: You can rewrap leftovers or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    A decorated Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll on a white platter.

    FAQ

    Why did my cake crack while rolling?

    It's normal for a cake roll to crack a little bit, especially if it is your first time making one. If it is cracking a lot, it is probably too dry and you should consider the following:

    Oven temperature: It may sound finicky, but oven temperature matters and our ovens can be off by 25 to 50 degrees! Try using an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is not too hot or too cool. If the oven is too hot, the cake will get overcooked and won't roll well.
    Too much flour: The next troubleshooting item is the flour. It's important to measure the flour properly with a food scale or the scoop and level method. Adding too much flour will make the cake dry and more likely to crack.
    Wrong pan: The cake will be too thin to roll properly if you use a half sheet pan instead of a jelly-roll pan.

    The cake batter seems thin, is this correct?

    The cake batter should be fluffy and pourable, but not thick and stiff. If yours seems too thin, you likely didn't get enough air whipped into the egg and sugar mixture, or you overmixed when adding the flour.

    Why is my strawberry roll cake soggy?

    Once the baked génoise cake has been rolled into the initial spiral shape, it needs to cool to room temperature before you attempt to add the fillings. If you add the filling layers while it is still warm, they might melt and make the cake soggy.
    It's also best to roll the hot cake in a clean towel to let it cool. The towel will absorb some of the moisture.

    More Valentine's Day dessert recipes

    If you're looking for a special treat that feels a bit romantic, try these:

    • Plate of strawberry macadamia nut cookies feature.
      Strawberries and Cream Cookies
    • Pan of chocolate croissant bread pudding with a spoon taking a serving out.
      Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
    • Pink Pretzel Party Cake recipe image
      Pink Pretzel Party Cake
    • A pink plate piled with cherry almond cookies next to cherries.
      Cherry Almond Cookies

    Rate this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments, questions, and ratings helps other too!

    📖 Full Recipe

    Close up of the top of a Valentine's Day strawberry cake roll with a slice removed on a white platter.

    Valentine’s Day Strawberry Cake Roll

    Tara Teaspoon
    Your friends and family will fall in love with this showstopping Valentine’s Day Strawberry Cake Roll! Filled with strawberry jam and sweet cream cheese, it delivers bakery-style results with easy-to-follow steps and helpful pro tips.
    4.87 from 36 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Work Time 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Chill Time 2 hours hrs
    Total Time 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 8 to 10 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    Heart Pattern Batter:

    • 1 large egg white
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon canola oil (or avocado)
    • 2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • Gel Paste Food Coloring (I used Super Red and Deep Pink)

    Almond Génoise Cake:

    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • 5 large eggs
    • 1 cup (218g) granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract
    • ¼ cup butter (melted and cooled)
    • 1¼ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
    • Confectioners’ sugar (for rolling the cake)

    Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling:

    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 5 ounces cream cheese (softened)
    • ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • ¾ cup strawberry jam
    • Strawberries (for garnish)

    Instructions
     

    Make heart pattern:

    • Line the bottom of a jelly roll pan (10-by-15 inches) with parchment. Heat oven to 350ºF.
    • With an electric mixer, whip egg white and sugar until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in oil and then gently fold in flour by hand. Do not over-mix.
    • Divide batter in half and color half red and half pink with food coloring. Place each color in a small ziptop bag and snip a small hole in one corner.
    • Pipe hearts, dots, and designs onto parchment in the pan, and freeze the pan 20 to 30 minutes.

    Make and bake cake batter:

    • With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, whip eggs, salt, and baking powder until very light and fluffy, 10 minutes with a hand mixer, 5 to 6 minutes in a stand mixer.
    • Gradually add the sugar while mixer is going (this should take about 1 ½ to 2 minutes). Add the almond extract and melted butter, and beat just a few more seconds to combine.
    • Use a whisk to carefully stir the flour into the batter until just combined. Immediately remove pan from the freezer and gently spread cake batter over the frozen heart designs.
    • Bake until cake is light golden brown and is just firm to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes.
    • While cake bakes, prepare a clean dish towel by lightly dusting it with confectioners’ sugar. Have a second clean towel on hand.
    • When cake is done, let sit in pan about one minute and then gently run a knife around the edges to loosen. Turn cake onto prepared towel. Remove parchment and lay second towel over the top of the heart designs. Carefully flip cake over in the towels.
    • Remove the towel from the plain side of the cake, then roll the warm cake inside the second towel from one short end to the other. The heart designs should be facing outward. Let cake roll cool for about 20 minutes.

    Make filling and finish cake:

    • In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream until firm peaks form. Remove whipped cream to a separate bowl.
    • Add cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar to the mixer and whip until very smooth. Then add the heavy whipped cream back to the bowl, along with the almond extract, and whip until mixture is just combined.
    • Unroll cake and place on a long piece of plastic wrap, then spread the plain, inside surface with the strawberry jam. Gently spread cream cheese filling over the jam (leaving about 1 inch at one end of the cake). Roll cake back up over filling.
    • Wrap cake roll in the plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Trim ends and serve on a platter with strawberry slices as garnish, if desired.

    Video

    Notes

    One thing that is different with this Valentine's cake roll is that because the heart design is on the bottom when baked, you need to do an extra flip once the cake is out of the oven. Usually you simply turn the cake out and roll.
    Here I used two clean kitchen towels to do this, turning the cake out of the pan, pulling off the parchment, then laying another towel on top and flipping over. Then simply roll the cake up in that towel to let it cool in the shape of a spiral.
    This recipe has been updated as of February 2026. If you are looking for the previous version of the recipe, you can find it here.

    Nutrition Per Serving

    Calories: 527kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 8gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 1gSugar: 55gVitamin A: 783IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
    Get exclusive recipes sent to your inbox!Sign up for Tara's newsletter for more.

    My recipe appeared on KSL.com. 

    Tara in kitchen making salad

    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

    More about Tara

    Comments

      4.87 from 36 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating





    1. Brian says

      January 26, 2018 at 3:36 am

      That looks superb, what a great job and the most interesting valentines recipe I have seen in a while!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 26, 2018 at 10:34 am

        Thanks so much Brian!

        Reply
    2. Natalie says

      January 26, 2018 at 6:12 am

      This cake roll looks so good! Perfect for Valentine's day. I just love strawberry cakes ♥

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 26, 2018 at 10:34 am

        strawberry cakes are kinda dreamy, i agree!

        Reply
    3. Cliona says

      January 26, 2018 at 6:22 am

      This is so adorable! What a romantic idea!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 26, 2018 at 10:34 am

        thanks so much!

        Reply
    4. April says

      January 26, 2018 at 8:31 am

      I just saw another roll cake and commented on it. I love this one too. It's so cute for Valentine's day!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 26, 2018 at 10:34 am

        I love that they are a "thing" now! I grew up with cake rolls!

        Reply
    5. Danielle says

      January 26, 2018 at 8:38 am

      I love a light airy cake like this. And strawberry at that? YUM! I'm not patient enough to make the heart designs, but the flavors sound amazing. Light and fresh!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 26, 2018 at 10:33 am

        Ah nice! Well it tastes delish with or without hearts!!

        Reply
    6. Mary Bench says

      July 17, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Beautiful AND delicious! Happy Valentine's Day!

      Reply
    7. Brittany Smart says

      July 19, 2018 at 4:23 pm

      Such a great idea! Cutest cake roll ever

      Reply
    8. Holli says

      September 30, 2018 at 4:52 pm

      I’ve made this twice now, one strawberry and one blackberry, and both times they’ve been huge hits! I’m a serious Fail Baker, but this was too easy to mess up! Simple but elegant and amazing!

      Reply
    9. Rebekah says

      January 07, 2019 at 9:11 am

      Hi, I've been looking at making this recipe for Valentine's Day. I make pumpkin rolls around Thanksgiving and Christmas but want to try something new. I noticed that in the cake ingredients it says "flour" but doesn't specify which type of flour.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 07, 2019 at 1:30 pm

        Hi! Thanks for noticing. It's all-purpose flour, so I just edited the recipe to reflect that!
        I hope you love it as much as I do. It's a fun one and I love the filling!

        Reply
    10. Nancy says

      January 14, 2020 at 1:00 am

      I dont know what Im doing wrong? My filling will not thicken up per the recipe. I did it twice with the same outcome. Am I suppose to whip the heavy cream separate then fold it in? Per recipe you just add it to the cream cheese and sugar.

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        January 15, 2020 at 10:10 am

        Nancy I'm so sorry the filling isn't coming together for you. Your intuition is good! Since I am not there seeing what is happening, whipping the cream separately and then folding it into the cream cheese mixture is a great solution. That will ensure the weight of the cream cheese doesn't collapse the fluffy cream.
        When I make it I make sure my cream cheese mixture is quite soft and mixed and then it seems to not inhibit the cream from whipping when I add it all together.
        I hope this works for you. It's a delicious cake! Thanks for writing. Tara

        Reply
        • Nancy says

          January 15, 2020 at 10:36 am

          Thank you for responding to my question. I ended up making it without the whipped cream. I think I’ll try cool whip with it next time but afraid it may be too sweet. I guess I could leave out some powdered sugar. But it did turn out good. So it will definitely be a Valentines dessert.

          Reply
          • Tara says

            January 16, 2020 at 4:09 pm

            Awesome. Great fixes. Yes if you use Cool Whip I'd suggest leaving out the confectioners' sugar. Maybe even completely. One note, when stirred a lot cool whip does get more soft and loose. I'm not sure how it works mixed with cream cheese, but it may be ok!

            Reply
    11. Chef Dennis says

      January 21, 2020 at 9:51 pm

      Yum! This Strawberry Cake Roll is surely mouthwatering! Loving all those pinks. My wife will definitely love this. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 22, 2020 at 7:26 pm

        Thanks chef!!

        Reply
    12. Veena Azmanov says

      January 22, 2020 at 6:10 am

      Very creative and delicious. Love the strawberry combination to making it special. Cant wait to try it out.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 22, 2020 at 7:25 pm

        Oh thank you so much!

        Reply
    13. Anna says

      January 22, 2020 at 11:12 am

      Wow! This is the prettiest cake roll I've ever seen! Love these pretty little hearts on top of the sponge, so clever! Perfect for the Valentines day!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 22, 2020 at 7:24 pm

        Thanks so much!!

        Reply
    14. Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says

      January 23, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      This is really beautiful and the genoise looks perfect! What a fabulous Valentine's day cake!

      Reply
    15. Analida Braeger says

      January 23, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      I love the background on the sponge cake and the tips to make the heart design! Thanks so much!

      Reply
    16. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

      January 25, 2020 at 10:13 pm

      This cake is definitely equal parts delicious and adorable! I'm definitely going to have to make this for Valentine's Day. I know my husband will love the strawberry and whipped cream combo!

      Reply
    17. kita says

      January 25, 2020 at 10:41 pm

      OMG I am SO nervous to try making this. I have done roll cakes before and this sounds amazing! Working up the brave to make the heart design! Id be so proud of myself.

      Reply
    18. Sophie says

      January 26, 2020 at 10:27 am

      This looks so perfect. My rolls always break while rolling. I will follow your recipe and hopefully get a similar one. Thanks a lot

      Reply
    19. Jess says

      January 26, 2020 at 9:56 pm

      This is such a sweet and fun holiday treat! Kids and adults alike will love this dish this february! So cute!

      Reply
    20. Debbie says

      January 26, 2020 at 11:49 pm

      What a gorgeous Valentine's Cake Roll. I love the idea of getting the hearts and dots on the outside of the cake, it is pure genius. I am pinning this to try very soon.

      Reply
    21. Loretta @nomsandbeyond says

      May 03, 2020 at 3:53 am

      Such a cute idea! I tried making this with different designs two days in a row but do you know why it does not rise? It turns into a hard/chewy cookie texture. Could it be because in Step #3, I may have added sugar within the first 6 minutes of using my stand mixer? Or was it supposed to be: mix for 6 minutes, then add in sugar, then mix for another 4-5 minutes?

      Reply
    22. Tara says

      May 03, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      Hi Loretta I'm so sorry this didn't turn out for you. You are right though. For a genios style cake the eggs need to whip for about that 6 minutes before adding the sugar. The sugar gets added after they aerate and then mixes more. Just some other things, make sure you are using fresh eggs. And only gently stir in the dry ingredients so the aerated eggs don't deflate. Thanks for your comment and time!

      Reply
    23. Loretta @nomsandbeyond says

      May 04, 2020 at 2:09 am

      Thank you so much for your response! Good tips.

      Reply
    24. Anna says

      February 10, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      Hi, i just found this recipe and i have a question. How much sugar am i supposed to add to the cake mixture, i cant find it in the twxt and its not in the recipe. Thank you 🙂

      Reply
      • Tara says

        February 10, 2021 at 3:44 pm

        Hi Anna, it's explained in step 3: To make cake batter: heat oven to 350º F. With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, whip eggs and salt until very light and fluffy, 10 minutes with a hand mixer, six minutes in a stand mixer. Gradually add the sugar while mixer is going and then beat another four to five minutes.
        You add the sugar after you mix the eggs and salt until light and fluffy. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    25. Sasha says

      February 14, 2021 at 4:38 pm

      Hi, i’ve been freezing my hearts for over an hour now and they still haven’t hardened, what am I doing wrong?

      Reply
    26. Eddy says

      January 18, 2022 at 1:30 pm

      Hey, do you have the quantity in grams? thank you

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        January 19, 2022 at 9:29 am

        Hi Eddy,
        I am sorry I don't provide metric conversions for my recipes. Occasionally I will have various measurements, but I haven't converted this recipe. Please use your favorite conversion tool online to easily get the measurements you need.

        Reply
    27. Eddy says

      January 20, 2022 at 6:57 am

      ok thank you. I'll have a look

      Reply
    28. zoe says

      February 08, 2022 at 6:28 pm

      hello! i want to make this so bad for valentine’s day… does the ♡ design taste like eggs or can you tell with the cake? thank youuuu

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        February 08, 2022 at 8:08 pm

        Hi Zoe. The hearts don't taste like eggs to me. They are sweet just like the cake. I don't care for eggs, or eggy things, just so you know I'm sensitive to that too.

        Reply
    29. Christine says

      February 12, 2022 at 3:33 pm

      Hi I tried this recipe
      My batter became liquid after the step with the butter. Is the butter supposed to be solid as mine was still liquid but cool to touch.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        February 15, 2022 at 7:01 pm

        Hi Christine,
        I'm not quite sure what you mean. The batter is already liquid whipped eggs and sugar. You take some of that mixture and combine it with the 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, then put it all back into the fluffy egg mixture. The consistency will change, but my method helps prevent the butter from really deflating the fluffy eggs too much. Then the flour gets stirred in. No, the butter does not have to be solid, just cool to the touch as you noted. The only reason we don't want to add hot butter is to prevent it from "cooking" the eggs.

        Reply
    30. Haylee says

      February 14, 2022 at 9:41 am

      For the cake do we use the whole egg or egg whites? The recipe says eggs but a comment above leads me to believe we just need to use egg whites

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        February 14, 2022 at 10:03 am

        The red and pink decorations use one egg white. The cake uses 4 whole eggs. I have amended the comment you read that talks about eggs whites.

        Reply
    31. Silas says

      January 21, 2023 at 10:57 pm

      So normally I’m pretty skeptical of recipes on the internet but when I say this recipe literally had me licking the bowl of everything I made, it was SOOOO good!!! When I unrolled the cake it did fall apart a little bit but I’ve always struggled with that no matter what recipe or how fast I roll or unroll the cake. Nonetheless, the little heart designs came out so cute!!! Definitely making this come valentines day, thank you for sharing this recipe!!! <3

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        January 23, 2023 at 11:10 am

        Well, this is fantastic to hear! Thanks for your great comment and I'm so very happy you were thrilled. I promise the more you make this the easier it will be and you'll get to the point where your cake doesn't crack! Happy baking!

        Reply
    32. Brittany says

      January 29, 2023 at 3:30 am

      Wanting to make this soon!! Only it says under the cake recipe Confectioners’ sugar but not how much to use. What is the amount needed for the cake mix?

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        February 12, 2023 at 9:56 pm

        Hi Brittany, the powdered sugar is for dusting the towel so the cake doesn't stick when you are rolling, so there isn't a set amount. I hope you enjoy making this favorite of mine. Tara

        Reply
    33. Lila Hardwick says

      February 12, 2023 at 1:52 pm

      Stunning yet easy to make! Just in time for baking with my 4 year old for Valentine's day. Looking forward to trying more recipes!

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        February 12, 2023 at 9:42 pm

        Thrilled to hear you enjoyed making this recipe, just in time for Valentine's Day. Tara

        Reply
    34. Marg says

      January 24, 2024 at 9:15 pm

      Did a trial run today - turned out so cute!! Am planning to make it for a ladies’ Valentine’s Day event I’ll be hosting! 💕

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        January 29, 2024 at 10:28 am

        Thank you for sharing Marge! So great to hear everything went well with your trial run. Enjoy your event!!

        Reply
    35. Laura says

      February 11, 2024 at 5:51 pm

      This came out perfectly! The whole family loved it.

      Reply
    36. Debbie says

      February 16, 2024 at 6:38 pm

      The taste of the cake is great! However, my roll was flat and cracked while rolling. Not sure what I did wrong. Can you give me some thoughts. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
      • Tara T. says

        February 20, 2024 at 6:32 pm

        Debbie thanks for letting me know. There are several factors that can play into this type of cake (Genoise) not turning out perfectly.
        It may sound finicky, but oven temp matters and our ovens can be off by 25 to 50 degrees! If you don't have one, try using an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is not too hot or too cool.
        The next trouble shooting item is the egg whites. If they are over beaten and form stiff peaks this can result in a cracked or dry cake. They should just form soft peaks (the tip easily falls over on the peak) before mixing in the oil and flour.
        I'm assuming you used a jelly-roll pan instead of a half sheet pan, but that is just one factor I find folks skip over.
        And lastly would just be to check that it wasn't overbaked. This of course means utilizing that oven thermometer too!

        I hope you try this again and it is a huge success!

        Tara

        Reply
    37. Debbie says

      January 28, 2025 at 10:15 am

      Not familiar with some of the measurements of the recipe, for instance, 2/7 egg white, 3/5 of a Tablespoon, 1/5 egg, 7/8 cup, 2/7 teaspoon, 3/7 of a cup, 3/5 tablespoon,1/5 of an oz.
      How would I convert this to American standard measurements?

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        January 28, 2025 at 1:17 pm

        Hi Debbie. I just checked and the recipe is pulling up just fine for me, with normal measurements. It sounds like perhaps it's showing up in the wrong format for you? Try opening it in a different browser (Google vs. Safari, etc) or a different device (if you are on a phone use a computer or vice versa). All the measurements are in simple American standard.

        Reply
    38. Tim Clowers says

      February 11, 2026 at 5:29 pm

      This has to be one of the greatest recipes on the internet. Can't wait to make this and I am sure without any doubt this recipe is amazing.

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon Admin says

        February 12, 2026 at 1:51 pm

        Thanks Tim! Can't wait to hear what you think of it once you get to taste it!

        Reply

    Meet Tara Teaspoon!

    I'm a professional recipe developer and cookbook author with nearly 30 years of experience, including working in the test kitchens of Martha Stewart and Ladies' Home Journal. I've created a home for my reliable, flavor-packed recipes and professional culinary techniques made simple!

    From quick, easy weeknight dinner ideas to impressive baking projects for leisurely weekends—all designed to help you Live Life Deliciously!

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