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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Published: Mar 15, 2022 · Updated: Apr 21, 2023 by Joanne

    Mocha Roll Cake

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you've been following all of my baked goods recipes from the Philippines, you'll notice that many of them accompany the primary breakfast drink of Filipinos: coffee. And if you are like me, you also love pairing the bitterness of coffee with anything baked and sweet. However, this mocha roll recipe made with instant coffee is not a breakfast or snack item; it's dessert! Leave it to the Filipinos to ensure we always have things that taste like coffee.

    Closeup of mocha cake roll

    Where Did Mocha Rolls Come From?

    Mocha roll cakes are not traditional Filipino desserts such as biko or yema tarts. Also, you won't find much regarding its history. At least, I didn't. This is more likely a trendy product of famous bakery chains such as Goldilocks or Red Ribbon that became a staple in Filipino culture. Growing up, I knew about mocha roll cakes whenever someone presented one in front of guests at parties. Since I was about five years old, I remember hearing enough endless gasps at these moments that I immediately thought this cake had to be good. But I wasn't allowed to actually eat the cake until I was older and it was deemed appropriate for me to drink coffee. This finally rendered mocha cake a "legal" treat in my food world.

    Years later, I learned the myth that coffee stunts your growth isn't necessarily true. I could have indulged in mocha roll cakes at a younger age. Nevertheless, I still get a childlike glee whenever I devour a slice. As someone who usually needs coffee or tea with a sweet, I enjoy this cake without any accompaniments. That's how good it is!

    This Cake Contains a Lot of Coffee

    This mocha roll cake comprises three separate parts that come together to make its sweet, soft, and balanced glory. 'Mocha' is definitely the keyword in this recipe, as coffee is a key ingredient throughout almost the entire thing. First comes the Swiss roll cake, essentially a thin sponge cake rolled to look like a log. Next is the mocha filling made with cocoa powder and instant coffee for flavor. It's a Swiss meringue buttercream made with hot sugar syrup, combined with egg whites and instant coffee to create a unique flavor. The third element is the frosting made with American buttercream, including instant coffee and cocoa.

    This cake is so indulgent that I recommend you make this for celebrations that call for an over-the-top dessert. This mocha roll cake will meet all expectations for most of your guests regardless of whether they are coffee lovers or not!

    How to Make Mocha Roll Cake

    Make the Sponge Cake

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Prepare two bowls because you will be combining ingredients with the egg yolks and whites separately.

    Add egg yolks and sugar to one bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until combined. Then add the oil, milk, instant coffee, cocoa powder, flour, and cornstarch mix. Mix the ingredients in the bowl until well combined.

    Dry and wet ingredients for mocha roll sponge cake
    Dry ingredients with wet ingredients for sponge cake
    A bowl with sponge cake mix

    Tip Before making the egg yolk mix, sift together the cornstarch and flour along with the cocoa powder and instant coffee. Since I developed this recipe to be more adaptable, I opted out of the regular cake flour sponge cake recipes usually require. The cornstarch will help make the all-purpose flour produce a softer cake.

    In the second bowl, beat egg whites until they are frothy, then add cream of tartar. Beat again until you no longer see the bits of cream of tartar. Slowly pour the sugar into the bowl of whites as you keep beating. 

    Whipped meringue in a bowl

    Beat until you have soft peaks, then take about a third of the meringue and fold it into the egg yolk mix. Repeat the process until all of the meringue has been gently folded into the mixture.

    creamed butter with meringue in bowl
    Folded sponge cake mix for mocha roll cake

    Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Before you slide it into the preheated oven, carefully tap the pan on the countertop to remove giant air bubbles. Do not overdo this because you may release too much air into the meringue. About two sets of double taps should do!

    Sponge cake for mocha roll cake before baking

    Place it in the oven and bake for about eighteen to twenty minutes. Then take it out of the oven. The cake is finished when you can poke it with a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. Let it sit for about five to ten minutes, but make sure it's still warm when you work with it in the next steps. 

    Preroll Your Cake

    Take it out of the pan, and remove the parchment paper. Don't worry about the cake top wrinkling, as the wrinkles will be covered by the buttercream filling later on. Transfer it to another clean parchment paper with the top of the cake facing you.

    Cooked sponge cake next to clean wax paper

    Then from the short side, begin to roll the cake along with the parchment paper. Place your cake seam side down on a plate and put it in the refrigerator to cool. 

    Sponge cake being rolled with wax paper
    Rolled sponge cake

    Tip This should be easy to do if the cake is still warm. Thoroughly cooled cake has a significant chance of breaking. 

    Make Your Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling

    Take two egg whites, salt, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and sugar, and beat them until you have soft peaks.

    Wet and dry ingredients for sponge cake
    Mering for buttercream filling for mocha roll cake

    In a small bowl, mix instant coffee and warm water until all granules have dissolved. Then, add the coffee and sugar to a saucepan and place on medium heat until it boils and bubbles. After three minutes on the stove, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it into the bowl of meringue while it's nice and bubbly.

    Coffee sugar syrup in a black pot
    Coffee syrup being poured in a bowl

    Turn on your electric beater and beat until you get a cloudy and fluffy meringue.

    Whipped coffee meringue with electric egg beater

    Add butter to the meringue a little bit at a time and continue beating. The buttercream may start to look curdled, but repeat the process until you use up all the butter. 

    Buttercream filling with butter

    Tip If it still seems curdled after using all the butter, there is a way to save it! Take about a half cup of the meringue and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for about five to ten seconds. It will look like it's half liquid or have some melted liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Pour it back into the bowl of meringue and start beating until the buttercream becomes a smooth texture.

    Buttercream filling for mocha roll cake in a bowl

    Make the Outer Buttercream

    In (yet) another bowl, add butter and cream together. Then add instant coffee and cocoa powder and beat them together again until well incorporated into the creamed butter.

    Finished mocha roll cake buttercream filling

    Add cream slowly into the bowl as you continue to beat. Make sure the mix is fluffy before moving on to the next step, which is to add the powdered sugar a quarter at a time. Repeat the process until you use up all of the powdered sugar. If this buttercream curdles in the process, don't fret! Go here for instructions on how to save the buttercream.

    Coffee buttercream frosting in a boowl

    Assembling the Cake

    Take the rolled cake out of the fridge and unroll it onto a clean work surface. Add the buttercream filling by spreading it across the top of the cake. 

    Sponge cake with frosting

    Then gently roll it back into a log without the parchment paper this time. Place it seam down again on your working surface. Take a sharp knife and cut off the ends to clean up the cake's silhouette.

    Sliced ends of mocha roll cake

    Take your buttercream frosting and layer your mocha roll cake with it. Once it's completely covered in frosting, you are ready to decorate! It's up to you how creative you want to be. I added a bit of frosting decor and topped them with espresso beans. It's a simple style but lets you know what type of flavor to expect!

    Mocha roll with first layer of coffee buttercream frosting
    Second layer of mocha roll cake frosting

    Place the cake uncovered in the fridge for about an hour to let the buttercream harden before slicing it up to have a bite. Don't say I didn't warn you; this one has an extravagant taste, so sit back and treat yourself!

    Overhead view of mocha roll cake

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    Mocha cake roll on a wooden board

    Mocha Roll Cake

    This mocha roll cake recipe has so much coffee flavor you won't be missing your cup of joe! This Filipino dessert is not too sweet either so it is satisfying, but won't leave you in a sugar-laden snooze. It is, however, full of butter because of the two buttercreams used in this cake. Consider it sinful, but you can be bad once in a while.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Filipino
    Servings 10 people
    Disclosure

    The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.

    Ingredients
      

    Sponge Cake

    • 6 egg yolks
    • 60 grams sugar
    • 60 grams vegetable oil
    • 60 grams milk
    • 90 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder, unsweetened
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
    • 6 egg whites
    • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
    • 60 grams granulated sugar

    Filling

    • 2 egg whites
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1½ teaspoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
    • 1½ teaspoon instant coffee powder, unsweetened
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 118 grams water mixed with 1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder
    • 100 grams granulated sugar
    • 170 grams unsalted butter

    Buttercream Frosting

    • 113 grams unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
    • ½ teaspoon cocoa powder
    • 55 grams heavy cream
    • 120 grams powdered sugar

    Instructions
     

    Make the Cake

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare a 9x13 baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
    • Mix the flour, cornstarch, instant coffee powder, and cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside
    • In a bowl beat together egg yolks and sugar until sugar has disappeared.
    • Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the egg yolk mix. Mix everything together. Set aside
    • In another bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Then add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the cream of tartar has disappeared.
    • Add the sugar slowly while beating the egg whites and continue until you get soft peaks. Take a third of the egg whites and fold into the egg yolk mixture. Repeat the process until you use all the egg whites.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is brown and the cake is set.
    • Take it out of the oven and allow to cool until you can touch the pan but it's still warm. Take the cake out of the pan and place it on a clean parchment paper with the top of the cake facing you.
    • Roll the cake and place it on a plate seam side down. Put it in the fridge while you make the buttercream filling and frosting.

    Make Buttercream Filling

    • In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.
    • Add salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, instant coffee, and cocoa powder. Then beat until you get soft peaks. Set aside.
    • In a saucepan, add the 100 grams of sugar and coffee mixed with water then put on the stove on medium heat. Cook for no more than 3 minutes and make sure it boils. Take it off the heat and add to the bowl of egg whites.
    • Beat the egg whites and hot syrup together until you get soft peaks. Allow the meringue to cool completely before you add the butter.
    • Add butter a little bit at a time and beat with electric mixer until butter is incorporated. Repeat the process until you use all the butter. Set aside.

    Make the Frosting

    • In a bowl, cream the butter then add instant coffee and continue to mix.
    • Add heavy cream a little bit at a time and continue mixing.
    • Once the heavy cream is incorporated, add the powdered sugar a quarter at a time and repeat until all of the powdered sugar is used.

    Put the Cake Together

    • Take the cake out of the fridge and unroll carefully.
    • Spread the filling across the top of the cake. Then gently roll the cake into a log again.
    • Cut the ends of the cake to clean up the edges.
    • Cover the cake with frosting and decorate to your preference.
    • Put the cake back in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the buttercream to set.
    Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated with the Spoonacular Food API and should be used for informational purposes only.
    Keyword baked, cake

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SJA says

      May 08, 2024 at 7:16 am

      Hi! My filling turned into liquid. What could I have done wrong?

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        May 09, 2024 at 6:00 pm

        Hi! There is a tip in article that addresses this -

        I copied and pasted it here: 'If it still seems curdled after using all the butter, there is a way to save it! Take about a half cup of the meringue and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for about five to ten seconds. It will look like it's half liquid or have some melted liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Pour it back into the bowl of meringue and start beating until the buttercream becomes a smooth texture.'

        This issue happened with me too! I learned it was because my electric beater was set to a strong/fast level. So I did the steps above and re-beat it at the lowest setting with my electric mixer.

        Reply
    4.84 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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