Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
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This angel food cake roll is light, fluffy, and filled with peppermint cream cheese filling for a pretty Christmas dessert that starts with a simple angel food cake base.
Recipe Overview: Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
- ⏱ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 👩🏻🍳 Baking Time: 17 minutes
- 🚨 Cooling & Chilling Time: 6 hours 9 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 51 minutes
- 🍞 Serving: 10 slices
- ⚡ Calories: 339 calories per slice
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: Light and airy angel food cake with a creamy peppermint cream cheese filling, finished with a cool minty sweetness that feels festive without being too heavy.
- 👌 Difficulty: Medium — the cake is delicate and needs to be rolled carefully, but the steps are simple if you work slowly and let it chill properly.
- ✨ Why You’ll Love It: This angel food cake roll is a pretty Christmas dessert that looks impressive on the table but still feels lighter than a rich chocolate cake or heavy holiday dessert.
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This angel food cake roll starts with the same light, fluffy base I use in my homemade angel food cake recipe, but it is baked thin so it can be rolled around a peppermint cream cheese filling. The cake is soft and airy with a delicate vanilla almond flavor, while the filling adds a creamy peppermint sweetness that makes it perfect for the Christmas season.
Each slice has a pretty swirl of cake and filling, with crushed peppermint adding color, texture, and a festive finish. It is a beautiful dessert for Christmas parties, holiday dinners, or winter gatherings when you want something sweet that still feels light. If you love peppermint desserts, you may also enjoy my peppermint sugar cookies next.
Jump to:
- Recipe Overview: Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
- Why you will love this recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Instructions for Angel Food Cake Cream Cheese Frosting
- Tips for Rolling Angel Food Cake Without Cracking
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling FAQs
- More Holiday Treat Recipes
- Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
Why you will love this recipe
- Light and Airy Texture: This angel food cake roll is soft, fluffy, and delicate, with a light sponge texture that rolls beautifully around the filling.
- Festive Peppermint Flavor: The peppermint cream cheese filling adds a smooth, creamy sweetness with just the right amount of mint for a Christmas dessert that feels special but not too heavy.
- Pretty Holiday Presentation: The spiral shape, creamy filling, and crushed peppermint make each slice look beautiful on a holiday dessert table.
- Balanced Sweetness: The tangy cream cheese filling pairs well with the sweet angel food cake, vanilla, almond extract, and peppermint for a flavor that is festive without being overpowering.
- Perfect for Christmas Baking: This cake roll is a fun holiday dessert to serve alongside other seasonal treats like my Peppermint Sugar Cookies and Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies.
Key Ingredients
- Egg Whites: Egg whites give this angel food cake roll its light, airy texture. Make sure there is no yolk mixed in, since even a little fat can keep the egg whites from whipping properly.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour keeps the cake soft and delicate, which helps it roll more easily without feeling dense.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar helps stabilize the whipped egg whites so the cake bakes up fluffy and holds its structure.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese makes the peppermint filling smooth, rich, and slightly tangy, which balances the sweet cake.
- Peppermint Extract: Peppermint extract gives the filling its festive flavor. A little goes a long way, so measure carefully.
- Crushed Peppermint or Candy Canes: Crushed peppermint adds a pretty Christmas look, a little crunch, and extra peppermint flavor.
The full ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card below.
Instructions for Angel Food Cake Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 1: Whip the egg whites until they are glossy and stable, holding soft to medium peaks. They should look smooth and thick, not dry or clumpy.
Step 2: Spoon the angel food cake batter onto a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Gently spread it into an even layer, being careful not to press too hard and deflate the batter.
Step 3: Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and springs back when gently touched. Let it cool just slightly before turning it out.
Step 4: Generously dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. This helps keep the warm cake from sticking when it is rolled.
Step 5: Turn the warm cake out onto the prepared towel and gently roll it up with the towel inside. Let it cool completely in the rolled shape before filling.
Step 6: Carefully unroll the cooled cake, spread the peppermint cream cheese filling over the inside, and roll it back up. Chill until set, then dust with powdered sugar or top with crushed peppermint before slicing.
Full directions and ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card below.
Tips for Rolling Angel Food Cake Without Cracking
Angel food cake roll is easiest to roll while the cake is still warm. Once it cools flat, it is more likely to crack when you try to shape it.
Use a clean kitchen towel generously dusted with powdered sugar so the cake does not stick. Roll the cake gently with the towel inside, then let it cool completely in that rolled shape before adding the peppermint cream cheese filling.
A few small cracks are normal and can usually be covered with powdered sugar, crushed peppermint, or extra filling. The cake does not need to be perfect to look beautiful when sliced.
Make Ahead and Storage
This angel food cake roll is a great make ahead dessert because it needs time to chill after it is filled and rolled. You can make it the day before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to slice.
Because of the cream cheese filling, store leftovers in the refrigerator. Keep the cake covered so it does not dry out, and enjoy it within 2 to 3 days for the best texture.
Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling FAQs
Sifting adds air and helps create a lighter batter, which is key for angel food cake since it doesn’t use traditional leavening agents. It also helps the dry ingredients combine evenly for a smoother, more consistent texture.
Rolling it while warm makes the cake more flexible and less likely to crack. Once it cools, it becomes more delicate and harder to shape without breaking.
Angel food cake roll can crack if it is overbaked, rolled when it is too cool, or rolled too tightly. Roll the cake while it is still warm and let it cool completely in the towel before adding the filling.
Dust the towel generously with powdered sugar before turning the warm cake out onto it. This helps keep the cake from sticking as it cools in the rolled shape.
More Holiday Treat Recipes
Looking for more festive recipes to try? Check these out:
If you tried this Angel Food Cake Roll or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Angel Food Cake Roll with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
- 1 sifter
- 1 electric stand mixer
- 1 15x10-inch jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups cake flour
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups egg whites room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Powdered sugar for dusting the towel
For the Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Crushed peppermint or candy canes for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, ⅓ cup of the granulated sugar, and salt. Sift the mixture 2 to 3 times, then set aside.
- Add the room temperature egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until the egg whites are foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks begin to form.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until the egg whites are glossy and hold soft to medium peaks. Do not beat until they look dry.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract just until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle a small amount of the flour mixture over the whipped egg whites and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture, adding it in small portions and folding gently so the batter stays light and airy.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan, being careful not to deflate it.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and springs back when gently touched.
- While the cake bakes, generously dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
- When the cake is done, carefully turn the warm cake out onto the powdered sugar dusted towel. Peel off the parchment paper.
- Starting at one short end, gently roll the cake up with the towel inside. Let it cool completely in the rolled shape.
Filling Instructions
- To make the filling, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until smooth and fluffy.
- Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread the peppermint cream cheese filling evenly over the inside of the cake.
- Roll the cake back up without the towel. Wrap and chill until set.
- Before serving, dust with powdered sugar or top with crushed peppermint. Slice with a serrated knife and serve chilled.
Notes
- Roll the cake while it is still warm so it can cool in the rolled shape.
- Dust the towel generously with powdered sugar to keep the cake from sticking.
- Make sure the egg whites are glossy and stable, but not dry or clumpy.
This angel food cake roll is one of my favorite lighter Christmas desserts. The peppermint cream cheese filling makes it feel festive, and the slices look so pretty on a holiday table!
Great instructions! Thank you.