Soft, tender, creamy, and fluffy this lemon strawberry cake roll is bursting with bright refreshing flavors from lemon extract, zest, and fresh strawberries. It’s a visually stunning dessert, yet surprisingly easy to make!
Update: April 23, 2021
Uploaded video on my YouTube channel
I can never forget the first cake I ever had, which I ate years ago. It was baked in a pot, not in an oven. I know it might sound unusual, but back in the 80s, ovens weren’t commonly found in Indian homes. My mother learned to bake cakes in a regular pot on the stove-top. The pot with the cake batter would be placed over a griddle filled with damp sand. After some time, another griddle would be placed on the lid of the pot, filled with hot sand. This setup created an oven-like effect, cooking the cake perfectly. The texture was incredible, and it tasted so delicious that no one could tell it wasn’t baked in an oven.
In 1984, we got our first electric oven, and that’s when I started baking on my own. My first cake was a sponge cake, based on a recipe I found in Woman & Home, a British magazine that I used to buy second-hand from a bookstore. I used that same sponge cake recipe as the base for this lemon strawberry cake roll. The only modification is swapping regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free (GF) all-purpose flour. The result is a light, heavenly cake filled with delicious fruit and cream, perfect for any occasion.
The passion for cooking and baking that I have today was instilled in me by watching my mother, who made everything seem so effortless. Her ability to turn simple ingredients into something extraordinary was truly inspiring. This cake is dedicated to her, my mentor, and the one who taught me that cooking and baking are not just about following recipes—they’re about creating love and memories with every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (scoop and level to measure) Gluten free all purpose flour (the flour I use has xanthun gum in it)
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- lemon zest from one large lemon
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp warm water (this helps to prevent from cracking when you roll)
- lemon extract
- few strawberries
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 drops of lemon extract
- 2 tbsp icing sugar or more if you like it sweetened
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites from egg yolks from refrigerator cold eggs.
- Wash strawberries and cut them into half or quarters, depending on their size.
- In a bowl sift GF all purpose flour, baking powder, corn starch and salt. Add lemon zest and mix.
- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line a shallow pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- When the egg whites come to room temperature, beat them until stiff.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl with sugar and a couple drops of lemon extract until pale yellow. Mix warm water.
- Gently Fold the egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites. Then sift flour on top (if you are not comfortable doing this sift in a separate bowl) and incorporate in the egg mixture completely.
- Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until the cake is light yellow and looks baked.
- Cool the cake for 5 minutes. Put a cooling rack on top. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
- Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min. Place a new parchment paper on top of the cake.
- Flip the cake over and start rolling tightly from short side. Let cool completely with seam side down.
- When cool unroll to spread the whipped mascarpone cream filling over cake.
- Arrange strawberries in lines about 1- 1/2? inches apart. Gently roll up using the outer layer of parchment paper.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve sliced with more fresh strawberries.
- In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until soft mounds form.
- Add 1 tbsp icing sugar, continue beating until thick.
- Mix mascarpone with remaining 1 tbsp of icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract in another bowl. Mix until smooth.
- Fold the whipped cream in mascarpone.
Herjote
Hi,
Thank you for this site. I really liked your pictures. Your writing plus your personal comments makes it fun to read. There are not many sites with gluten free food, so this is really great. Thanks for inspiring us as well. Great format!
Indu.
Balvinder
Hi,
Even I get inspiration from these comments. I am trying to keep it simple so that people have no difficulty trying out some of the recipes.
balvinder
charanjit
Hi Neetu,
Thanks for sharing very yummy looking and healthy recipes. I like all the recipes,and i like the song too.I made Biryani yesterday,it was delicious.I’m sure I will be making this often.
Charanjit.
Balvinder
Good to know you like my recipes and songs. Keep trying some more.
balvinder