

Soft, airy, and dripping with rich chocolate ganache. This Boston Cream Roll Cake combines a tender vanilla sponge with a cold, creamy custard center. Olivia helped me roll the sponge for the first time, and it turned out beautifully. You must make this stunning Boston Cream Pie Swiss Roll for your next weekend gathering.
Why You'll Love This
The primary benefit of this Boston Cream Roll Cake is the incredible contrast between the light, springy sponge and the dense, cool vanilla custard. You will also appreciate how the rich ganache blankets the entire dessert, locking in the moisture perfectly. Additionally, preparing the filling a day in advance breaks up the prep time, making it entirely manageable for busy weekends. James always gives constructive criticism, but when he tasted this Chocolate Custard Roll Cake Recipe, he immediately said it had to be published tomorrow.
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Ingredients & Equipment
Gathering these essential baking staples ensures your Boston Cream Roll Cake develops the perfect balance of airy cake and rich filling. Using high-quality dairy and chocolate guarantees this Boston Cream Roll Recipe tastes like it came from a professional pastry shop.
The full Boston Cream Roll Cake instructions are right in the card below.
Main Ingredients
- Whole milk & Heavy cream: Forms the rich, luxurious base of the custard.
- Egg yolks: Thickens the filling and adds a deep golden color.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens both the sponge and the cream perfectly.
- All-purpose flour: Provides delicate structure to the rolled cake.
- Semisweet chocolate: Melts into a glossy, decadent ganache topping.
Optional Extras
You can stir a splash of dark rum into the cooled custard for a mature, complex flavor profile. Sprinkling toasted sliced almonds over the wet ganache also adds a beautiful crunch to this elegant Boston Cream Swiss Roll.

How to Make Boston Cream Roll Cake (Step-by-Step)
Preparing this stunning dessert relies on a simple sponge technique and a rich stovetop custard to build authentic Boston Cream Roll flavors.
Whisk The Custard Vigorously whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch together until completely combined and lightened in color. This creates the thickening base for the filling, resulting in a pale yellow, smooth paste.

Simmer The Dairy Heat the whole milk, heavy cream, butter, and salt in a saucepan until it reaches a gentle simmer. Warming the fats prepares them for tempering, showing small bubbles forming around the edges of the pot.
Temper And Thicken
How do I prevent lumps in my custard? Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolks, return to the pot, and simmer constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling, yielding a dense, smooth pudding texture.

Bake The Sponge Beat the whole eggs and sugar until thick, fold in the remaining batter ingredients, and bake in a lined 17x11-inch pan at 375°F for 8 minutes. This rapid baking process sets the airy structure, leaving a springy, pale golden cake.
Roll The Cake Turn the hot sponge out onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel, remove the parchment, and roll it up gently from the narrow end to cool. Training the cake while it is warm prevents it from cracking later, showing a tight, fabric-wrapped cylinder.
Fill And Glaze Unroll the cooled cake, spread the chilled custard evenly, and carefully re-roll it before pouring melted chocolate ganache over the top. The filling locks the layers together, presenting a beautiful, glossy chocolate-covered log ready to serve.
Tips
Mastering this Boston Cream Roll Cake comes down to temperature control and careful handling of the delicate sponge.
Dust the towel → stops the crust from sticking → look for a clean release when unrolling.
Beat eggs fully → incorporates maximum air → look for a pale, thick ribbon of batter.
Roll while hot → prevents the sponge from tearing → look for a smooth, unbroken exterior.
Chill the filling → keeps the Boston Roll Recipe stable → look for a firm, cold custard.
Follow Aliana on Pinterest →Serving Suggestions
This decadent Boston Cream Roll Cake needs very little accompaniment, but serving it alongside a hot cup of black coffee balances the sweetness beautifully. I love offering thick slices of this Boston Cream Roll Cake Recipe with a handful of fresh strawberries for a pop of color. Olivia always asks for an extra drizzle of leftover ganache on her plate!
More Recipes You'll Love
If this Boston Cream Roll Cake satisfied your Dessert cravings, you will absolutely adore our other Chocolate Custard Roll Cake Recipe inspired treats.
Made it your way? I'd love to see it! Tag @AlianaRecipes on Pinterest and show off your delicious version.


Boston Cream Roll Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch together until lightened to create a smooth thickening base, looking for a pale yellow paste.
- Heat the milk, cream, butter, and salt in a saucepan until simmering to infuse the fats, watching for small bubbles around the edges.
- Slowly whisk the hot milk into the eggs, return to the pot, and simmer until thick to form the custard, yielding a dense texture.
- Stir in the vanilla, transfer to a container, and refrigerate for two hours to set the filling, ensuring a firm, cold cream.
- Beat the whole eggs and sugar until thick, then gently mix in the water, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt to create a light batter.
- Spread the batter in a parchment-lined 17x11-inch pan and bake at 375°F for 8 minutes to set the structure, watching for a springy center.
- Turn the hot cake onto a powdered sugar-dusted towel, remove the parchment, and roll it up gently to train the shape, leaving a tight log.
- Unroll the cooled cake, spread the chilled custard evenly, and re-roll carefully without the towel to assemble the dessert, forming a neat cylinder.
- Pour boiling heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted to create the rich topping, leaving a glossy, dark liquid.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the assembled cake to coat the exterior, presenting a beautiful, chocolate-draped log ready to slice.
Nutrition
Notes
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Boston Cream Roll Cake:









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