This article is about the cake. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations swiss roll reliable sources. Swiss log is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream, jam, or icing.
The earliest published reference for a rolled cake spread with jelly was in the Northern Farmer, a journal published in Utica, New York, in December 1852. Called “To Make Jelly Cake”, the recipe describes a modern “jelly roll” and reads: “Bake quick and while hot spread with jelly. Roll carefully, and wrap it in a cloth. When cold cut in slices for the table. The terminology evolved in America for many years. Roll Sandwich or Swiss Pudding appears in the second edition of The complete biscuit and gingerbread baker’s assistant in 1854.
The origin of the term “Swiss roll” is unknown. A recipe for “Swiss roll” also appeared in the US that same year in The American Home Cook Book, published in Detroit, Michigan, in 1872. Several 1880s to 1890s cookbooks from London, England, used the name Swiss roll exclusively. The American Pastry Cook, published in Chicago in 1894, presented a basic “Jelly Roll Mixture” then listed variants made from it that included a Swiss roll, Venice roll, Paris roll, chocolate roll, jelly roll cotelettes, and decorated jelly rolls. In Germany, they are called Bisquitrolle, which means sponge roll. In the Czech Republic the Swiss roll is called roláda or piškotová roláda.
They are a common cake sold in cukrárna and exist in many flavors, for example chocolate, cream, coconut, nuts, fruit and jam. The origin country of this cake is likely the UK, since Hong Kong was an integral British territory from the 19th century to 1997. Overall, this cake has been sold next to other Chinese pastries well before the existence of Western-style Asian bakeries such as Maxim. Cake layer is made of a standard recipe, and a whipped cream filling is standard. Cake layer is made of egg in combination with chocolate flavorant. It also has a whipped cream filling. Some bakeries offer their own variations, such as layers of egg and chocolate swirl.
Other variations include strawberry, coffee or orange fillings. Most US Chinatown bakeries sell the basic Hong Kong Swiss roll version. It essentially looks and tastes identical to the one sold in Hong Kong. It has traditional white cream inside, and is similar in appearance to tiger bread. In India, Swiss rolls are called “jam rolls”. In Indonesia, the Swiss roll cake is called bolu gulung.
Most bakeries sell Swiss rolls daily, and they are filled with butter cream, cheese or fruit jam. It is also very common for Swiss rolls to be sold by the slice, but some shops sell by both slice and roll. In Japan, Swiss rolls are called “roll cake”. They are filled with whipped cream and sometimes with fruits like strawberries. In Puerto Rico and Venezuela it is known as brazo de gitano, but there is a vast array of fillings that include cream, chocolate truffle, dulce de guayaba, dulce de leche manjar blanco, often combined with fruits.
In Brazil, it is called rocambole. In the Philippines, the most similar traditional pastry is the pionono which is part of the regular offerings of neighborhood bakeries since the Spanish colonial period. In Portugal, desserts called tortas are commonly found on restaurant menus. Such desserts are not tarts, nor are they similar to German torte.