Pistachio Lemon Roll Cake

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Pistachio Lemon Roll Cake is a bright and light dessert that is perfect for Spring! A made from scratch lemon sponge cake is rolled and filled with lemon, cream cheese, and pistachio mixture and then covered in cream. It’s perfection. Need a tasty chocolate version of this dessert? Try my Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake!

Refreshing Lemon Goodness

I’ve been waiting and watching for Spring, but nothing is happening. We’ve gotten a few nice days here and there, but its been mostly miserable SO! I’ve decided to bring Spring into my kitchen. Baking with lemon is one of my favorite things to do, as evidenced with this recipe or this recipe or this recipe. I like lemon more than chocolate. Pretty sure I’m in the minority on that one, but man oh man, ITS SO GOOD!

How to Make Pistachio Lemon Roll Cake

For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step by step what to expect when making this lemon roll cake:

Preheat Oven + Prep Pan

Whisk Eggs Until Frothy, Then add Sugar

Add Flour, Zest + Lemon Extract

Sift flour overtop of egg and sugar mixture, add zest and lemon extract on top of the flour and carefully fold in to create an even batter with a rubber scraper.

Bake

Carefully pour into prepared pan and tilt pan to move batter into the corners and spread evenly.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when touched gently. (shouldn’t be sticky at all.)

Roll Up Hot Cake

Let the cake cool 3 minutes or so before rolling. Then, dust a clean kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar. Flip cake onto kitchen towel, peel back parchment paper and roll, folding the kitchen towel in with the roll. Let cake cool completely.

Note: I didn’t specify in the recipe which way to roll this, lengthwise or widthwise (is that a word?!) because it really doesn’t matter. Totally personal preference. If you want more slices, roll it lengthwise. If you want it to look rounder, roll it widthwise. For what it’s worth, I rolled mine widthwise.

Make the Filling

The filling for this recipe is simply cream cheese with powdered sugar and some lemon zest with a few extracts added in for good measure. It should be very thick so it holds its shape after being rolled. I originally tested this with lemon curd, but quickly rethought that decision because that stuff just is not helpful. Delicious, yes, but not in the construction of a swiss roll cake. It can also be harder to find at the grocery store so I just nixed it.

Mix cream cheese with lemon zest, powdered sugar, lemon extract and vanilla. It should be very thick. Stir in pistachios.

Unroll Cake, Spread Filling Evenly, Re-roll Cake

Unroll cake and spread the filling evenly over cake. Roll cake back up, wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until filling hardens slightly, about an hour or two.

Make Whipped Topping

Whip heavy cream together with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Place unwrapped roll cake onto serving platter. Cover with whipped cream and top with more ground pistachios. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Tips + Tricks for the Perfect Roll Cake

How do I keep my Pistachio Lemon Roll from cracking?

Here are four tips and tricks you can do to prevent your pistachio lemon roll cake from cracking:

1. Prep your dish towel with an even layer of powdered sugar. I call for 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to be sprinkled evenly across it. Don’t be afraid to use an extra 1-2 tablespoons to ensure there is no sticking. 
2. Immediately roll the cake when it is hot out of the oven. The longer you wait, the more likely it will crack. I know this seems nearly impossible, but lining the jelly roll pan with parchment paper is key and having good oven mitts to help you negotiate the hot pan is extremely helpful.
3. Do not over bake your cake. Every oven works a little differently, so be sure yours is preheated to the correct temperature by using an oven thermometer and start checking for doneness at 10 minutes, just to be sure.
4. Unroll and fill once cooled. Try not to let your cake sit on the counter rolled up in the dish towel for a prolonged period of time. This can also cause sticking to the dish towel which can be such a pain to manage. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, unroll, fill and refrigerate right away.

Make Ahead + Storing

Luckily for you, this Pistachio Lemon Roll cake is super easy to store to save for later or make ahead of time. Simply follow the instructions as directed then keep roll cake wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Refrigerate for up to 5 days!

Can you freeze a Pistachio Lemon Roll?

Yes, you can freeze a Pistachio Lemon roll! Tightly wrap that baby in a couple of layers of plastic wrap then freeze for up to three months. Be sure to thaw in the fridge for one whole day before serving.

More Lemon Cake Recipes to Try!

• Classic Lemon Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Pound Cake

There you have it, a deliciously light and refreshing lemon roll cake! The printable recipe is down below. Have a great day, friends! 🙂

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5 from 3 votes

Pistachio Lemon Roll Cake

Pistachio Lemon Roll Cake is a made from scratch lemon sponge cake rolled, filled, and then covered in cream. Perfect for springtime!

servings 12 servings

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the Sponge Cake:

• ▢ 6 large eggs at room temperature*
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ zest of 1 lemon
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour

For the Filling:

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ zest of 1 lemon
• ▢ 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping:

• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ground pistachios for decoration (optional)
• ▢ 1/4 cup ground pistachios

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with high sides with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  
• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, crack in eggs and stir with the whisk attachment until frothy. With the mixer on, slowly spoon in sugar until it’s all incorporated. Whisk 10 minutes or until pale yellow, thick and ribbons form that fall back into the mixture.
  
• Sift flour overtop of egg and sugar mixture, add zest and lemon extract on top of the flour and carefully fold in to create an even batter with a rubber scraper.
  
• Carefully pour into prepared pan and tilt pan to move batter into the corners and spread evenly. Bake 15-18 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when touched gently. (shouldn’t be sticky at all.)
  
• Let the cake cool 3 minutes or so before rolling: dust a clean kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar. Flip cake onto kitchen towel, peel back parchment paper and roll, folding the kitchen towel in with the roll. Let cake cool completely.
  
• For the filling, mix cream cheese with lemon zest, powdered sugar, lemon extract and vanilla. It should be very thick. Stir in pistachios. Unroll cake and spread the filling evenly over cake. Roll back up, wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until filling hardens slightly, about an hour or two.
  
• Whip heavy cream together with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Place unwrapped roll cake onto serving platter. Cover with whipped cream and top with more ground pistachios. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
  

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Roll Cake