How to Make a Perfect Spiral Cake: Step-by-Step Recipe and Tips

This spiral cake offers a healthier twist on the classic Swiss roll. It’s dairy-free and filled with a creamy chocolate avocado mixture, making it a great low-carb, gluten-free dessert option.

The sponge is made using coconut flour and whisked egg whites, producing a light yet stable cake that’s easy to roll. The basic sponge ingredients are coconut flour, eggs and erythritol (or another sugar substitute). The avocado-based filling keeps this cake dairy-free, but you can substitute any preferred filling if you want a traditional cream filling instead.

spiral cake

How to Make a Spiral Cake

This cake is fun and straightforward to assemble. Rather than rolling from the short edge, roll the sponge from the long edge to create a long roll. After that, slice the roll into sections, add filling and arrange the pieces around each other to form the spiral shape.

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For this version I kept the sponge relatively low and cut it into eight pieces. On an earlier attempt I cut the sponge into four wider slices, creating a taller spiral. Both approaches work well and create attractive cross-sections when you slice the finished cake.

Dairy-Free Cake

There’s sometimes confusion about eggs and dairy: eggs are not dairy. Dairy products come from milk, so a cake that contains eggs but no milk, butter or cream is still dairy-free. To keep this cake dairy-free, I used a chocolate avocado filling, which is rich and creamy without needing any cream or butter.

spiral cake

The first taste-test went down very well: the sponge is so light it practically melts in the mouth. This cake invites experimentation with flavors — strawberries and cream would be lovely, or try a citrus twist like key lime or lemon for a bright summer version.

spiral cake

Other Dairy-Free Desserts

Try these dairy-free options if you want alternatives:

  • Avocado Chocolate Mousse
  • Orange Chocolate Cake (low carb)
  • Coconut Milk Ice Cream
  • Apple Cinnamon Chia Pudding
spiral cake

Spiral Cake

A dairy-free, low-carb cake inspired by a Swiss roll.
Angela Coleby
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 Slices
Calories 124 kcal

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Ingredients

Sponge:

  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup erythritol (or other sugar substitute)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

  • 1 avocado, skin and seed removed
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons erythritol, ground

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
  2. Grease and line a rectangular baking tin with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
  4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the erythritol.
  5. Add the coconut flour, baking powder and vanilla extract to the yolk mixture and mix well.
  6. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture until combined.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top evenly.
  8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the sponge is golden and firm to the touch.
  9. Turn the sponge out onto a piece of parchment paper.
  10. Using the parchment paper the sponge was baked on, gently roll the sponge from the long side to form a long roll. Allow to cool while rolled.
  11. Make the filling by blending the avocado, cocoa powder, coconut milk and ground erythritol until smooth.
  12. Carefully unroll the cooled sponge and remove the top layer of parchment paper.
  13. Spoon about two-thirds of the filling evenly over the sponge.
  14. Roll the sponge back up using the bottom parchment paper, then remove the remaining paper.
  15. Cut the roll evenly into 8 (or 4) slices.
  16. Place one slice upright on a serving plate and wrap the next slice gently around it, continuing to wind slices around each other until all are used to form a spiral. Small breaks are fine—press pieces into place.
  17. Spread the remaining filling over the outside of the spiral and decorate as desired.

Notes

Net carbs are calculated as total carbs minus fiber; sugar alcohols are excluded from the carb count. Nutritional figures are estimates based on ingredient data and may vary with product choices and preparation methods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice

Calories: 124 kcal

Carbohydrates: 9 g

Protein: 6 g

Fat: 7 g

Fiber: 4 g

The nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online calculator.

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