Soft, bouncy sponge rolled around whipped cream and cut into slices – a roulade might look a bit retro but serve it as a dessert and watch your guests dive in. As well as tasting fantastic, making your own also lets you show off your baking prowess, as being able to roll it without any cracks means you’ve baked the sponge to perfection.

Our collection of roulade recipes will give you all of the inspiration you'll need. Keep things classic with Steven Doherty’s Chocolate roulade recipe, or combine the iconic flavours of rhubarb and custard like Helen Jessup. Roulades make the perfect alternative to figgy pudding at Christmas, as Victoria Glass’ Bûche de Nöel and Colin McGurran’s North Pole Christmas cake prove. Following a gluten-free diet? No problem – just give Izy Hossack’s Gluten-free raspberry and lemon Swiss roll a go. And Russell Brown shows retro presentation can be combined with Michelin-starred precision in his incredible White chocolate and lemon roulade.

Be sure to roll the sponge while it’s still warm and then leave for half an hour to cool. This means when you unravel it and spread the filling, it’ll spring back into shape as one uniform spiral. A dusting of icing sugar or cocoa can help cover the odd crack, and top with fresh fruit or curls of chocolate for an attractive finish.