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I used to absolutely love Chocolate Mini Rolls and they are actually surprisingly easy to make gluten free! These Gluten Free Mini Rolls are the perfect Cadbury’s dupe. Mini chocolate Swiss rolls with a sweet buttercream centre – perfect for parties and lunchboxes.
I used to absolute LOVE Cadbury’s Mini Rolls and I didn’t realise how much I had missed them until I tried these gluten free ones.
These gluten free Chocolate Mini Rolls taste just like the real deal. You’ll wonder why you’ve been missing them for so long.
It’s a prime example of why a coeliac disease diagnosis should NOT mean missing out. Plus these are a super easy gluten free bake and a great recipe to make with kids.
These mini Swiss rolls have a flourless sponge, making them naturally gluten free, and it’s really easy to make gluten and dairy free Mini Rolls too.
Pack them up in your work or school lunchbox alongside other treats like my gluten free sausage rolls, easy mini quiches or gluten free mini pizzas.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to give my gluten free Mini Rolls recipe a try!
What are chocolate Mini Rolls?
Mini Rolls, for those unfamiliar, are a classic British bake.
These mini chocolate Swiss roll cakes are made from a flourless sponge, filled with buttercream and coated in melted chocolate.
They are very popular at birthday parties and celebrations, or in school lunchboxes.
Despite this recipe being gluten free, all the shop-bought ones sadly contain wheat flour.
Are Cadbury’s Mini Rolls gluten free?
Sadly Cadbury’s Mini Rolls are not gluten free – but these gluten free chocolate Mini Rolls are.
And they’re so easy to make that you’ll be able to throw them together with ease once you know how.
They’re a bit like a small version of my gluten free yule log or my gluten free Swiss roll recipes.
Ingredients
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list you will need the following ingredients for my gluten free Chocolate Mini Rolls.
- Eggs: This recipe uses egg whites to create a super light and fluffy sponge.
- Caster Sugar: In the US you’ll need baker’s sugar or superfine sugar.
- Cocoa Powder: This works in place of flour in this recipe to thicken the sponge and add a delicious, rich chocolate flavour.
- Vanilla Extract: This is used in both the sponge and the filling. Always double check it’s gluten free, though most flavourings are.
- Icing Sugar: In the US you’ll need confectioner’s sugar. This is used for the buttercream filling.
- Unsalted Butter: For a dairy free recipe use Stork baking block or your favourite, hard vegan butter replacement.
- Chocolate: For the coating I use a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, plus some white chocolate for drizzling on top. Always check your chocolate is gluten free – I use the Dr Oetker baking chocolate as it has no gluten and no may contain warnings.
How to make Chocolate Mini Rolls
Making these chocolate mini rolls is such a fun baking activity, and hopefully these step-by-step photos will help illustrate how to roll them up properly!
To make the chocolate sponge:
Preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 39cm x 24cm Swiss roll tin and set to one side.
Add the cocoa powder, boiling water and vanilla extract to a small bowl and mix into a smooth paste. Separate the eggs, placing the egg whites in one large mixing bowl and the egg yolks in another.
Whisk the egg whites (preferably in a metal bowl) using an electric whisk until they form stiff peaks – aka you could turn the bowl upside down and the mixture won’t budge.
As you continue to whisk the egg whites, gradually add 50g of the caster sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
In your second mixing bowl, add the remaining 25g caster sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until they thicken and become paler in colour. Add the cocoa powder mix and beat again briefly until combined.
Add a large spoonful of the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat together to loosen it.
Once combined, gradually fold in the remaining egg whites using a metal spoon, being careful not to beat them – you don’t want to lose those lovely air bubbles!
Once completely combined, pour into the lined Swiss roll tin and smooth out using a palette knife. Bake for 12-15 minutes until springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cover with a damp tea towel until completely cool.
To assemble the Mini Rolls:
Add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until fluffy and smooth – it should whiten in colour after around 5 minutes of whisking.
Turn the cooled sponge out onto the worktop and carefully peel off the baking paper. Score a line about 2-3cm from one of the shortest edges.
Spread the buttercream over the whole cake in one even layer. Then, starting from the scored edge, roll the sponge in towards the centre of the cake, stopping in the middle.
Repeat on the other end of the sponge so that you have two rolls like the photo above (left).
Cut down the centre of the between the rolls and continue to roll them until they are completely rolled up, seam side down.
Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into three (you may like to trim the edges first for a super neat edge).
Place the Mini Rolls on a cooling rack, seam side down, to firm up while you melt the chocolate.
To coat the Mini Rolls:
Add the milk and dark chocolate pieces to a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water, stirring regularly.
Either dip the Mini Rolls (they’re fragile, so be careful!) into the chocolate one-at-a-time to coat them, or pour the chocolate over the rolls. Once coated, place on a sheet of baking paper.
Leave the Mini Rolls at room temperature to set. Once set, melt the white chocolate (in the same way as before) and pour into a piping bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom and then pipe lines across the Mini Rolls. Leave to set and then tuck in!
Top tips for making Chocolate Mini Rolls
Here are a few extra tips to ensure you get the best results from this recipe:
- Use a metal bowl for the egg whites and always ensure you don’t get any yolk in them. This will help with whipping them up nicely.
- Don’t panic over a cracked sponge: The chocolate coating hides a multitude of sins! The sponge is a little fragile but shouldn’t crack too much.
- Treat them nicely: These MIni Rolls can be a bit fragile when dipping them in chocolate so always supervise any young, enthusiastic volunteers in the kitchen!
More Gluten Free Bakes
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Mini Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 70 g caster sugar
- 35 g cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp boiling water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 125 g icing sugar
- 75 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the coating:
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 g milk chocolate
- 50 g white chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 39cm x 24cm Swiss roll tin and set to one side.
- Add the cocoa powder, boiling water and vanilla extract to a small bowl and mix into a smooth paste.
- Separate the eggs, placing the egg whites in one large mixing bowl and the egg yolks in another.
- Whisk the egg whites (preferably in a metal bowl) using an electric whisk until they form stiff peaks – aka you could turn the bowl upside down and the mixture won’t budge.
- As you continue to whisk the egg whites, gradually add 50g of the caster sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
- In your second mixing bowl, add the remaining 25g caster sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until they thicken and become paler in colour. Add the cocoa powder mix and beat again briefly until combined.
- Add a large spoonful of the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat together to loosen it.
- Once combined, gradually fold in the remaining egg whites using a metal spoon, being careful not to beat them – you don’t want to lose those lovely air bubbles!
- Once completely combined, pour into the lined Swiss roll tin and smooth out using a palette knife. Bake for 12-15 minutes until springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cover with a damp tea towel until completely cool.
To assemble the Mini Rolls:
- Add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until fluffy and smooth – it should whiten in colour after around 5 minutes of whisking.
- Turn the cooled sponge out onto the worktop and carefully peel off the baking paper. Score a line about 2-3cm from one of the shortest edges.
- Spread the buttercream over the whole cake in one even layer. Then, starting from the scored edge, roll the sponge in towards the centre of the cake, stopping in the middle.
- Repeat on the other end of the sponge so that you have two rolls like this:
- Cut down the centre of the between the rolls and continue to roll them until they are completely rolled up, seam side down. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into three (you may like to trim the edges first for a super neat edge).
- Place the Mini Rolls on a cooling rack, seam side down, to firm up while you melt the chocolate.
To coat the Mini Rolls:
- Add the milk and dark chocolate pieces to a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water, stirring regularly.
- Either dip the Mini Rolls (they’re fragile, so be careful!) into the chocolate one-at-a-time to coat them, or pour the chocolate over the rolls. Once coated, place on a sheet of baking paper.
- Leave the Mini Rolls at room temperature to set. Once set, melt the white chocolate (in the same way as before) and pour into a piping bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom and then pipe lines across the Mini Rolls. Leave to set and then tuck in!
Notes
- Storage: For details on storing, freezing and making this recipe dairy free, check out the FAQs section below this recipe card.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Scroll up for some handy photos showing you exactly how to roll and coat your chocolate Mini Rolls, plus more recipe tips.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about the chocolate mini rolls!
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this Chocolate Mini Rolls recipe – if you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
These Mini Rolls will store for 3-5 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze them. I recommend doing this on a baking sheet and then transferring to a tub or bag once frozen to avoid them misshaping. Simply defrost at room temperature before eating.
Yes! The sponge for these Mini Rolls is already dairy free. Just ensure you use a vegan butter for the buttercream and a dairy free chocolate for the coating.
The sponge in this recipe relies heavily on egg and I haven’t tested any vegan egg replacements. If trying to make this Mini Rolls recipe vegan, I’d recommend using aquafaba (chickpea water) as this can be whipped up like egg whites – it just takes a lot longer!
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Hi I don’t like mincemeat pies. Is there another filling I could put in them. I’m always the 1 left out. Thank you.
hi – there is an error on the mini roll recipe – it lists sugar twice but not cocoa – which amount is cocoa and which amount is sugar?