Wow. That's a question. Cake freezes well, and boxed cake usually has some conditioners that should make it even more stable. The issue is unrolling and rerolling

--Oh! And congrats on absorbing the directions so well and getting it to roll nicely on your first attempt. Great going!--

Cake usually thaws soft, so in theory it could work. I suggest you give it a think about how much you're going to count on it and how much of a trouble Plan B would be, and how able you'll be emotionally able to abandon working on it if it gets fussy. Is Christmas the right time for this kind of new project? OTOH, if you practiced it and it worked fine several months ago, is that any guarantee it'll work just as well for Christmas?

I'd think it would behoove you to fill it now with something that freezes well (e.g., no fresh fruit), and decorate it. Freeze it on a sheet pan or freezing board then wrap well with plastic to keep out air., then put it in a freezer bag (on a board) or inverted container. Unwrap to defrost to let moisture escape.

If you do that, you don't have to fuss with it much at party time.

I freeze rolled cakes that I have filled frequently. Filling is typically whipped cream with either preserves or fruit curd foled in. Defrost in the fridge, frost and decorate.

Thanks so much. I will go ahead and fill it this evening & freeze it. I've frozen unfrosted/unfilled cake layers for later but wasn't sure about this. I appreciate it!!

I thought I posted earlier but it seems to have disappeared. I made a pumpkin cake roll and froze for Thanksgiving. I filled it with cream cheese frosting and it was fine, I got lots of complements. I thought the cake part was a bit dense, but I think that was something I did.

Well phoot. As I was rolling it up I was trying to feel if it was breaking anywhere and it didn't seem to be. But when I unrolled it just now this is what I found. Did I let it sit too long before unrolling it? ETA: I thought maybe the filling would "glue" it together but the filling is oozing out of the cracks & making it worse :-\

It might set up as it chills and then frosting is the mask.

A softer cake such as sponge is my go-to for a rolled cake. A favorite recipe for this purpose is Maida Heatter's Sept 7 cake which is quick and naturally gluten free. It's made with just eggs (separated), cocoa, and sugar. The cake is very light and works in layers or as the basis of a rolled cake.

Here's the next recipe I'm going to try: https://www.monpetitfour.com/buche-de-noel/  Hopefully this one will work. If it doesn't either, I am going to make a trifle for this Christmas and spend the next 11 months learning to make a rolled cake if it kills me LOL.

I can't see your chosen recipe but here's wishing you good luck. Baking can be frustrating but trifle is delightful!

And my next immediate challenge is trying to get all that cocoa powder out of my best bread-making linen towel I use to cover the rising dough :-0

edie, I would have been surprised if a cake mix would have produced a rolled cake, the texture is much different to me.

I do make rolled cakes and freeze them, but the batter has more eggs and less flour and no fat at all, much more like a sponge cake than a layer cake.

Good luck, now that you've got that "rolling" experience under your belt, just get yourself the right recipe and I'm sure it'll be magnificent!

Annie

Get a recipe made to be rolled and you'll be fine.

Just a note...a bouche is a mouth...a log is a bûche.

Islay, when I did the search that's the spelling that came up! Thanks for the correction. I'm with Miss Piggy, the only French I know is from perfume bottles LOL

IC, I've always wondered about that! That's the only spelling I've seen. I didn't know the word for log, and always thought the "bouche de noel", the "mouth", was just something that doesn't translate directly. :)

Seconding the advice to make the right kind of cake for rolling.....and unrolling without cracking. You need a cake that "bends" without breaking.

Cake balls! Brilliant idea, plllog!! I'll stick the "mess" in the freezer for now then a day before the party I'll thaw it & make the pops. You are awesome! And yes, this was mostly just to get a feel for the logistics of how to turn out the cake so it comes out of the pan in one piece and then doing the rolling. But I just couldn't justify going through all that just to toss it! Thanks again :-)

edie, you could also make a batch of pudding and some whipped cream and make a trifle!

As for a cake mix "rolled cake" I saw this and thought of you:

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-swiss-roll/eaaacebf-2d31-41ad-b547-d8f37f5afa44?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=OG_BKNG_BCCAKEMX_F20_CPM_BRDAWR_KBS&pp=0&epik=dj0yJnU9Ym5SZEROYlRYaWlhREs3QWNGUWx1YnhDMTZPMTN3aDImbj1UenJGdElndGFiSVZwbm1wdXY3U0d3JnQ9QUFBQUFGMzFza3c

Annie

Annie, thanks so much. It must be the amount of eggs that makes it more pliable. And the marshmallow filling is what I was aiming for but mine came out too soupy. So I will definitely be trying again. Thank you again, I appreciate it!!

You are more than welcome. I'm not a fan of cake mixes, they have a "fake" flavor that I dislike, but my youngest daughter loves them. That filling, though, it looks promising for a Christmas cake roll, maybe mocha.....

Annie

Delia's squidgy chocolate log is an absolute winner. You could cover it with the mousse and decorate in the traditional way. It's what I'm doing for xmas.

https://hungrysquirrels.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/delias-squidgy-chocolate-log/