This No-Bake Ladyfinger Cranberry Cake Roll is one of those winter desserts that feels almost too easy for how beautiful it turns out. It’s light, festive, and honestly, every time I make it, people think I spent hours in the kitchen. But the secret is that it comes together with zero baking and just a little assembly magic.
Imagine soft ladyfingers wrapped around a creamy, fluffy filling, with bright, sweet-tart cranberry sauce running through every slice. The cranberries give it that perfect holiday sparkle. And because it chills instead of bakes, the flavors meld together in the most dreamy way. The ladyfingers soften just enough to become cake-like, but still hold their shape in a neat, elegant roll.
It’s the kind of dessert I love to make in December because it feels special but never stressful. You can prep it the night before a dinner, bring it to a gathering, or serve it after a cozy holiday meal. It slices beautifully, looks incredibly festive, and tastes like winter in the best way.
If you want something impressive without turning on the oven, this cranberry cake roll is pure holiday joy.
How to make No-Bake Ladyfinger Cranberry Cake Roll
Begin with preparing the cranberry sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat and let it cool until ready to use.
Prepare the cream cheese filling next. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Add the whipping cream and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
How to assemble the cake roll
Dip each ladyfinger in milk, then lay them on a sheet of parchment paper. Continue until you form a rectangle with 40 ladyfingers, 10 rows of 4, aligned horizontally.
Spoon about half of the cream cheese filling over the ladyfingers, dropping it in small heaps and spreading it gently into an even layer. Add the cranberry sauce in small dollops on top, spreading it as evenly as possible without mixing it into the cream layer.
Starting from the long side, carefully roll the cake up, using the parchment paper to help you shape it. Refrigerate the roll for about 2 hours to allow it to firm up.
Once chilled, spread the remaining cream cheese frosting over the outside of the roll.
Decorate with sugar-coated cranberries or red currants, and add a few sprigs of sugar-coated fresh rosemary for a festive finish.
Hope you will try and enjoy this delicious Ladyfinger Cranberry Cake Roll. Don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram posts or stories, so I can see your amazing results.
Other no-bake festive desserts you may like to try
This No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Bûche de Noël is a festive holiday treat with coconut cream cheese filling, chocolate ganache, and snowy coconut sprinkles—beautiful for Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
Impress your guests with this No-Bake Raspberry Yogurt Zebra Cake, featuring delicate mousse layers and a glossy raspberry finish for the perfect holiday dessert.
This easy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge is a longtime holiday favorite, creamy, perfectly sweet, and impossible to stop at just one piece.
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Ladyfinger Cranberry Cake Roll – Easy, No-Bake Holiday Dessert
Ingredients
- 40 ladyfingers
- milk , for dipping the ladyfingers
Cranberry Sauce
- 10 oz (300g) cranberries , fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15ml) lemon juice
Cream Cheese Filling
- 9 oz (250g) cream cheese , room temperature
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cup (400g) whipping cream , chilled
For Decorating
- sugar coated red currants or cranberries
- sugar coated rosemary sprigs
- shredded coconut
Instructions
Prepare the cranberry sauce.
- In a small saucepan add cranberries, sugar and lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool down until ready to use.
Prepare the cream cheese filling.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Add the whipping cream.
- Continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the cake roll.
- Dip each ladyfinger in milk, then lay it onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- Keep going until you’ve formed a rectangle with 40 ladyfingers, about 10 rows of 4, all lined up horizontally.
- Spoon about half of the cream cheese filling over the ladyfingers, dropping it in small heaps from place to place.
- Use an offset spatula to gently spread it into an even layer.
- Next, spoon the cranberry sauce over the filling, again placing it in small dollops.
- Spread it as evenly as you can, but try not to mix it into the cream cheese layer.
- Starting from the long side of the rectangle, carefully roll the cake up, using the parchment paper to help guide it.
- Refrigerate the roll for about 2 hours so it can firm up.
- Once chilled, spoon the remaining cream cheese frosting all over the outside of the roll.
- Spread it evenly.
- Cut the edges and transfer to a serving plate.
- Decorate the cake roll with sugar-coated cranberries or red currants.
- Finish with a few sprigs of sugar-coated fresh rosemary for a beautiful festive touch.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
