[citation needed] Roll Sandwich or Swiss Pudding appears in the second edition of The complete biscuit and gingerbread baker's assistant in 1854.

The earliest British reference to a baked item by that name appeared in the Birmingham Journal for Saturday 10 May 1856, page 8, in an advert for Thomas Richards of 71 New Street, Birmingham, where he had '... the patronage bestowed on him for the last fourteen years as the maker of the celebrated Pork Pies, Swiss Rolls, French Pies, German & Genoa Cakes, Grantham and other Ginger Bread for which he defies competition ...' The inference is that Swiss rolls may date to 1842 in England.

A rolled cake appeared on a bill of fare dated 18 June 1871, published in the 1872 book A Voyage from Southampton to Cape Town, in the Union Company’s Mail Steamer "Syria" (London).

A recipe for "Swiss roll" also appeared in the US that same year in The American Home Cook Book, published in Detroit, Michigan, in 1872.

It can also be named after its filling (e.g. Zitronenrolle – lemon roll, Erdbeerrolle – strawberry roll).This type of cake was probably introduced in the late 19th or early 20th century, when Hong Kong was an integral British territory, and it has been sold in Hong Kong well before the existence of Western-style Asian bakeries such as Maxim.

Popular variations include Most US Chinatown bakeries sell the basic Hong Kong Swiss roll version.

In Sicily around Caltanissetta (Italy), there is a cake made with chocolate sponge, ricotta, and marzipan called the rollò (from French roulé).

In Argentina, Uruguay and Peru, it is also called pionono, and it is filled with dulce de leche or manjar blanco (which are a more caramelized and thicker version of condensed milk).

Varieties produced in Southeast Asia include kaya, pandan, blueberry, strawberry, sweet potato, taro, vanilla, orange, chocolate, raspberry, and even local fruits like durian, cempedak, and mango.

[12] In the Philippines, the most similar traditional pastry is the pionono which is part of the regular offerings of neighborhood bakeries since the Spanish colonial period.

It is a rolled variant of the traditional Filipino sponge cakes (mamón) and similarly originally has a very simple filling of sugar and butter (or margarine).

Another notable traditional pianono is the brazo de Mercedes ("arm of Our Lady of Mercy"), composed of a soft meringue body and a custard core.

In Sweden and Finland, the Swiss roll is called rulltårta, respectively kääretorttu (both meaning "roll-cake"), and it is commonly served with coffee.

In Spain, the dessert is called brazo de gitano (literally translated as "gypsy's arm")[17] and is commonly filled with cream, jam (such as peach or apricot), powdered cocoa and nuts.

Produced by many commercial bakeries, common brands include Ho Hos and Yodels, which are smaller-sized rolls for individual consumption.