Baking with chocolate is one of my favourite things because no matter what you bake it's bound to be a crowd pleaser. Last weekend I made a chocolate roulade for my son and his girlfriend who were joining us for dinner, and it was a safe choice because everyone likes chocolate dessert, am I right?!
This particular recipe I found in Mary Berry's cookery book Simple Cakes and as I've made so many of Mary's cakes, I knew this would be an easy one to follow. The chocolate roulade is made without any flour, which makes the finished roulade light as a feather yet rich and chocolatey. I added fresh raspberries as love the tartness of them against the rich chocolate but this is completely optional and the chocolate roulade would be just as nice served plain.
Having never made a roulade before or even a swiss roll for that matter, this bake was a bit of a learning curve for me so make sure you follow the tips I've set out in the recipe or your roulade could be in danger of collapsing. For my first attempt, I was pleased with my efforts but it is not as picture perfect as other chocolate roulades I've seen. It tasted amazing even if it did look a little 'rustic'!
Classic Chocolate roulade
A classic chocolate roulade made without flour for a rich and decadent after dinner dessert.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 175 g plain chocolate
- 175 g caster sugar
- 6 eggs , separated
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved
For the filling
- 300 ml double cream
To serve
- 1 punnet fresh raspberries
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Line a swiss roll tin (23cm x 32cm) with non-stick baking parchment
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and leave to cool
- Add sugar and egg yolks to a mixing bowl and whisk until pale yellow and creamy
- Put the chocolate in the mixing bowl and mix well
- In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry
- Stir one large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate, mix gently and then add the remaining egg whites folding everything together gently until combined
- Fold in the cocoa powder
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level out with a paddle knife
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until firm to the touch
- Remove the cake from the oven, place a clean damp tea towel over the top and leave it in the tin to cool completely
- Whip the cream until it just holds its shape
- Dust a large piece of non-stick baking parchment with icing sugar
- Turn out the roulade onto the baking parchment and peel away the lining paper
- Spread the whipped cream on top and (if using) add the raspberries in rows
- Starting at the short edge, roll the cake tightly using the paper to help. The chocolate roulade will crack, but don't worry!
- Decorate with raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar
Notes
Make sure the chocolate is cooled before it is added to the egg mix or it will go grainy. Don't use anything other than a swiss roll tin otherwise you won't be able to roll it at the end. Make sure the cake is completely cool before attempting to roll it. The chocolate roulade will crack, if the cracks are really big then push them together with your hands as it will still be pliable. The cracks and lumps and bumps of a chocolate roulade are all part of the charm!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 371Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 4g
Leave a Reply