Yummy, light, and simple chocolate swiss roll! No matter the event, this chocolate cake roll may be prepared in no time.
Instructions for baking a pillowy chocolate swiss roll.
THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASE OF THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE
A genoise sponge cake forms the foundation of this chocolate cake roll. Whipping eggs into a froth acts as the leavening agent for a sponge cake.
- Eggs + egg yolk – Whipping the eggs adds volume to the cake batter, making it fluffy. The extra egg yolk offers more fat to keep the cake from being too dry, as well as more taste.
- Brown sugar is used in the chocolate cake because I like the molasses flavour. Nevertheless, white sugar can also be used.
- All-purpose flour – This is what I use. Only a small amount is used to give the egg foam structure.
- I use Callebaut dutch cocoa powder, but you can also use natural cocoa powder or any other dutch cocoa powder.
- Baking powder – Baking powder is not used as a rising agent in traditional genoise sponge cake. But, I use a small amount in this recipe to make it failsafe! It guarantees that the cake will rise and be fluffy and tender, even if it deflates slightly.
- Clarified butter (or melted butter) is used to increase the fat content of the cake. It, like the egg yolk, gives moisture to the cake and keeps it from being too dry or tasting too dry.
- Vanilla extract, coffee, and salt – These flavours complement the chocolate swiss roll. I like to dissolve instant coffee in vanilla essence before adding it to the butter. Now stir the salt into the egg mixture so that it dissolves as it heats.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THE SWISS ROLL CAKE BATTER STEP BY STEP
This dish is simple! Nevertheless, read the entire recipe at least once and have ALL of the ingredients measured and ready to go in separate bowls before you begin. Because the recipe moves rapidly, it’s easier to have everything ready to go.
PREPARE THE JELLY ROLL PAN AND PREHEAT THE OVEN
Butter and line a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Cooking spray is also an option, but I prefer butter.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
BREAK DOWN THE BUTTER, and KEEP IT WARM
To make the clarified butter, melt a bit more butter than is required. Brown butter or simply melting the butter would also work. Melt the butter, then stir in the vanilla extract and put aside.
HAVE YOUR INGREDIENTS MEASURED OUT AND SET Aside
Accurately estimating components is essential. Separate the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder) and the wet ingredients (melted butter, vanilla extract), then combine the eggs and yolks with the sugar in yet another bowl.
BLEND THE EGGS AND YOLK
To whisk the eggs and yolks, combine them with the sugar in a double boiler for 2 to 4 minutes. When the egg and sugar combination has reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be beaten until frothy and stable.
Make a ribbon flow with some of the batter to see if the foam is stable. If the ribbon does not vanish, it is ready.
WARMLY BLEND THE DRY INGREDIENTS IN
Combine the baking powder and cocoa flour by sifting the two together. Spread it evenly over the top of the egg foam by sifting it again. When doing so, rotate the bowl so that you get to the centre and bottom of the batter as you fold it in. It’s important that there are no isolated areas of dryness (pockets of unmixed flour). Make an effort to fold it in with no more than 15 folds.
ADD BUTTER AND VANILLA EXTRACT
It is necessary to emulsify the butter before incorporating it. To emulsify the butter into the batter, add about a cup of the batter to the bowl of melted and heated butter and mix thoroughly. Adding the butter again into the batter won’t deflate it as much as before.
At this point, evenly distribute the butter mixture over the top of the batter. When turning the bowl, fold it in (just like you did with the flour mixture above). Care must be taken not to puncture the batter’s confidence. In no case should you fold more than ten to twelve times.
Here’s how to make a chocolate Swiss roll from scratch using the prepared batter
POUR AND BAKE
The cake batter should be poured into the prepared pan. Try to pour evenly. Then, using an offset spatula, distribute the mixture evenly. To ensure that the batter is distributed evenly, give the pan a quick shake and then tap it on the counter a few times to get rid of any large air bubbles.
Put the cake in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it springs back when touched.
ROLLING THE CAKE
In order to achieve the classic swiss roll shape, the cake must be taken out of the oven as soon as it is done baking and immediately rolled up. Rolling the cake while it’s still warm is essential, as this is when the cake is at its most malleable. That way, you can fill the cake and roll it up again without any hassle.
The cake can be rolled up in the same parchment paper it was baked in, or a fresh sheet of parchment paper can be used.
When showcasing a finished chocolate swiss roll, the bottom of the cake should be facing outward. The cake should be rolled up with the prettier side facing down. Roll the cake with the filling facing up, as that is where it will ultimately be placed.
Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) or cocoa powder.
First, I make two shallow slashes along one of the shorter edges, and then I cut off the tip of the opposite shorter side. You don’t have to do this, but it does help create a nice, tight seal when you roll up the cake.
To assist the cake keep its form during transport, I roll it up in the parchment paper and then cover it in additional parchment paper or a paper towel. The rolled-up cake needs to cool to room temperature.
FILLING THE CAKE
The chocolate cake roll can be customised with a variety of fillings. Whilst the cake is chilling, you can prepare the filling.
You’ll need to unroll the chocolate swiss roll very gently before you can fill it. With a spatula, spread a uniform layer of icing over the unrolled cake, making sure to leave a gap of 3/4 inch to 1 inch at the seam end (see pictures below).
Re-roll the cake while removing the paper from the outside. And as you continue, give it a gentle tightening so you end up with a lovely spiral.
Then, wrap the swiss roll in parchment paper or a cloth napkin to help it keep its shape while in the fridge (this will take at least 2 hours). The filling and form can then harden in this time.
Chocolate swiss roll can be stuffed with a variety of fillings
In these examples, have used a cheat’s chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.
There are, however, other choices available for the filling.
Cream whipped to stiff peaks, as I have done in the case of the vanilla swiss roll cake.
Buttercream frosting from the United States, typically available in either vanilla or chocolate.
vanilla or chocolate buttercream flavoured like traditional Swiss meringue butter.
Alternatively, you may use cream cheese whipped cream, like I did, as a filling for this pumpkin swiss roll.
Instead, you could use chocolate whipped cream, like I did in the past for my Yule Log Cakes (recipe forthcoming!).
Fruit-flavored icing works just as well.
CUTTING AND SERVING THE CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL CAKE
If you want your chocolate swiss roll to seem more polished, trim off the ends.
The cake needs no embellishment before being served. You can sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top if you prefer. Buttercream is a great choice for the cake’s frosting, but a chocolate ganache glaze or even just the glaze would be delicious as well.
A GUIDE TO SLICE CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLLS WITHOUT MESSING THEM UP
Use a warm, sharp knife to cut the cake neatly into slices. When I want to cut through a cake carefully, I like to heat my knife in the sink, dry it, and then do so. Next, do it again to make more slices.
This chocolate whipped cream filled swiss roll cake is my favourite because it is just as airy as the cake itself. It’s true that the buttercream makes the cake much more decadent.
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