Chocolate Cake Roll with whipped cream filling

Happy New Year to all my followers! My first post of 2012 is a recipe for a light and chocolatey roll, which I made for a NYE dinner party I hosted last night. I found this recipe of Smitten Kitchen and followed it minutely.

It was a tricky process. Overall it took me 2 hours (photos time included)! ;) But surprisingly it worked! I flipped the cake upside down without breaking into pieces. I then rolled it without poking holes in it. It looks good and it tastes great. I am happy!

Ingredients

For the chocolate sponge

• 170g milk chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbs brewed coffee (or espresso)
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

For the filling

• 1 cup double or whipping cream
• 2-3 tbs icing sugar
• 1/2 tso vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Melt chocolate with coffee in a small saucepan over very low heat until about 75% of it is melted. Remove from heat and stir until the remaining chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add sugar gradually. Gently stir the chocolate into the yolk mixture.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with salt. Stir 1/4 of egg white mixture into the chocolate-yolk mixture to lighten it. Fold the remaining whites into the cake batter in three additions. Pour batter into oven pan with baking paper and bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and cover the top with two layers of damp kitchen paper for 10 minutes. Gently remove towels. Sift one tablespoon cocoa over the top of the cake and cover the cake with a dry tea towel. Place the back of an oven tray over the towel and invert the cake and paper onto it. Gently peel back the baking paper that lined the pan. Sift the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder over the top of the cake. Using the tea towel underneath to help lift and roll the cake, roll the cake with the towel inside. Let cool completely, encased in its towel.

Once cool, beat heavy cream with icing sugar and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks. Gently unroll chocolate cake and remove tea towel. Spread whipped cream filling evenly over cake. Gently use baking paper once again to roll cake. Place on serving platter. Let it rest and, just before serving, cut into thick slices.