Baking with Mary Berry and the Chocolate Roulade

Baking with Mary Berry and the Chocolate Roulade

Mary Berry’s Ultimate Chocolate Roulade with Chocolate Curls

I confess, I’ve been binge watching The Great British Bake Off  on YouTube ever since two friends recommended it earlier this autumn. I bite my fingernails dreading soggy bottoms, split custard, and under-proofed bread. I’m in awe of the homemade strudel dough, the Charlotte Royales, and English muffins. All baked in a tent, under pressure, with cameras rolling. Put me in those conditions and I’d collapse faster than a gingerbread house set in front of a rambunctious golden retriever.

Knowing I’ll never take part in The Great British Bake Off, I will play along using recipes from Mary Berry’s latest book Baking with Mary Berry: Cakes, Cookies, Pies and Pastries from the British Queen of Cakes (DK ©2015). Of the 100+ recipes, I chose to tackle the Ultimate Chocolate Roulade for two reasons. One, it stumped everyone in the technical challenge during Season 2. And two, a roulade has been on my culinary bucket list for a long time. What better opportunity to cross it off?

Then I found out I’d been granted an interview with The Queen of Cakes herself, and I panicked. Would my results be good enough? According to Mary, cracks in the roulade are quite normal. But mine were slightly larger than the ones pictured in her cookbook, so I topped the roulade with chocolate curls using Mary’s cheese slicer technique. (See final step on this showstopper cake for details.)

I’ll be posting the interview soon. (Update: My interview with Mary Berry is now up.) In the meantime, let’s take a look at the latest of her more than 80 (yes, that’s eighty. No typo!) cookery books.

Baking with Mary Berry

Baking With Mary Berry

At first glance I thought this book was a compilation of recipes showcased on The Great British Bake Off over the past six years. Since the series has crossed the pond to the US, it seemed a logical way to introduce a new audience to the wonders of Battenburg Cake, Treacle Tarts and Queen of Puddings. Had I read the introduction I’d have known it’s a compilation of her favourites.

As I flipped through the pages I was relieved to find the recipes have been converted for the North American home baker. Flour and butter is measured in cups, not grams. Treacle is replaced with golden syrup (I love Lyle’s) or a combination of corn syrup and honey. Recipes require heavy or whipping cream instead of the elusive double cream I would kill for. Yes, some recipes call for self-rising flour, but this has recently made its way onto our supermarket shelves, so all the recipes can be made without substitutions.

Canadians might be confused to see icing sugar (a term we share with the Brits) now called “confectioners’ sugar”, but with so many American cookbooks and magazines in our stores it shouldn’t be an issue.

The concise Techniques section covers most of the basics needed to make the recipes, complete with step-by-step photos. It’s a crash course on cakes, pastry, steamed puddings, creme patissiere, and egg whites. Then you dive right into breakfast foods and don’t come up for air until the Special Occasion Desserts. On the way, Mary shares everything listed in the subtitle as well as cobblers, brownies, and British Favorites (with the “u” ironically edited out).

My only disappointment is most of the recipes lack headnotes. How did Dundee Cake come about? What does one look for in the perfect Flapjack? Who is Eve and why is her pudding so special? I guess I’ll have to keep watching the show to find out.

So, soften some butter, set out the eggs, and tie a double knot in your apron. The holidays are barrelling down on us and the pressure is on. I might not have a Smeg refrigerator, but I do have Mary Berry’s recipes — with complete instructions. To quote Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, “On your mark. Get set. Bake!”

Mary Berry’s Ultimate Chocolate Roulade with chocolate curls

Print

Baking with Mary Berry and the Chocolate Roulade

While it looks similar to a Swiss roll, the roulade is a flourless cake. Without elastic gluten, the cake tends to crack when rolled, which gives it a distinctive look.

  • Author: Mary Berry
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale
  • Butter for greasing
  • 6 oz (175g) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 6 extra large eggs, separated
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream
  • Confectioner’s sugar  (icing sugar) for sifting

Special equipment

  • 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) Swiss roll pan

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease the pan, then line with parchment paper, pushing it into the corners.
  2. Put the chocolate into the heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of hot water, and heat gently until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow the chocolate to cool slightly until warm.
  3. Put the egg whites into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held mixer on high speed until stiff but not dry. Put the sugar and egg yolks into another large bowl, and beat with the same mixer (no need to wash) on high speed until light, thick, and creamy. Add the chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and stir until blended.
  4. Fold 2 large spoonfuls of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites followed by the cocoa powder. Turn into the prepared pan, and gently level the surface.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan (it will dip and crack a little).
  6. When the cake is cold, whip the cream in a bowl until it just holds its shape. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the large sheet of parchment paper. Turn the cake onto the paper with one of the short edges facing you and peel off the lining paper. Spread the whipped cream over the cake, then make a shallow cut through the cream and cake along the short edge nearest you, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) in from the edge. Roll up the roulade away from you, tightly to start with, and using the paper to help. Don’t worry if it cracks — this is quite normal, and how it should be. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the roulade before serving.

Notes

This recipe is excerpted with permission from Baking with Mary Berry: Cakes, Cookies, Pies and Pastries from the British Queen of Cakes (DK ©2015).

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10 Comments
  • Zokudo
    Posted at 05:03h, 04 December

    This looks so YUM ! I though i’d start dieting to loose some weight and BAM, i see this post and i feel like eating a chocolate cake already !
    Keep posting such yummy things!

  • Marlene
    Posted at 12:42h, 05 December

    Oh, what a fun cake to make! My mother used to make rolled cakes — I remember watching her roll them with the aid of a tea towel, and how pretty they looked, sliced and on a plate awaiting my fork! ISuch an interesting recipe, and so few ingredients … definitely one to try.

    I’m looking forward to your interview with Mary Berry — clearly, I need to start watching the Great British Bake Off — it sounds both educational and entertaining, my favourite combo for TV viewing.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:21h, 08 December

    I always feel like eating chocolate cake. Sorry to ruin your diet. 🙂

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:24h, 08 December

    I love that this doesn’t need flour so it’s an easy gluten-free alternative to take to parties! Plus, the mess factor is built right in! Thanks for sharing your memories of your mom making rolled cakes. I think mine did once, but it mucked up her dish towels and she never made one again. This one uses parchment, so it’s an easy clean up.

    I just posted the interview. Heading back to the dashboard to add a link in this piece.

  • Ashiyana
    Posted at 06:46h, 07 November

    Wow…This looks really mouthwatering….Thanks dear for sharing the recipe…Will surely give it a try..Bookmarking right away..

  • Pingback:{Cooking with Friends} A Lesson in Baking with Chocolate, by The Messy Baker - Food Nouveau
    Posted at 15:16h, 29 April

    […] Brownies. And when I interviewed the one and only Mary Berry, I chose to share her recipe for Chocolate Roulade, even though a classic vanilla Victoria Layer Cake is her […]

  • Sheri L.
    Posted at 11:56h, 31 January

    I have made this recipe twice now, I am an experienced baker and followed the recipe to the T. Both times my roulade didn’t just crack, it broke. After the first time, I figured it cracked because it was probably quite dry as our oven runs quite hot. So I lowered the temp and baking time and as soon as the top was firm I took it out. Followed the rest of the steps exactly and the stupid thing broke again. I know I’ve got the egg whites and everything else just right so I cannot figure out what is wrong. It’s driving me crazy. By the way, it tastes amazing!!! I just can’t get it to stop from breaking when I roll it and I’ve got my rolling technique down. (watched Mary’s video) : )

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 22:17h, 07 February

    This is puzzling. You seem to have covered the bases – lowering the temperature and baking time since your oven runs hot. This roulade WILL crack since it’s flourless. Mary stated it in her headnote, so I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 22:21h, 07 February

    Hit “reply” too soon. I meant to add that I wonder about the eggs. With macaron, really fresh eggs cause cracking, but older eggs are better. I wonder if using older (yet still fresh!) eggs might do the trick. I will still crack but be rollable. Just a thought.

    Regardless, I feel your frustration and admire your perseverance. If you do try older eggs, I’d be curious to know if it works out! Happy baking!

  • Kate deBruin
    Posted at 10:57h, 12 March

    I love Mary Berry & I’m going to try my hand at this recipe next week. Should I use regular dark chocolate or baking chocolate? Does it matter?