Description
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.
Scale
Ingredients
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease the pan, then line with parchment paper, pushing it into the corners.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).