With the August bank holiday weekend approaching I am getting organised to cook a special Sunday lunch for the family. Somehow, getting together with my family this year seems so much more important. So this week my recipe is my granddaughter’s favourite ever dessert – chocolate roulade!
Chocolate Roulade
This delicious, indulgent dessert is easy to make and will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. It also freezes beautifully so can be prepared in advance, and is gluten free. You will need an electric mixer to make this recipe (unless you have very strong arms and a lot of stamina!)
Ingredients
- Roulade Ingredients
7 eggs
6oz / 170gms / 3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2oz / 15gms / 1 tablespoon rice flour
1 1/2oz / 45gms / 3 tablespoons cocoa
- Filling Ingredients
14 fl oz / 400mls / 2 cups double cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350F / 180C (160C Fan) / Gas Mark 4.
- Grease and line a swiss roll tin (9″ x 13″ / 23cm x 32.5cm approximately) with baking parchment so that it comes about 1 1/2″ / 4cm above the tin. See the picture below for how this should look.
- Separate the eggs.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
- Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Sieve the cocoa and rice flour into the egg yolk mixture and mix together until smooth.
- Using a large metal spoon fold the egg whites into this mixture. Add them in 3 parts folding each addition in carefully before adding more. You should use a cutting and folding movement in the shape of a figure of eight.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared tin tipping the tin carefully from side to side so the mixture spreads evenly into the corners.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. It should be well risen and feel firm when gently touched with a fingertip.
- Loosen the baking parchment around the edges of the roulade and leave to cool in the tin. As it cools it will shrink back considerably.
- While the roulade is cooling, make the filling.
- Put the filling ingredients into a bowl and beat together until soft peaks form – you want it to be stiff but still soft enough to spread easily.
- When the roulade is cool, cut a piece of baking parchment about two inches / 5cm larger in all directions than the roulade. Lay this on a working surface and sieve approximately two tablespoons of icing sugar all over it. Turn the roulade out onto this and remove the lining paper.
- Spread the filling over the roulade.
- Now roll the roulade up using the baking parchment. You can be quite firm when you roll it – it is surprisingly robust.
- You will now have a rolled roulade wrapped in baking parchment which you can store in the fridge for up to three days. If you wish to freeze it, wrap it in cling film as well. It will keep for up to one month in the freezer.
- When you want to serve your roulade just unwrap the baking parchment, place on a serving dish and sprinkle with a little more icing sugar.
Serving Suggestions
Chocolate roulade is delicious by itself but even better served with raspberries and a raspberry coulis. Raspberries and chocolate seem to have a special affinity.
How To Make Raspberry Coulis
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Directions
- Simmer 250gms of raspberries (frozen will do) with 50gms of sugar and a tablespoon of water until very soft.
- Press through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- Serve cold with the chocolate roulade. It is also delicious warm poured over ice cream.
Have a lovely bank holiday weekend! Do let me know if you make a chocolate roulade and how it turned out!
