Chocolate Cake Roll

‘Tis the season for fabulous, but easy desserts. I know this has a lot of steps, but it’s seriously easy. And seriously chocolate. And seriously delicious.

Chocolate Cake Roll

Cake layer:
6 ounces semisweet bittersweet chocolate, chopped or 1 cup semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons water
6 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or oil a 10-by-15-inch shallow baking or jellyroll pan. Line the bottom lengthwise with a piece of waxed or parchment paper that extends up the short sides one inch. 

Melt chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat or microwave until it is 75 percent 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, and continue to beat until yolks are pale and ribbony. Gently stir the chocolate and water into the yolk mixture. 

 

 

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites with salt until they hold stiff peaks. 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 prepared pan and smooth top.                                                                                     

 

 

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cake layer feels dry (but very soft) to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It will still seem a little underbaked. 

Transfer to a cooling rack and cover the top with a light damp towel or two layers of damp paper towels for 5 minutes. Gently remove towels; don’t fuss if they have a bit of cake stuck to them. Run a knife around the edges of the cake. Sift some cocoa over the top of the cake and a clean flour sack towel that is a little longer than the pan.                                                                                                    

 

 

 

Invert the cake onto it. Gently peel back the parchment or waxed paper that lined the pan. Sift the remaining cocoa powder over the top of the cake (that was, one minute ago, the underside). Using the towel underneath to help lift and roll the cake, roll the cake from short end to short end with the towel inside. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes, encased in its towel. 

Unroll gently, spread with:

(Note: I used 16 ounces of chocolate and 2 cups of cream, then divided in half and whipped half and drizzled the remainder. ) 

Whipped Ganache
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring 1 cup of cream just to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir the mixture very gently, incorporating the cream steadily, without overworking.

Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk or beat with electric beater until fluffy and smooth. 

Drizzle with:

Melted Ganache

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Decorate as desired or sprinkle with cocoa powder and a bit of powdered sugar.

 

So good! Enjoy!

This is when things go wrong:

I needed to make two cakes. This was the first one. No problem.

This was the second. I guess it has to be eaten though. So it went into the freezer. The melted ganache helped a lot. Just so you know that not all things go perfectly, but it doesn't change the flavor!