Chocolate Roll

This Chocolate Roll is made with moist chocolate chiffon that is filled and frosted with luscious chocolate ganache. We all need a rich chocolate cake once in a while, don’t we?

Sometimes you just crave a rich chocolate cake, don’t you? One that is not so sweet but undeniably screaming in rich chocolate flavor. This Chocolate Roll is it. And while this cake promises so much flavor, there is nothing complicated about its ingredients.

The frosting is simply chocolate ganache. What else can be more chocolatey than that? This chocolate roll can be your birthday cake, special occasion cake, potluck cake, or any day cake.

What I Love About this Chocolate Roll?

• It has a deep chocolate flavor from the chocolate-flavored chiffon and the creamy chocolate ganache.
• The chocolate chiffon is moist yet sturdy, making it perfect for rolling.
• It is made made with simple ingredients.

Let’s Make Chocolate Roll Cake

First, make the chocolate ganache. The chocolate ganache needs 2-3 hours at room temperature to cool down and thicken. So it would be ideal to make it first. Making chocolate ganache is simple. All you need is heavy cream/ whipping cream and chocolate. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe.

• Put the chocolate chips in a heat-resistant glass bowl. In a medium saucepan, pour the heavy cream. Over medium heat, heat the cream while stirring occasionally, until the sides begin to form small bubbles.
• Turn off the heat. Remove the cream from the stove and carefully pour it over the chocolate in the bowl.
• Cover the bowl with another heat-resistant plate and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. This allows the heat to penetrate the chocolate well so it melts readily when you stir.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir the mixture until it’s smooth. Let this sit at room temperature until it completely cools, about 2-3 hours. The ganache will also thicken as it cools.

Next, let’s make the chocolate chiffon. Spray a 10x 15 baking pan with cooking spray. Line it with parchment paper that extends up to the sides of the pan. Grease the parchment paper as well. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips together with the cocoa powder and water over medium heat. Stir the mixture until it is smooth. Allow this to cool completely.

In a bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and oil until the mixture is slightly thicker. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, and stir until the color is uniform. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate batter and using a rubber spatula, stir everything together until it is smooth and thick.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Add about 1/2 cup of the meringue to the chocolate batter to thin the batter down. Stir until uniform in color. Fold the remaining meringue in three additions to the chocolate batter using a rubber spatula.

Pour and scrape the chiffon cake batter onto the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool down just until it is barely warm, then cover it loosely with foil or with another baking pan to seal the moisture. Allow it to cool completely, still on the pan and on top of a wire rack as you wait for the ganache to set.

Once the ganache is ready, it’s time for the assembly of the cake roll. First, we prepare the chocolate filling. Scoop out about 1 and 1/2 cups of the cooled ganache and transfer it into a mixing bowl. Whip the ganache until it is thick and fluffy. Set aside. This will become the chocolate filling.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the cake. Top the cake with a piece of parchment paper that is slightly larger than the cake, then top everything with another baking pan of the same or bigger size. Turn everything over to invert the cake. Gently peel off the parchment backing.

Reposition the parchment and a baking pan over the cake and invert everything once more. The cake is now right side up again, and resting on an inverted baking pan. Now we can do the rolling!

Let’s roll the cake! Spread the whipped ganache over the surface of the cake using an offset spatula. With the short edge of the cake in front of you, lift the end of the cake using the parchment paper that holds the cake and start rolling the cake forward and away from you.

Use the parchment to hold the cake as you roll, and as you reach the other side, completely wrap the cake in the parchment. Pat and press the cake to reinforce its roundness and to patch any cracks that may have happened during the rolling. Don’t worry, this cake mends itself of any cracks 🙂

Now it’s time to frost the entire cake. Spread the cooled ganache over the top, sides, and edges of the cake. The ganache by this time is a bit flowy yet thick and spreadable. You should be able to spread it easily all over the cake.

To finish, transfer the remaining ganache into a piping bag fitted with a star or flower attachment. Pipe decorations on top of the cake, and if there is still more icing, pipe some flowers on the sides too!

Additional Tips

• The chocolate ganache will thicken as it cools. It will start out to be very runny. A good 2-3 hours at room temperature will turn the ganache into a thick, flowy consistency that you can easily spread.
• You can speed up the cooling process by storing the ganache in the fridge. But for it to cool evenly, stir it from time to time.
• After baking the cake, allow it cool until it is barely warm, then cover it loosely with foil or with another baking to prevent the cake from drying out while you wait for the ganache to be ready.
• If you choose to skip the whipping of the chocolate filling, make sure to use much less of the ganache to fill the cake. 1 and 1/2 cup of unwhipped ganache, will be too heavy for the cake.
• To store leftovers, wrap the cake in its serving plate, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

More Chocolate Goodness

• Best Ever Chocolate Brownies
• Chocolate Chiffon Cake
• Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Chocolate Icing
• Chocolate Cake Roll with Whipped Cream Icing