Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake

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This is a classic dessert that is super popular all year around, but especially around Christmas time and the Holiday Season. A classic Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake makes for the perfect centerpiece to the family table after a big meal. This dish is a beautiful, fluffy cake that has been filled with whipped Cream and rolled up. Cut off individual slices to showcase the beautiful swirl. Make sure you save room for dessert when this bad boy is in the fridge!

The classic Chocolate Swiss Roll cake consists of a light cake that is made by combining meringue with a Cocoa Powder based chocolate mix. The cake batter is then poured out over a large sheet pan and baked. Once the cake is hot, it is molded into the shape of a roll. Once cooled, Cream is added to the cake which is then rolled up

Finally, to finish off the decadence of this wonderful dessert, a layer of Chocolate Ganache is poured over the top of the cake. It’s placed in the refrigerator for a few hours to set, then it’s time to eat! It’s a great dessert to make for a big gathering with family and friends because of how generous it is. You’ll get 12+ slices easily, so plenty of food for a large family (or for a few hungry people who wants seconds and thirds!)

To avoid a dense Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake, gently fold the meringue into the Chocolate

A key element in getting the best result for your cake is when the whipped Egg Whites (meringue) is mixed into the Cocoa based chocolate mix. This is a little bit challenging, because the Cocoa mix is quite heavy, yet the Egg Whites are extremely light

To get a lighter consistency with your cake, avoid whipping the two ingredients together. Also, try to avoid using a spoon to aggressively combine the ingredients. Instead, use a cake spatula and gradually fold the egg whites into the mixture

The objective here is to keep as much air in the mixture as possible, therefore it will remain light and fluffy once it bakes. If you overmix the ingredients then you’ll end up with a dense cake. It’s totally fine if this is the cake, and many people prefer a denser cake overall. However, if you’re after the most authentic Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake, always fold in your egg whites

Once the ingredients are combined the Cake batter is poured out onto a Sheet Pan and baked for 10 minutes at 350F

Use a clean tea towel to help shape the Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake as soon as it has come out of the oven

Now this is quite the unique trick to shape the Cake. Once you have removed the Cake from the oven, carefully flip it over and lay it out straight on top of a clean, large tea towel. You then slowly roll the cake up into the towel to form a large cylinder

The Tea Towel will have completely wrapped the cake, which may look a little bizarre, but this trick does serve a key purpose. By rolling the cake in the towel while it is hot, you can shape the cake without it breaking. The towel helps to keep the Cakes shape while it is still hot

Allow the cake to cool, then slowly unroll the tea towel and remove it. The cake will naturally want to form back into it’s rolled shape, which will avoid any risk of it breaking. Generously apply the Whipped Cream filling, then simply roll the cake back up to form its shape!

Top the dessert with a rich, decadent Chocolate Ganache!

The final, and most decadent step in creating this delicious Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake is pouring a velvety, rich Chocolate Ganache Sauce all over the cake. The Ganache is super easy to make. Simply combine Heavy Cream and Dark Cooking Chocolate in a saucepan over some heat. Stir constantly until it creates a beautiful, silky-smooth Ganache

Then it’s the fun part of pouring this decadent Chocolate Ganache all over the Cake. We highly recommend you place the Cake on a wire rack on top a sheet pan to avoid all the Ganache going everywhere, as it could get a bit messy otherwise!

This is a fun step in the process which you can get the kids involved. The recipe makes more than enough Ganache so there will be plenty of spare for any spills, as well as some left over in the bowl for munching on too!

Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake mixture

• 4 Eggs, Whites and Yolks separated
• 2/3 cup White Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• ½ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp. strongly brewed Coffee
• ¼ cup Butter
  
  

Cream filling

• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 tbsp. Confectioners Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  
  

Chocolate Ganache

• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• 100g Dark Cooking Chocolate, broken into small pieces
  
  

Instructions

1. Place the Egg White and 1/3 cup of White Sugar in a mixing bowl and mix for 5 minutes on medium to form a Meringue. Remove from mixing bowl and set aside
2. Place the Egg Yolks, 1/3 cup of White Sugar and Vanilla Extract in the mixing bowl and whisk on medium for 3 minutes. Add the Baking Powder, Cocoa Powder, All Purpose Flour, and ¼ tsp. Salt and mix on low until the mixture has just combined. Add Cocoa Powder and Butter and whisk for 1 more minute
3. Fold in the Meringue with a spatula until fully incorporated. Do not whisk as you want to ensure the mixture stays light and aerated. Pour mixture into a large sheet pan covered with greased baking paper
4. Spread the mixture evenly to cover the Sheet pan, leaving the mixture about ½ inch thick. Bake for 10 minutes on 350F
5. Once cooked, remove from the Oven, and flip the cake out onto a clean tea towel. While hot, roll the Cake up in the Tea Towel to form it’s shape. After 1 hour, unroll and remove the tea towel
   
   

Preparing the Cream filling

6. To make the Cream filling, place the Cream, Confectioners Sugar, and Vanilla Extract in the mixing bowl. Mix in the stand mixer on medium high for 3 minutes until thick and whipped
7. Roll out the Cake onto a flat surface, being careful not to break it. Discard the tea towel, then spoon about half of the Cream filling into the Cake. Roll it back up to form a Log and then set aside on a wire rack over a sheet pan
   
   

Preparing the Ganache

8. Heat the Heavy Cream over low heat in a Saucepan. Once warm, add the Chocolate and melt through while stirring frequently. Avoid bringing the Cream to a boil as you combine with the Chocolate
9. Once smooth, slowly pour the Ganache over the Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake, ensuring an even coating through. Refrigerate for 2 hours
10. Cut individual slices of Cake to serve alongside the remaining Whipped Cream
    
    

We hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe to create a decadent Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake. It’s the perfect dessert for a festive gathering, or just if you want a yummy dessert in the fridge ready to eat! For more wonderful desserts like this one, head over to our Desserts page here. If you’re a fan of rich desserts like us, here are a few of our favorites we’d love for you to try out:

• Dark Chocolate Cake
• No Egg Chocolate Mousse
• Easy Crème Brulee
• The Best Brownies Ever
  
  

Happy Cooking!