Chocolate Roulage
Submitted by gmh50
Flourless chocolate roulade filled with vanilla whipped cream and dusted with cocoa. Eight eggs, two kinds of chocolate, and zero flour make this roll intensely rich and tender.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
20 minREADY
75 minNo flour. No butter. Just chocolate, eggs, sugar, and whipped cream. That’s what makes a roulade so extraordinary.
The batter is essentially a fallen souffle: egg yolks beaten with sugar until thick, folded with melted sweet and semi-sweet chocolate, then lifted with stiffly whipped egg whites. It bakes in a jelly roll pan for just 18 minutes, emerging as a thin, impossibly tender sheet of pure chocolate.
Covered with damp towels and cooled (this prevents cracking), the cake gets spread with sweetened whipped cream and rolled into a log. A generous dusting of cocoa powder over the top gives it that classic French patisserie finish.
Slice it thick and serve chilled. Every bite is silk.
Chef Tips
- Cover the baked cake immediately with damp towels and leave them on for 30 minutes; this keeps the cake pliable enough to roll without splitting
- Dust the top with cocoa before flipping; it prevents sticking to the wax paper
- Roll from the long side for a taller, more elegant spiral
- Handle gently during rolling. This is a flourless cake, so it’s extremely delicate by nature
- Chill for at least an hour after rolling so the whipped cream firms up and the slices hold their shape
Ingredients
Directions
Oil the bottom of a 15½ x l15½ x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the width of pan and extend about 1 inch over ends.
Place the chocolates and the water in the top of a double boiler over hot water.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted, then cool.
Place the egg yolks in a large mixer bowl and beat slightly with the mixer.
Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and of a batter consistency.
Stir in the chocolate with a rubber spatula until well combined and free of streaks.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture thoroughly to lighten, then fold in the remaining egg whites carefully but completely with a rubber spatula.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) F oven for 18 minutes.
Remove from oven and cover top with damp towels.
Let stand for 30 minutes or until cooled.
Remove the towels carefully, then loosen by lifting the extending ends of waxed paper.
Place cocoa in a fine sieve and dust top generously.
Place a piece of waxed paper over the top, then place a cookie sheet on top and invert.
Peel the waxed paper carefully from the cake.
Place the cream in a large mixer bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Sprinkle in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff.
Stir in the vanilla.
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake.
Roll the cake from the long side, as for a jelly roll, directly onto a serving tray.
Roll with care as this cake is extremely tender.
Dust the top generously with cocoa.
You may refrigerate the roll for several hours before serving.
Cut into slices to serve.
Comments
What do you do with the 13 cups of water in this recipe for Chocolate roulage? I want to make it, but am confused!
Thanks for your comment, just updated the recipe, and it should be 1/3 cup of cold water, definitely not 13 cups. Enjoy this delicious cake!