Rose's Baking Basics

Chocolate Roll

Serves 8

Oven Temperature: 350°F/175°C

Baking Time: 16 to 18 minutes

Baking Equipment: One 17¼ by 12¼ by 1 inch half-sheet pan, coated with shortening and lined with a nonstick Teflon-type liner or parchment, leaving a 2 inch overhang on the long sides, coated with baking spray with flour (see Baking Pearl)

This ethereal chocolate roll is a no-compromise dessert for the gluten intolerant and also one of my favorite cakes in my entire repertoire. I like to fill it with 2 cups Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream.

6 (to 9) large eggs, separated:
6 (to 9) yolks (see Baking Pearls)	112 grams	¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons (104 ml)
6 whites	180 grams	¾ cup (177 ml)
unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder	37 grams	½ cup (sifted before measuring), divided
boiling water	59 grams	¼ cup (59 ml)
pure vanilla extract	.	1 teaspoon (5 ml)
unsalted butter	28 grams	2 tablespoons
sugar, preferably superfine	133 grams	⅔ cup, divided
cream of tartar	.	¾ teaspoon
Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream, for filling	244 grams	2 cups

Preheat the Oven

▪ Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 350ºF/175ºC.

Mise en Place

▪ Thirty minutes to 1 hour ahead, set the eggs on the counter at room temperature (65º to 75ºF/19º to 24ºC).

▪ Cut the butter into cubes.

▪ In a small glass bowl, whisk 32 grams/7 tablespoons of the cocoa and the boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.

▪ Into separate bowls, weigh or measure the egg yolks and whites.

Make the Batter

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat 100 grams/½ cup of the sugar with the egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes, or until very thick and fluffy (tripled in volume), and when the beater is raised the mixture falls in ribbons.

2. With a silicone spatula, scrape in the cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until evenly incorporated. Be sure to reach into the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any cocoa mixture that may have settled on the bottom.

▪ Wash, rinse, and dry the whisk beater to remove any trace of oil. If you do not have a second mixer bowl, scrape the mixture into a large bowl and thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry the mixer bowl to remove any trace of oil.

3. In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy. Gradually raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly.

4. Detach the beater and use it to fold one-quarter of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue. Finish folding with a large silicone spatula.

5. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake the Cake

6. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The cake will have puffed and lost its shine, and will spring back when pressed lightly in the center. Meanwhile, wet a clean dish towel and wring it out well.

Cool the Cake

7. Set the pan on a wire rack. Sift the remaining cocoa evenly over the top of the cake. Cover it immediately with the damp towel and allow it to cool completely.

assemble the Cake Roll

8. Remove the towel and, lifting by a long edge of the liner, gently slide the cake from the pan onto the counter. Spread at once with the whipped cream and roll up from the long side, using the liner for support and gently peeling it away as you go. If desired, dust lightly with more cocoa or with powdered sugar.

Store uncovered: room temperature, 1 hour.

Covered: refrigerated, 2 days.

Baking Pearls

If you need this cake to be 100 percent flourless or gluten-free, spray the pan liner with non-stick cooking spray without flour. The cake will be harder to remove from the liner but doable with a little care.

The ratio of white to yolk in an egg can vary to such a degree that you may need as few as 6 or as many as 9 eggs for this recipe. It is therefore advisable to weigh or measure the separated yolks and add or reduce if needed.

Egg yolks will become dry and crusty if they sit with the sugar for more than a few minutes before beating. Therefore, do not add the sugar until just before starting to beat them.

If you would like to store the cake roll for up to 2 days, use the Cornstarch-Stabilized Whipped Cream.

Make This Recipe Your Own

Replace the whipped cream with Chocolate Mousse Ganache.

Making a Chocolate Roll