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From America's Test Kitchen Season 2: Chocolate Desserts
A chocolate roulade can be a baker’s nightmare—a hard-to-roll cake with a dry texture and a filling that squirts out the sides instead of staying put. We wanted a recipe for a true showcase roulade, a cake with a velvety texture and deep chocolate flavor, a thick, rich filling that stays put, and a decadent icing that covers it all.
We used bitter- or semisweet chocolate for maximum chocolate flavor. Six eggs gave our cake great support. A combination of cocoa and flour provided further structural support and extra chocolate flavor. Once the cake was baked, we cooled it briefly in the pan on a cooling rack, then unmolded it onto a kitchen towel rubbed with cocoa to prevent sticking. While the cake was still warm, we rolled it up with the towel inside, cooled it briefly, and then unrolled the cake—this method gave the cake a “memory” so it could be filled and re-rolled. For the filling, we made a simple espresso-flavored cream with just four ingredients, including the lush Italian cream cheese, mascarpone. Mascarpone provided both structural support and rich flavor. For the icing, we chose dark chocolate ganache, made with bittersweet chocolate and cognac for sophisticated flavor.
Serves 8 to 10
We suggest that you make the filling and ganache first, then make the cake while the ganache is setting up. Or, if you prefer, the cake can be baked, filled, and rolled--but not iced--then wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The roulade is best served at room temperature. To finish the yule, add meringue mushrooms if you like, (see related recipe).
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