This is the first lucky chocolate rolled cake recipe we have ever found. This cake rolled without sticking together or splitting! Hooray!
Rolled Cakes…ARGH!!!!
We have historically not had the best luck with chocolate cake roll recipes. They seem a bit more finicky than their vanilla counterparts and we have often resorted to turning shredded wish-you-were-a-rolled cake into a trifle while stifling screams of frustration. But, we’ve been on a long rolled cake kick, in part because we discovered that you can bake patterns into the roll, which for unknown reasons, gives us great joy. Between our increased confidence in our cake rolling skills and the added incentive of baking some kind of cute design into the roll, we couldn’t resist this recipe for a Saint Patrick’s day themed mint chocolate chip chocolate rolled cake. We have found that Japanese style chiffon cakes tend to roll better and be a bit more forgiving than a traditional sponge cake. They also have a nice springy texture are a bit less dry.
How To Bake Patterns onto a Swiss Roll
First, you make a small quantity of pattern batter and dye it whatever color(s) you want. Ideally you use gel food dye, so that it doesn’t become too runny. If you’re using liquid food dye, just be prepared to add a bit more flour to make the batter workable. We like to sketch the pattern onto parchment paper and then flip it over, so that the pencil line is facing the bottom of the pan, and not touching our food. Alternatively, you can print out a pattern and place the sheet underneath the parchment paper. Then, you can pour the pattern batter into a little ziploc bag, snip off the end, and gently push it out onto the pattern. After a quick trip to the freezer, the pattern batter gets covered with cake batter and baked. Once inverted, the cute pattern covers the exterior of your jelly roll.
A Short History of the Swiss Roll
The Swiss Roll is yet another culinary mystery. Its origins seem to lie somewhere in central Europe, despite its name. It’s also known as a jelly roll and appears frequently in American and British cookbooks starting in the nineteenth century, which seems to have been quite the period of innovation when it comes to fancy cakes. Versions of it are made locally all around the world, and they are particularly popular in Asia, where they are cake is typically rolled with whipped cream and fruit.
Fancy Cakes!
Looking for more ways to while away an afternoon while making something delectable? Check out these fancy cake ideas:
Useful Tools for Making this Chocolate Rolled Cake Recipe
Luck of the Irish Mint Chocolate Rolled Cake Recipe
Equipment
- quarter baking sheet or jelly roll pan
- parchment paper
- offset spatula
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Chocolate Rolled Cake
Pattern Batter
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- gel food coloring
- 1/2 tbsp water
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- 1/4 cup milk
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Cream Cheese Mint Stracciatella Filling:
- 1 package cream cheese (8 oz) at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbps heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp mint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
For the Shamrock Pattern
- Prepare the shamrock patterned parchment paper (either draw the pattern directly on the paper and flip it over, or print out a pattern and slide it under the paper) and put it on a quarter sheet (9 1/2 x 13 inch) baking sheet or jelly roll (10 1/2 x 15 inch) pan.
- Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl until foamy in a medium bowl. Then gradually add the powdered sugar (1/4 cup). Beat in the vanilla extract (1/4 tsp). Add a few drops of green gel coloring. Then, sift in the flour and fold it into egg mixture. If needed, thin the batter with water. It be easy to pipe but hold its shape – like royal icing.
- Pour the shamrock batter into a piping bag with a small tip. Pipe the shamrocks into the pattern.Carefully slide the piped shamrocks into the freezer and let chill for 20-30 minutes. While the shamrocks chill, make the chocolate chiffon cake.
For the Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cocoa powder on medium heat until the powder is fully dissolved. Do not let the milk come to a boil. Stir continuously, while breaking up the clumps of powder. Once dissolved, set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together sugar, baking soda, the first portion of cream of tartar, salt, and flour.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract, and chocolate milk mixture. Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not overmix. Set the chocolate-flour mixture aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on low speed until frothy, then add the second portion of cream of tartar.
- Increase speed to medium, once whites have become opaque and bubble size has tightened up, add sugar in a slow stream.
- Increase high speed, whip until stiff peaks form. Now you have a meringue on your hands!
- Gently stir 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up.
- Gently fold the rest of the meringue into the chocolate-flour mixture.
- Remove the prepared shamrock pan from the freezer and pour the chocolate cake batter into the pan, starting at the center of the pan. Spread the batter out in an even layer throughout the pan, using an angled spatula.
- Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the top of the cake springs back when gently prodded in the center.
- Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing. Invert cake onto a fresh piece of parchment on a wire rack and gently remove the original parchment paper covering the shamrocks. Put a fresh piece of parchment paper on the top, then flip again so that the top (shamrock) side is facing down.
- Roll the cake gently, starting at the short end, layering the parchment paper between the rolls to prevent any sticking. It's important to do this while the cake is still warm, to avoid cracking.While the cake cools, make the filling.
For the Cream Cheese Mint Straciatella Filling:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together at medium speed until smooth and creamy using the paddle attachment in the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, alternating with the whipping cream. Beat well, 2-3 minutes. Then beat in the vanilla and mint extracts. Lastly, fold in the dark chocolate shards.
Assemble the Cake
- Unroll the cooled cake roll and fill it with the cream filling, spreading the filling out with an offset spatula. Chill for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before serving.
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