Chocolate roulade
This chocolate roulade is a delicious, light but decadent dessert. With no flour, it’s gluten free but best of all, so easy to make.
Chocolate roulade is the ultimate light, but decadent dessert. This recipe, adapted from a Mary Berry classic if so easy even children and novice bakers can help make it.
The meringue roulade uses no flour, so it’s beautifully light and gluten free. It’s perfect for any special occasion or as a real Christmas showstopper.
What is the difference between a Swiss roll and a roulade?
It’s easy to confuse a Swiss roll and a roulade – they both come in a spiral! Essentially, a Swiss roll is a sponge cake with a jam / cream filling rolled up. A roulade can be any dish, sweet or savoury that comes rolled up.
So a Swiss roll is a roulade but a roulade isn’t always a Swiss roll!
This chocolate roulade is really a chocolate meringue roulade with a delicious soft meringue ‘sponge’ filled with cream.
How can kids help make the chocolate roulade?
This is a really simple dessert that kids will enjoy helping to make. It’s easy enough for older children to make on their own and really impress their friends and family.
If your kids have never separated egg whites / yolks before there are 6 chances to practice in this recipe. It’s much easier than you think so make sure you let them give it a try.
When it comes to mixing everything together, this is really easy for kids as long as you can trust them to be gentle enough not to knock all the air out of it.
Can I make the roulade ahead of time?
Yes. You can make this roulade the day before you want to serve it. Be sure to store it in the fridge though as the cream won’t keep at room temperature. Give it a last dusting of icing sugar just before you serve it.
How long will a chocolate roulade keep?
The roulade should keep covered in the fridge for a few days. If you want to keep it for longer you can freeze it for a month or so. Make sure it is in an airtight container and let it thaw fully at room temperature before you eat it.
What sort of chocolate should I use?
When I bake with dark chocolate I always use Bournville chocolate which has 36% cocoa solids.
Why did my roulade crack?
You can expect a little cracking when you roll up your roulade, but if you want to reduce the cracking you can leave a damp tea towel over it while it’s cooling down. That should stop it drying out and give you a better roll.
You also want to make sure it’s been baked properly. An underbaked roulade it’s likely to be too sticky and moist to roll properly. If, on the other hand, you overbake it, you’ll find it gets too hard and crisp and cracks when it’s rolled.
If your roulade does crack (ours did) cover it in icing sugar and serve it anyway. It’ll still taste delicious!
Other delicious desserts
If you liked this chocolate roulade, you’ll love our chocolate Swiss roll as well we some of our other delicious desserts:
Double chocolate cheesecake
3 ingredient chocolate mousse
Baked chocolate ripple cheesecake
Chocolate eclairs
Chocolate pots
Chocolate waffle pudding
No bake chocolate cheesecake
No bake mini chocolate tarts
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this chocolate roulade:
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Hand held mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Swiss roll tin
Spatula
Sauce pan
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Ingredients
175g (1 cup) dark chocolate (at least 35% cocoa solids)
6 eggs
175g (¾ cup + 1/8 cup) caster sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
300ml (1 ¼ cup) double cream
icing sugar (to dust)
How to make a chocolate roulade
Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C / 350F and grease and line a swiss roll tin
When you’re lining the tin with baking / parchment paper make sure you get it right in the corner. If you need to, snip the paper in the corner so it lies neatly.
Melt the chocolate
Get your kids to weigh the chocolate, and break it up into pieces to to make it easier to melt.
Put it all in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (a double boiler or bain marie). Make sure the bowl isn’t touch the water so the chocolate doesn’t scold.
Melt the chocolate gently, stirring it unil it is nice and smooth.
Alternatively, put the chocolate in a microwavable bowl and put it in the microwave on 80% for 30 second bursts. Stir it inbetween bursts making sure it doesn’t go on for long enough to burn.
Set the melted chocolate aside for now.
Whisk the egg whites
Start by getting your kids to separate the egg yolks / whites.
We normally do this by cracking the egg on a bowl then breaking it in half. We then tip the egg yolk from one half to the other, letting the whites fall into a bowl below.
Pop the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
Now whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer, until they are light and fluffy.
When they are ready, the egg whites will form stiff peaks, which means if you leave the whisk out the egg whites will stand proud and not fall down. If you were to turn the bowl upside down, the egg whites shouldn’t fall out.
Set the egg whites aside for now.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar
Get your kids to whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl or free-standing mixer. Keep going until they are thick and creamy. If you take the whisk out, the egg trail should leave a ‘ribbon’ on top of the mixture rather than disappearing straight away.
Add the melted chocolate
Pour the melted chocolate into the egg yolks and using a spatula, get your kids to gently fold them together.
Add the egg whites
Start by getting your kids to add a few spoons of the egg whites into your chocolate / egg yolk mixture. Really, really gently fold the egg whites in with a spatula or large metal spoon.
Now add the rest of the egg whites and fold them in gently.
Add the cocoa powder
Sift the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and gently mix it in.
You want the mixture to end up chocolatey, with no great lumps of egg white showing. But don’t mix it so much that you knock all the air out of your mixture.
Bake the chocolate roulade
Get your kids to carefully pour the roulade mixture into your prepared tin. Give it a wee shoogle to spread the mixture into each corner.
Bake the chocolate roulade in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
It’s ready when the top of the roulade feels firm and a little crisp.
Remove the roulade from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin. Don’t worry if it cracks and falls a little as it cools.
Make the chocolate roulade
Whip the cream. Get your kids to pour the cream into your free-standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Whip is with your whisk attachment, or hand held whisk until the cream is just holding it’s shape, but still a little soft.
Put a clean tea towel down on your work surface and lay a large piece of baking / parchment paper down on top of it. Carefully turn the roulade out on the baking paper then peel the paper from the base off.
If you find it difficult to turn the roulade out you can try putting a large chopping board on top then flipping them over together.
Get your kids to spread the whipped cream onto the roulade. Leave a few cm (about an inch) gap around the edges.
Now roll up the roulade, starting with the short edge facing you. To make it easier to roll, cut near the edge with a sharp knife, going about half way through the roulade.
Roll the roulade up, using the cut to help you make it tight in the middle. Use the baking paper / tea towel to help you roll it tightly.
Don’t worry too much if it cracks as you roll it – that’s part of the charm.
Finish it by dusting a little icing sugar over the top.
Pop it on a serving plate, serve and enjoy!
Chocolate roulade
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Hand held mixer
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Swiss roll tin
- Spatula
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 175 g (1 cup) dark chocolate (at least 35% cocoa solids)
- 6 eggs
- 175 g (¾ cup + 1/8 cup) caster sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) double cream
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C / 350F and grease and line a swiss roll tin
- When you're lining the tin with baking / parchment paper make sure you get it right in the corner. If you need to, snip the paper in the corner so it lies neatly.
Melt the chocolate
- Weigh the chocolate, and break it up into pieces to to make it easier to melt. Put it all in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (a double boiler). Make sure the bowl isn't touch the water so the chocolate doesn't scold.
- Melt the chocolate gently, stirring it unil it is nice and smooth.
- Alternatively, put the chocolate in a microwavable bowl and put it in the microwave on 80% for 30 second bursts. Stir it inbetween bursts making sure it doesn't go on for long enough to burn.
- Set the melted chocolate aside for now.
Whisk the egg whites
- Start by separating the egg yolks / whites. We normally do this by cracking the egg on a bowl then breaking it in half. We then tip the egg yolk from one half to the other, letting the whites fall into a bowl below.
- Pop the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
- Now whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer, until they are light and fluffy. When they are ready, the egg whites will form stiff peaks, which means if you leave the whisk out the egg whites will stand proud and not fall down. If you were to turn the bowl upside down, the egg whites shouldn't fall out.
- Set the egg whites aside for now.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar
- Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl or free-standing mixer. Keep going until the egg yolks are thick and creamy. If you take the whisk out, the egg trail should leave a 'ribbon' on top of the mixture rather than disappearing straight away.
Add the melted chocolate
- Pour the melted chocolate into the egg yolks and using a spatula, gently fold them together.
Add the egg whites
- Start by adding a few spoons of the egg whites into your chocolate / egg yolk mixture. Really, really gently fold the egg whites in with a spatula or large metal spoon.
- Now add the rest of the egg whites and fold them in gently.
Add the cocoa powder
- Sift the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and gently mix it in.
- You want the mixture to end up chocolatey, with no great lumps of egg white showing. But don't mix it so much that you knock all the air out of your mixture.
Bake the chocolate roulade
- Carefully pour the roulade mixture into your prepared tin. Give it a wee shoogle to spread the mixture into each corner.
- Bake the chocolate roulade in the oven for 20-25 minutes. It's ready when the top of the roulade feels firm and a little crisp.
- Remove the roulade from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin. Don't worry if it cracks and falls a little as it cools.
Make the chocolate roulade
- Whip the cream until the cream is just holding it's shape, but still a little soft.
- Put a clean tea towel down on your work surface and lay a large piece of baking / parchment paper down on top of it. Carefully turn the roulade out on the baking paper then peel the paper from the base off.
- Spread the whipped cream onto the roulade. Leave a few cm (about an inch) gap around the edges.
- Now roll up the roulade, starting with the short edge facing you. To make it easier to roll, cut near the edge with a sharp knife, going about half way through the roulade. Roll the roulade up, using the cut to help you make it tight in the middle. Use the baking paper / tea towel to help you roll it tightly.
- Finish it by dusting a little icing sugar over the top.
Notes
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If you liked this chocolate roulade, you’ll love our raspberry meringue roulade, our chocolate pots and our other easy dessert recipes.
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