Chocolate Roulade
A fudgy, crackly-cased chocolate meringue roulade filled with chestnut cream — a French showstopper above the workaday Swiss roll.
Source
Recipe Info
Servings: 8
Prep: 10m
Cook: 1h
Total: 3h 10m
Ingredients
- 50g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp mixed spice (optional)
- 50g dark chocolate or chocolate chips (optional)
- 180g egg whites (about 5 large eggs or 6 small ones)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or 1/2 tsp neutral vinegar or lemon juice)
- 300g caster sugar
- 250ml double cream
- 200g sweetened chestnut purée (or plain purée with icing sugar beaten in to taste)
- A handful of fruit of your choice (cherries in brandy work well)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan (140°C fan/325°F/gas 3) and line a shallow, roughly 22cm x 30cm oven tray with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the cocoa and mixed spice, if using, into a bowl and set aside. Chop the chocolate into chips, if necessary.
- Put the egg whites in a large bowl or food mixer with the salt and cream of tartar. Whisk to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the sugar until the meringue mix is thick, glossy and falls in ribbons off the whisk.
- Add the cocoa and most of the chocolate chips, then fold in until well combined, taking care not to knock out too much air.
- Spoon the meringue onto the lined tray in a single layer and gently smooth the top to level it, keeping in as much air as possible.
- Scatter the remaining chocolate over the top, then bake for 30-40 minutes, until dry to the touch on top but still squidgy beneath. Remove and leave to cool on the tray.
- Beat the cream until billowing and soft, then fold in the chestnut purée and taste, adjusting sweetness if needed. Lay a large sheet of clingfilm on a work surface and dust all over with cocoa powder.
- Turn the meringue out onto the clingfilm, long sides parallel to the clingfilm, with a short side facing you. Score a shallow cut across the width, about 2cm from the end closest to you.
- Spread the cream over the top of the meringue, scatter over the fruit, and put a line of fruit roughly along the scored cut — this will be the centre of the roulade.
- Using the clingfilm to help, tuck the closest end of the meringue over the line of fruit, then roll the whole thing up as tightly as possible, finishing seam-side down. Refrigerate, still wrapped, for at least 2 hours.
- Transfer seam-side down onto a platter, unwrap carefully, dust with more cocoa powder and serve.