Chocolate Roll

This is my childhood baking in one recipe. I made it so many times I basically knew it by heart. Then I lost the recipe! I just found a little scrap of paper with it hand written a few months ago, baked it again, and tadah! It brings me so much joy I have to share it. It is so delicious! I cannot remember where I first found this recipe – an old magazine from 30 years ago or so! 

All I can say is it a winner, and is easier to make than you think – you need to just trust the method and follow the recipe.

Pictured: Chocolate Roll

5 eggs, separated

½ cup castor sugar

2 ½ tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp cocoa

¾ cup thickened cream – whipped til firm peaks

Icing

1 cup icing sugar – sifted, or whizz it quickly in a blender til smooth

1 ½ tbsp cocoa - sifted

2 – 3 heaped tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp boiling water

Preheat the oven to 200C. 

Line a slice tin with baking paper, add some melted butter and dust over some cornflour – we need the roll to come out smoothly.

In a large bowl – beat the egg whites til stiff – I do the whites first as they cannot have a drop of yolks or any other oily substance on the beaters or in the bowl as that prevents them fluffing up as you would like.

In a separate large bowl beat the yolks a little to get them started, and add the sugar gradually and beat til creamy.

Sift cornflour and cocoa onto some baking paper, and gradually add to the yolks mixture until mixed in.

Fold the stiff egg whites into the yolk mixture.

Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared slice tine, smooth to the corners etc. 

Bake 10 – 15 minutes – check with a skewer.

Wet and wring out a tea towel ready to roll up with the cake.

Once the roll is cooked – let rest a minute on a wire rack, and lay the wet towel onto a wire rack. Carefully turn it out to cool on the teatowel – remove the paper. After a few minutes, once the main heat has left but the roll is still warm-hot, carefully and neatly roll up in the towel. Let it sit for a 5- 10 minutes to help set the shape and cool a little more.

Once it has cooled to still slightly warm, unroll it to remove the tea towel, and roll it back up to cool completely.

When ready to assemble – lay the roll onto your serving dish and unfurl it then spread the cream throughout leaving a few cms at each edge as it will spread out when you roll it back up. 

Once you have rolled it back up it is ready to ice .

Icing- whisk all ingredients together til smooth. Spread all over the roll except the ends.

Serve with some berries if you have them

Serves 8 - 10

Pictured: Slice of Chocolate Roll