Dear readers,
even though Christmas has already gone, I want to share with you the recipe of this amazing chocolate swiss roll, which can be served on New Year’s Eve as the perfect holidays’ pudding.
This version, in particular, is made by a dairy-free cocoa and rhum sponge, a light orange-flavoured mascarpone mousse and the whole thing is enriched by the silky chocolate ganache on top, should I say something else?:)
I really hope you’ll give it a go, meanwhile I wish you a really happy New Year! So, let’s get started!:)
FOR ABOUT 12 PEOPLE:
For the cocoa sponge:
- 4 eggs;
- 120 g caster sugar;
- 70 g plain flour;
- 30 g potato starch or corn starch;
- 20 g cocoa powder;
- 1 tsp baking powder;
- 1-2 tbsp rhum or a few drops of rhum essence, according to your taste.
For the orange-flavoured mascarpone mousse:
- 2 egg yolks;
- 80 g caster sugar;
- 250 g mascarpone cheese;
- 200 ml double cream;
- zest of 1/2 an orange..
For the chocolate ganache:
- 250 g dark chocolate;
- 300 ml double cream.
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F.
Divide the egg yolks from the egg whites and place them in two separate bowls. Add a pinch of salt to your egg whites and whisk them with an electric whisker until stiff but not dry. Put them aside; whisk up the egg yolks with the sugar, on a high speed, until they are pale and fluffy. Now add the rhum and all of the sifted dry ingredients into the egg yolks and stir until well combined. Stir in also a dollop of egg whites, in order to loosen the mixture. Finally, gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into an oven tray, previously lined with parchment paper. Gently level the surface, spreading the mixture into the corners and bake for 8-10 minutes until it’s soft and springy to the touch ( if it’s crisp, it’ll crack when rolled, so be careful!). Meanwhile dust a clean kitchen towel with icing sugar . Once your sponge is ready quickly turn it out directly onto it. Remove the baking parchment and roll it up while it’s still warm, then set it aside to cool before filling and re-rolling it.
Meanwhile prepare the filling: whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until they’re fluffy , add the orange zest and the mascarpone cheese and whisk again. In a separate bowl whip the cream up until it’s firm and gently fold it into the mascarpone mixture. Store in the fridge.
For the chocolate ganache, finely chop the chocolate and place it into a bowl; heat the cream up in a small sauce pan ( you don’t actually need to boil the cream, it simply needs to be hot enough to melt the chocolate), then pour the cream into the chocolate and let it sit for a few seconds in order to soften the chocolate. Then stir it with a spatula or a wooden spoon until it comes together in a creamy, smooth and shiny consistency. Let it cool down completely, then pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
Now spread the mousse with a spatula on the sponge and, starting from the long edge, roll it up tightly. Cover it in cling fiilm and let it rest in the fridge for an hour. In the meantime whip the ganache with a hand held mixer until it’s fluffy and has lightened in colour. Spoon it into a piping bag with a basket nozzle and frost the cake, making it resemble a tree log.
If you want, you can finish it off with some holly and some snow flakes in sugar paste.
Here you have it! A stunning holiday dessert!:)
