If you love chocolate you will LOVE this dessert. This cake roll has a chocolate cake base, then is filled with whipped chocolate ganache and coated with a thick layer of more chocolate ganache. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, this would be a great treat to make for your loved one!
If you’ve never made a cake roll before, don’t fret! This post will walk you through each step. It’s much easier to make than it appears. Preparing the cake batter and baking it takes less than 30 minutes total, then you will just roll the cake while it’s hot to train it and avoid cracking. Next you will prepare the ganache filling and topping. Fill it, roll it and top it and you’re done!
Tips for making the best cake roll:
- Always bake on parchment paper. The cake is very thin and delicate, so you will need to be able to remove it from the pan easily.
- Pre-roll the cake immediately upon taking it out of the oven. If the cake is still warm, it will be more flexible and less likely to crack.
- Don’t be shy with the powdered sugar (or cocoa powder) when turning out the cake. One of the steps to making a cake roll will always be turning it out on to a tea towel or parchment paper so that you can roll it. The parchment paper or towel will be coated with powder so that the cake doesn’t stick. Use a lot of it.
- Don’t go too crazy with your fillings. While it’s important to get a good layer of frosting, whipped cream, jam, etc. in the center of your cake roll, if you add too much you won’t be able to properly roll the cake and in turn will not get the signature swirl.
- Don’t panic if your cake does crack! Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of cracks. Just roll with it and keep rolling your cake! Then immediately put the cake in the fridge to set. Once it’s set, you can deal with the crack by covering it with powdered sugar, chocolate, whipped cream, frosting, etc.
- Use a Jelly Roll pan. While a large rimmed baking pan can be used in a pinch, I prefer to use an actual Jelly Roll pan since it is slightly wider and has a deeper rim (which will better support the rise of the cake).
- Make sure to beat the eggs and sugar well. While most recipes with contain baking powder or baking soda to give the cake a little rise, some rise will also come from beating air into the eggs. When the recipe calls for beating the eggs and sugar well, make sure you do so!
Now let’s dive into the details of this Chocolate Truffle Cake Roll! I got the chocolate cake recipe from Marsha’s Baking Addiction Blog (linked here). It is perfectly fluffy and rich! You can find a list of other baking necessities below (besides the actual ingredients). I highly recommend using a jelly roll pan, but a large rimmed cookie sheet will work in a pinch.
Baking tools needed for this cake roll:
- Jelly roll pan
- Electric mixer
- A clean tea towel
- Parchment paper
- Additional ingredients listed below
Chocolate Truffle Cake Roll
If you love chocolate you will LOVE this dessert. This cake roll has a chocolate cake base, then is filled with whipped chocolate ganache and coated with a thick layer of more chocolate ganache. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, this would be a great treat to make for your loved one!
Ingredients
Cake Roll Ingredients
- 4 eggs separated
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour see notes for substitute
- ¼ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling & Topping Ingredients
- 2½ cups heavy cream
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and line a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
- Add in vanilla extract and yogurt, mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa).
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly throughout the pan.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- While the cake is baking, place a tea towel on the counter and generously coat it with powdered sugar.
- Once the cake is removed from the oven, immediately flip the cake on to the prepared tea towel and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Roll the cake up with the tea towel and set it aside, allowing it to cool completely to room temperature.
To make the filling & topping
- Add heavy cream to a medium sauce pan and heat on the stove for 2-3 minutes or until it is just about to boil. Stir every 30 seconds to avoid burning the cream.
- Once hot, add chocolate chips and remove from heat. Stir constantly until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Place the mixture in the fridge until it has cooled to room temperature (about 30 mins-1 hour). Make sure the mixture doesn't cool too much and become hard.
- Once cooled, remove it from the fridge and save ¾ cup of chocolate in a separate bowl for topping the cake roll.
- Place the remaining chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and beat it on high until thick and creamy. (note: if the chocolate isn't changing consistency after being whipped for ~1-2 minutes, it may still be too warm. Place back in the fridge for another 15-20 minutes and try again).
To fill and cover the cake roll
- Unroll the cake and spread the whipped chocolate evenly over the cake, leaving about ½ inch on every side.
- Re-roll it without the tea towel and carefully place it on a cutting board or large plate. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight to allow the whipped chocolate to set.
- Once the cake is set, reheat the reserved chocolate that will be used for coating in the microwave.
- Pour the chocolate over the cake and spread evenly along the sides. Place the cake back in the fridge to allow the chocolate topping to set (for about 1 hour).
Notes
- If you do not have cake flour, you can substitute by measuring 1 cup of all-purpose flour, removing 1 tablespoon, and replacing with 1 tablespoon of corn starch.
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