Have you ever wanted to make a beautiful Swiss roll (AKA chocolate roulade) but been intimidated by the process? I get it, this cake appears complicated, intricate, and maybe even a little bit unapproachable, doesn’t it? Despite the stunning-ness of the Swiss roll, it’s actually not as complex as it seems. The most important part is having a solid cake recipe, and this recipe is solid (I rejected dozens of versions and tested this one at least another dozen times to make sure!). I’m confident that you can master this gorgeous, guaranteed-to-impress dessert at home. Follow my steps and you’ll have a light and fluffy, perfectly chocolatey, flavorful cake. Besides, if you’ve been baking along with me you’ve tackled way more complex and time-consuming recipes like petit fours, cream puffs, and creme brulee. You can handle a roulade, trust me. So let’s get to it!
What You Need
Let’s go over a few notes on some of the key ingredients:
Sugar. I use two types of sugar: granulated and light brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a bit of extra richness to the cake.Flour. Use all-purpose flour, I have not tested this recipe with any substitutions and certainly do not recommend self-rising flour.Cocoa powder. All of our chocolate flavor comes from this. I recommend using a natural (not Dutch processed) unsweetened cocoa powder. I like Ghirardelli and Hershey’s brand.Eggs. You will need 4 large, divide the eggs and yolks carefully. For best results use room temperature eggs.
This is just an overview of the ingredients. For the full printable recipe and video tutorial please scroll down to the bottom of the post! Tip: When separating your eggs, make sure you don’t get any yolk in your whites and make sure the bowl that you place them in is completely clean, dry, and grease free. Otherwise your whites may not whip to stiff peaks.
How to Make a Swiss Roll
First prepare your batter. There are several steps and several bowls required. Note: I like to use parchment to line the pan because it guarantees that the cake will not stick to (and a bit of nonstick spray beneath it keeps the parchment from sliding around). Some people like to use the parchment to roll up the cake; you are welcome to try this but I personally had mixed results and my cake was more prone to cracking this way, so I recommend making as written. The next step is where most people get nervous, and I get it. But. you’ve. got. this. Here’s how to do it.
How to Roll and Fill a Swiss Roll
Tip: If you do notice any cracks as you unroll your Swiss roll, try not to sweat it! Most of them will come back together when you re-roll the cake and can be covered with the chocolate topping! Finally you need your chocolate glaze. Chill your roulade in the fridge while you prepare it. Some Swiss rolls use chocolate ganache as the coating. While you could, I felt ganache was too rich and overwhelmed the roll. Instead I prefer this simpler coating that’s almost like a chocolate shell.
More Recipes For the Chocolate Lover
Chocolate CakeDark Chocolate CupcakesChocolate CheesecakeChocolate Rolls
Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
