Aunt K's chocolate roulade - Good Taste is the Worst Vice

My Aunt K doesn’t spend too much time in the kitchen, but she has a collection of excellent dishes that she makes for special occasions. My favorite among them has to be her roulade, which we had this year for New Year’s Eve dinner – it’s the perfect balance of chocolate and chantilly cream, airy yet rich.

The chocolate cake contains just chocolate, eggs, and sugar, essentially a low-altitude souffle. The filling is mostly whipped cream, with delicious flavors (Grand Marnier, vanilla, cognac) and a secret ingredient – sour cream – that adds a very subtle tang.

I made a few minor tweaks to my aunt’s recipe – namely, using 70% bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet, and reducing the sugar just a bit in the chantilly cream. Since I didn’t like the looks of the mini-bottle of leftover brandy I had on hand, I did some shopping and came home with a nice bottle of cognac that I chose primarily because it was just 200 mL. (Really, what would I do with 750 mL of cognac?)

Once the cake is out of the oven, it needs to cool for a couple of hours, swaddled beneath an elaborate layering of parchment, a clean kitchen towel, and a damp kitchen towel. (I learned the hard way to add the parchment as a first layer, since otherwise the formerly clean towel ends up covered in chocolate.) This helps the cake stay moist and pliable, which proves critical for the “rolling up” phase.

The only really challenging part of roulade is assembly: spreading the filling evenly over the hopefully level chocolate cake, then rolling the whole thing up. It’s a bit squishy and the cake is a little delicate, but I managed it by using the bottom parchment paper lining as a sort of assistant to carefully leverage the cake along.

Once the roulade is chilled for a few minutes (preferably with the seam down, not up as I did it), you’re ready to slice, serve, and devour. It’s surprisingly light, so don’t feel bad if you eat more than one slice in a sitting. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Aunt K’s chocolate roulade
6 oz bittersweet (70%) chocolate
2/3 cup sugar
7 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp brandy or cognac
1 tsp Grand Marnier
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sour cream

Prepare an 11×16 inch sheet pan by greasing it and lining with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Break chocolate into pieces and melt over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, beat sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl until creamy and light colored, about a minute. Mix in melted chocolate.

Whip egg whites to stiff peaks (be careful not to over-whip, or whites will dry out) and fold into chocolate mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 12-14 minutes, until cake is just firm to the touch.

Cover cake with a sheet of parchment paper, then a clean dish towel, then a second dish towel that has been dampened and wrung out. Leave at least one hour, until cool.

To make filling, chill mixing bowl and beater. Combine cream, vanilla, brandy, and Grand Marnier and whip about a minute at medium high speed. Then add sugar and sour cream, and continue beating at medium speed for another 1-3 minutes, until soft peaks form.

Remove dish towels and top parchment from the cooled cake, then spread the filling evenly over it. Carefully roll up from the long end, using the bottom parchment to help maneuver the cake. Ensure the seam is on the bottom of the cake.

Chill the entire roll. If desired, sift powdered sugar or cocoa powder over the top before cutting and serving.

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