If there is a dessert more festive than a Swiss roll, I've yet to be introduced. A Swiss roll - which also answers to the name "jelly roll" or "roulade" - is a rolled sponge cake filled with either whipped cream, jam or frosting. Often, it is cloaked in chocolate ganache, as is the case here; or if filled with ice cream, homemade magic shell is also an option for glazing the roll.
Swiss rolls can be made with pumpkin, red velvet, vanilla or any flavored cake, but a chocolate Swiss roll, filled with whipped cream, has the added benefit of looking a little like a supersize Drake's Yodel (my favorite packaged snack cake as a child). If you draw a blank when envisioning a Yodel, think Hostess HoHo or Little Debbie's Swiss Roll. Thus, the Swiss roll gives some of us all the nostalgic feels, despite being such an elegant and decidedly grown-up dessert.
To my mind, the Swiss roll has Christmas and New Year's Eve written all over it, particularly when decorated like the branch of a snow-dusted tree (a.k.a. a buche de noel). But this particular chocolate Swiss roll, with its orange extract whipped cream and ganache, befits any occasion warranting something delicious and eye-popping and - wait for it - easy.
If the notion of rolling up a cream-filled cake (with a reputation for cracking) seems daunting, take heart: It is simple when the recipe has been streamlined and made user-friendly (you're welcome); and a couple of tips are followed and tricks implemented. I get it if you're still skeptical - I mean how can something so visually alluring be easy to pull off?
What follows is a list of some of the tweaks I've made to both the ingredients and the assembly of the classic Swiss roll, that make it less fussy, more accessible.
Despite being a professional baker and knowing my way around a host of complicated desserts, I've only got eyes for the easy ones. I am the self-proclaimed queen of easy-peasy baking, so here are my Swiss Roll Assembly 101 tips:
- Use whole eggs when assembling your cake batter and beat them until ribbony. Typically, when Swiss roll-making, eggs are separated, and the yolks and whites are beaten and whipped individually to provide structure and lift. But here, to avoid such fussiness (and the extra bowl), a little baking powder is called for, as well as whole eggs. The eggs are beaten with sugar for about 5 minutes on high, until the airy batter luxuriously falls from the whisk, leaving a ribbon-y shape on the surface, before disappearing a few seconds later.
- Bake your Swiss roll in a standard half sheet pan (a.k.a. your rimmed cookie sheet). Swiss rolls are traditionally made in jelly roll pans: smallish baking pans, about 10-by-15-inches, that most folks don't keep on hand. But a half sheet pan, 13-by-18-inches, is likely hanging out in your kitchen right now, and using it to bake your Swiss roll means no borrowing or buying single-use equipment. Moreover, a Swiss roll assembled in a half sheet pan is slightly larger than one assembled in a jelly roll pan, and in my book, a "slightly larger" treat is always a slightly better treat.
- Do not overbake your Swiss roll. Swiss rolls are made from a very thin cake that bakes quickly, in 11 to 13 minutes. An overbaked cake is more likely to crack when rolled, so be sure to pull it from the oven when it is dry to the touch, is coming away from the edges of the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Gently show the Swiss roll who's boss. The trickiest part of assembling a Swiss roll is remembering that a gentle, but confident touch goes a long way.
First, removing the baked cake from the pan can be a little daunting. But, if you keep the bottom edge of the pan close to your work surface (so the cake does not have very far to go when it flips out) and quickly flick your wrists so that the pan is quite literally upside down over the counter, the cake simply pops out - and always in one piece. You just peel off the parchment and get ready to roll.
Second, rolling the cake up with a tea towel - yes a tea towel rolls up inside the cake - and waiting about 40 minutes for it to come to room temperature is a little peculiar. I get it. But this is how your roll develops its "muscle memory." Once you unroll the cake, remove the towel, and spread it with whipped cream, it will easily roll back up into the shape it held with the towel.
The secret is to use a firm, but gentle, hand when rolling and unrolling; you don't want to tear the cake, but you also want a roll with a tight, round shape. And remember, the cake must be room temperature when you unroll it. If you notice it is still a bit warm when you start to do so, roll that cutie right back up and wait. A warm cake will crack or melt your whipped cream; neither of which is much fun.
Third, ganache will hide any cracks. Let's say you get a little aggressive with your rolling and the cake cracks. You'll be disappointed, I get it, but you've still got this, because once you coat the roll in ganache, no one will be the wiser. I promise. Moreover, if you're giving the roll the "buche de noel" treatment (see the notes to the recipe for the how-to), you've even less to worry about, as you'll be cutting the roll in two and dragging a fork along the ganache to create the textured look of tree bark - and a cake crack is utterly powerless against ganache posing as bark.
- Whip your cream to medium peaks. Although softly whipped cream is lovely texturally, if your cream is too loose, it will squeeze out the ends of the cake as you roll it. Medium peaks, when the cream holds its peaks but they curl at the end - are ideal as the cream is stable enough to behave while being rolled, but still light and fluffy when served.
- Using two flat spatulas, transfer your roll to a serving plate after it has chilled in the fridge. The roll is much easier to manipulate once it has chilled. After glazing it, place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to serve, use two flat spatulas to move it to a serving plate. If making a buche de noel, place the chilled and cut roll on the serving platter before glazing it so you don't have to move it once decorated.
Best of all, this easy Swiss roll can be made, lightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to three days before serving, making it a fuss-free celebration bake.
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Chocolate Orange Swiss Roll With Whipped Cream and Ganache
Active time | 30 mins; Total time | 2 hours 15 mins
Servings: 10-12
A Swiss roll is a celebration cake. Filled with an orange extract whipped cream and coated in a similarly citrusy chocolate ganache, is also is simple to make. Yes, rolling up a warm cake - along with a dish towel, no less - sounds daunting, but the recipe here is streamlined (for example, there are no eggs to separate), and the steps for assembling are easy to follow.
A stand or hand mixer is required to ensure the eggs triple in volume and are appropriately foamy and light. The thin cake bakes in no time and is rolled while still warm. While it cools, you make the ganache and whipped cream. By the time the cake has properly cooled, you will be ready to fill and coat it.
Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
Make Ahead: Although the cake can be eaten soon after assembly, a Swiss Roll also can be lightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Storage Notes: The roll will keep lightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
Cooking spray or unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons (25 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
FOR THE GANACHE
4 ounces (113 grams) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
2 teaspoons orange extract
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) heavy cream
3 tablespoons orange extract
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (45 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or softened butter. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until light and foamy, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high, gradually add the sugar and beat until the eggs have tripled in volume and when the whisk is lifted, the egg mixture falls off the whisk and piles up on the surface briefly, before disappearing, 4 to 5 minutes.
Reduce the speed to medium, pour in the oil and vanilla and beat until combined. Stop the mixer and sift the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Mix on low speed until just a few streaks of flour/cocoa remain. The unmixed batter can accumulate around the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to thoroughly scrape the sides and bottom with the whisk attachment or a silicone spatula. Remove the whisk attachment and unlock the bowl from the mixer, then finish gently mixing by hand. The batter will be thin with small flecks of chocolate.
Transfer the batter onto the baking sheet, nudging it into the corners, and spreading it evenly with an offset spatula or butter knife. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
While the cake bakes, spread out a clean kitchen towel on the counter with the long side closer to you and lightly dust it with the cocoa powder.
Remove the cake from the oven and immediately run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to release the cake. Lightly dust with cocoa powder over the top and invert it onto the cocoa-dusted dish towel, with the long side closer to you. Carefully peel away the parchment paper and lightly dust with more cocoa powder. Gently, and relatively tightly, roll up the cake from its short side, along with the dish towel (yes, the dish towel gets rolled up inside the cake). This is a little awkward, but if you move the warm cake while it is on the towel, you risk tearing it.
Place the rolled-up cake seam-side down on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 40 minutes. The cake will be easiest to unroll and fill at room temperature.
Make the ganache: While the cake cools, pour the heavy cream into a microwave-safe glass bowl or measuring cup and heat for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until hot. Keep an eye on it, as you don't want it to bubble over. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, add the orange liqueur and then slowly stir until smooth. It may look like it's not going to come together, but it will as you keep stirring.
Make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, whip the cream, orange liqueur and orange juice on medium speed until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, zest and orange extract, if using, and whip until the cream just holds firm peaks when the whisk is raised, about 3 minutes more.
Assemble the roll: Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread the whipped cream onto the cake in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Gently reroll the cake without the towel. In a perfect world, your cake will not crack, but if it does, they'll be hidden by the ganache. Carefully trim each end of the cake using a serrated knife, dipping the knife in hot water and drying it between the cuts. Using two flat spatulas, such as fish spatulas, transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
Glaze with the ganache, spreading it to coat with an offset spatula or butter knife, but leaving the ends bare, if you desire, and refrigerate for about 1 hour to let the ganache set up.
Once set, using the same two flat spatulas, transfer the cake to a serving platter, slice with a serrated knife, again cleaning the blade between slices, and serve.
NOTE: To turn your cake into a buche de noel, refrigerate the cake after filling it, but before trimming its ends or glazing, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight (if chilling overnight, lightly wrap in plastic wrap). Place the chilled and cut roll on the serving platter before glazing it so you do not have to move it once decorated.
Make the ganache while the cake cools. Trim the ends of the chilled cake and cut off an additional 4-inch piece of the cake at a slight angle and rest the angled edge against the side of the cake. Glaze with the ganache, spreading it to coat and use a fork to make lines along the cake that mimic the texture of bark. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar, which will give it a freshly fallen snow vibe, and serve.
Nutrition per serving (one 1-inch thick slice), based on 12: Calories: 347; Total Fat: 25 g; Saturated Fat: 13 g; Cholesterol: 132 mg; Sodium: 125 mg; Carbohydrates: 29 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 20 g; Protein: 5 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian's or nutritionist's advice.
From food writer Jessie Sheehan.
