Description
This Chocolate Cake Roll with Chestnut Whipped Cream Filling is a delicate and elegant dessert featuring a light chocolate sponge cake with a beautiful faux-wood grain design baked into the surface. The cake is filled with a luscious chestnut-flavored whipped cream stabilized with gelatin and infused with a hint of amaretto liqueur. Perfect for festive occasions or special gatherings, this dessert combines the rich flavors of cocoa and sweet chestnuts with a light, airy texture that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
Scale
Design Paste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened, not melted)
- 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cake flour (sifted)
- 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder (sifted)
- 1 large egg white (34g)
Cake Batter
- 3 large eggs (separated)
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cake flour (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (sifted)
- pinch cream of tartar
Filling
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3 tablespoons sweetened chestnut paste
- 1½ teaspoons amaretto liqueur (optional)
For Dusting
- Powdered sugar and cocoa powder (for dusting)
Instructions
- Prepare Pan and Stencil: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan. Trace the pan’s outline on a piece of heavy-duty parchment paper and lightly butter the parchment’s top surface evenly.
- Make Design Paste: Mix softened butter and sugar until smooth. Add sifted flour and cocoa powder, mixing until partially incorporated. Add the egg white and mix to a smooth, buttercream-like consistency.
- Create Wood Grain Design: Place the wood grain stencil on the buttered parchment paper with the grain parallel to the short side of the pan, taping it to prevent movement. Spread a thick layer of the chocolate paste over the stencil using an offset spatula, ensuring it is thicker than the stencil itself. Gently lift off the stencil. Trim around the design and place the parchment into the buttered jelly roll pan. Set aside.
- Prepare Cake Batter: In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar until the sugar dissolves and yolks lighten. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil while whisking. Add milk, vanilla, and salt, whisking to combine. Sprinkle sifted cake flour and cocoa powder over the batter and fold in gently.
- Beat Egg Whites: In a clean bowl or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat on high until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Incorporate Egg Whites: Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites gently until no streaks remain.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the batter evenly over the stenciled design in the pan. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to remove air bubbles and level the surface. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is springy and edges begin to brown lightly.
- Invert and Cool: Remove cake from oven. Dust top lightly with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Carefully invert the warm cake onto a parchment-lined solid surface like a cutting board, peel off the backing paper to reveal the design. Dust a clean tea towel with powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and lay it over the cake, then flip the cake so design faces down. Roll the cake with the towel starting from the plain side. Allow to cool for about 1 hour until completely cool.
- Prepare Chestnut Whipped Cream Filling: Soften gelatin by sprinkling over 1 tablespoon cool water; let stand 5 minutes. Microwave 5-8 seconds until dissolved. Let cool slightly but not firm. In a cold bowl, beat whipping cream on medium speed until frothy, then add powdered sugar and increase speed to medium-high till cream leaves trails. Mix a spoonful of whipped cream into gelatin, then add this back to the cream while mixing on low. Increase speed and beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold in chestnut paste and amaretto liqueur if using. Chill 5-10 minutes to slightly set filling.
- Fill and Roll Cake: Carefully unroll the cooled cake and remove the towel. Spread the chestnut filling evenly over the cake, leaving ½ inch border at ends. Roll up the cake firmly but gently, avoiding squeezing out filling. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to set.
- Serve: Dust the cake roll with powdered sugar before slicing with a sharp serrated knife. Serve chilled. The cake can be stored wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- This dessert features a visually striking wood grain design baked right into the cake surface, adding elegance to its presentation.
- The chestnut whipped cream filling is stabilized with gelatin to keep a light yet firm texture, making the roll easy to slice and serve.
- Rolling the cake while it is warm helps create the perfect shape and avoids cracking during later rolling with filling.
- You can omit the amaretto liqueur for a non-alcoholic version.
- Using a cardboard tube to store the roll prevents the bottom from flattening while chilling, preserving its shape and appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 212 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 76 mg
