Chocolate Fridge Roll Recipes

CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL CAKE (REGULAR & MINI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 12×17 inch baking pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter, so the parchment paper sticks. Then line it with parchment paper so the cake seamlessly releases. Spray or grease the parchment paper too. We want an extremely nonstick surface for this cake roll.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar together in a medium bowl on high speed for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and vanilla extract together until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Sift the flour, 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl bowl. Pour the melted butter, coffee, and egg yolk mixture over the dry ingredients. Beat everything together on medium speed until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the egg whites until completely combined. Avoid over-mixing and deflating those whites. Batter will be very light.
• Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. It will be a very thin layer. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth out the top. Bake for 10 minutes or until the top of the cake gently springs back when touched with your finger. Do NOT over-bake.
• As the cake bakes, place a piece of parchment paper (larger than the cake) or a thin kitchen/tea towel flat on the counter. (Note: I find a kitchen towel is better to help prevent cracking.) Using a fine mesh sieve, dust parchment/towel with 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Once the cake comes out of the oven, quickly run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Immediately invert it onto the parchment/towel. Peel off the parchment paper that was on the bottom of the cake as it baked. Starting with the narrow end, begin tightly rolling the hot cake up with the parchment/towel. Do this slowly and gently. The cake will be warm. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up in the parchment/towel. Feel free to place it in the refrigerator to speed it up, about 3 hours and up to 1 day. (Note that you must bring it back to room temperature before unrolling, so make sure you set aside enough time.)
• Bring cake to room temperature if it was in the refrigerator. The cake is prone to cracking if unrolled while cold.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Then beat in the marshmallow creme, if using.
• Slowly and gently unroll the cake. Spread whipped cream evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the cake. Gently roll the cake back up, without the parchment/towel this time. Place on a wire rack set on a baking sheet (to catch the extra ganache). Set aside on the counter or in the refrigerator as you prepare the ganache.
• Place chopped chocolate and corn syrup, if using, in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil- that's too hot.) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted.
• Pour ganache all over cake roll. Feel free to spoon up any dripped ganache and spoon over the cake again. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Cover leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE ROLL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a 9 1/2 by 13 1/2 by 3/4-inch pan. Cut waxed paper width of pan plus 5 inches in length. Line the pan so there is at least 2 inches of waxed paper extending over both ends of the pan. Grease the paper.
• Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with the sugar, until they are light, creamy and thickened.
• Break chocolate into pieces and place in medium saucepan with the water. Melt over hot (not boiling) and let cool.
• Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir the chocolate into the yolks and fold in the beaten egg whites. Gently combine. To facilitate this, put a small amount of whites into the yolk and chocolate mixture and then add all this back into the whites.
• Spread the chocolate mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Shut off the oven and bake 5 minutes more. Practice will tell you if the timing is right.
• Remove from the oven and cover top with a dishtowel wrung out in cold water. Stretch the cloth tight and tuck under the pan. Cool, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Remove the cloth carefully and loosen edges with knife. Dust top heavily and completely with cocoa. Lay 2 pieces of waxed paper longer than the pan side by side overlapping with the top over the bottom. Turn out cake on bottom end of paper and carefully pull off the waxed paper.
• Whip the cream over a bowl of ice, and add the sugar and vanilla when it begins to thicken. Beat until stiff.
• Spread the cake with the whipped cream, with less towards the top. Roll the cake from bottom, the long side forward, using the waxed paper to roll it. When rolled, the paper should be all around it so you can mold it with your hands as you finish. Put on a long wooden board to chill for a few hours.
• When ready to serve, open the paper and cut off along side with the tip of a knife. If there are cracks along the side, dust all over with the cocoa in a shaker or use a small sieve or sifter to distribute it where needed.

CHOCOLATE ROLLS

Steps:

• Two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets, lined with parchment paper
• Place the yeast, warm water and 1/4 teaspoon sugar in a large bowl. Stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast and allow it to stand for about 3 minutes.
• Whisk the unbleached flour, cocoa powder, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the salt together in a medium bowl. Set them aside.
• Using your hand, stir the coffee, the egg yolk, and the butter into the dissolved yeast. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring until a shaggy mass forms and all of the flour is moistened.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 7 to 8 minutes, until it is silky smooth and elastic. This dough should be nice and moist, so add flour sparingly as you work. Shape the dough into a loose ball cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 10 minutes to relax the gluten strands.
• Flatten the dough and stretch it gently with your fingers to form a rectangle about an inch thick. Spread the chocolate chips evenly over the rectangle. Fold the dough into an envelope and knead gently for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chips are well distributed. The dough should be soft, smooth, and springy. If the dough resists, let it rest for 5 minutes and then continue kneading it. Some of the chips may pop out of the dough, but they can easily be incorporated again after the first rise when the dough has softened.
• Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn to coat the top of the dough with oil, and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees F) until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Line two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently pour the dough onto the floured work surface pressing any loose chocolate chips into dough. Flour your hands lightly divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (each weighing about 2 1/2 ounces). Shape the pieces into rolls and place 6 on each prepared baking sheet leaving several inches between the rolls so they won't grow together as they rise. Cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• While the bread is proofing make a cornstarch wash: Put the cold water in a small saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until it thickens. Remove from the heat and cover to keep a skin from forming. Set aside to cool.
• About 15 minutes before you're ready to bake, place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and another in the bottom third, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• When the buns have doubled, use a pastry brush to paint them with a thin coating of the cornstarch wash. Brush gently so you don't deflate them. Place one pan on each oven rack. Using a plant sprayer, immediately mist the top and sides of the oven 6 to 8 times and quickly close the oven door. Repeat this misting procedure two more times at 1-minute intervals.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back to ensure even baking. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or
• until the tops of the buns feel firm but not hard when you press them slightly, and the bottoms are very lightly browned. These rolls should have a thin soft covering, not a hard crunchy crust. Remove from the oven and use the pastry brush to paint the top of each bun quickly and evenly with the cornstarch wash. Transfer the rolls to a rack and allow them to cool before serving. These are best eaten the day they are baked.