I’ve been absent for a little while, but I’m very excited to be blogging again. This flourless roulade is perfect is very easy to put together and perfect for the holidays.
This flourless roulade is inspired by a chocolate roulade from Flour and Chocolate and Jocelyn’s Provisions, two of my favourite bakeries here in Brisbane. *23/10/23 update: The original recipe I posted used cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate. However, I actually prefer the cake made with melted chocolate – it has a better flavour and texture. The only downside is that the sponge will crack a lot more than compared to using cocoa powder. I have updated the recipe with the melted chocolate version, but the notes below detail subsitutions for using cocoa powder.
Recipe Notes
- This roulade uses a chocolate sponge cake that is naturally flourless. There is no almond meal or starches, but it produces a very light cake that remains soft even after refrigeration.
- If you prefer a cake that is less chocolatey, I recommend replacing the melted chocolate with 35g of cocoa powder. Sift the cocoa powder into the whipped egg yolks and gently fold. Bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes. Then flip the cake onto a sheet of a clean tea towel dusted with icing sugar and roll from the short edge. Allow to cool in the tea towel for 15 minutes before unrolling.
- The recipe involves beating the egg whites to stiff peaks, and egg yolks and sugar until pale and voluminous. The cocoa powder or melted chocolate is added to the egg yolk mixture. After the cocoa powder is added, the mixture will at first appear quite dry but continue mixing and it will appear paste-like. So don’t be too alarmed if it is too thick.
Recipe notes continued:
- A damp tea towel will be placed over the cake as it cools; this is to prevent the cake from getting dry.
- I filled this roulade with a vanilla whipped cream, fresh raspberries and raspberry compote which is optional. You can use whatever fillings you prefer of course, such as a whipped white chocolate ganache or any seasonal fruit.
- The cake will crack a fair bit; don’t be alarmed – this is normal. You should still be able to get clean slices after refrigerated.
I recommend watching this video by Cupcake Jemma and Sally Dells, which provides some helpful tips with making the batter and rolling the cake. So I hope you have a great week, and let me know if you have any questions!
Chocolate and Raspberry Roulade
- 4 eggs, seperated
- 100g sugar, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- 300ml heavy cream
- 125-250g fresh raspberries
- Raspberry compote (optional, recipe below)
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a rimmed 20×30 cm baking tray with butter or oil, and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add half of the sugar (50g), a tablespoon at a time, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to a seperate bowl, and set aside.
- In the stand mixer bowl, add the egg yolks, remaining 50g of sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until pale in colour and tripled in volme, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Gently fold the melted chocolate into the egg yolks.
- Using a spatula, fold one third of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. You can be vigorous at this stage, because you simply want to loosen the mixture a bit. Gently fold in a second third of the egg whites. To fold, you want to go around the bowl, down to the bottom and fold the bottom over the top. Finally, gently fold in the remaining third of the egg whites until no white streaks remain and keeping as much air in the batter as possible.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking tray. Evenly spread the batter to all the edges and corners of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until the cake springs back gently when pressed and pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan.
- Dust a sheet of baking paper genorously with icing sugar. Gently flip the roulade onto the paper and peel away the lining paper. Cover the cake with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave to cool completely.
- Whip the cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cooled cake. Spoon over a generous amount of raspberry compote if using, then sprinkle the fresh raspberries over the surface. Gently roll the cake into a log, starting from the short edge. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before serving, and finish with a dusting of icing sugar. This roulade can be kept refridgerated for about 3-4 days.
Raspberry Compote
- 125g frozen raspberries
- 30g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, caster sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occassionally until the jam is boiling and raspberries haved released their juices. Continue to cook until the raspberries have broken down and has reduced, about 7-10 minutes.
- Transfer the compote to a bowl or sterilised jar, and then refrigerate to cool completely.