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The Easiest Chocolate Swiss Cake Roll (With Ice Cream Filling)
Remember the swiss cake roll from your childhood lunchbox? This homemade version takes that nostalgic treat to a whole new level, with a light chocolate sponge cake wrapped around a cloud-like vanilla ice cream filling.
Servings: 6 -8 Servings
Calories: 360kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
CAKE
- ½ cup cake flour not self-rising
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
FILLING
- 1 container 1 ½ quarts ice cream, softened
GLAZE
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped*
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoon s vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray, line with parchment or wax paper and spray the paper with additional spray.
- In a small bowl, combine cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks into 2 separate large bowls.
- Beat the whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually beat ½ cup of sugar into the whites. Continue to beat on high speed just until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. (I used my KitchenAid to beat the whites and my hand mixer to beat the yolks.)
- Beat the yolks with the remaining ¼ cup sugar and vanilla extract until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Continue mixing on low speed as you gradually add in the flour mixture until blended.
- Stir ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten. Fold in the remaining whites, mixing as little as possible, until no more streaks remain in the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, or until the top springs back when gently pressed. Let cool in the cake pan for 2 minutes on a wire rack.
- Dust a clean towel with confectioners' sugar; loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a knife and invert the cake onto the towel. Remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment.
- Starting from the short end, roll the cake up in the towel. Place the roll seam side down on wire rack and cool completely.
- FILLINGWhile the cake is cooling, put ice cream on the counter to soften. When the ice cream is softened, unroll the cooled cake and spread evenly with ice cream.
- Roll the cake up. Wrap tightly in parchment, then in foil and freeze, seam side down, overnight until firm.
- GLAZEIn a small saucepan, heat the cream, chocolate, and corn syrup over low heat until chocolate is melted and glaze is shiny and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
- Unwrap the cake and trim the ends. Place the cake on a wire rack over a tray or waxed paper. Pour the glaze along top of cake roll, spreading with a spatula to cover the sides. Freeze the cake uncovered until the glaze is firm, about an hour.
Video
Notes
- The sugar-to-flour ratio in Swiss roll cake batter is notably higher than regular cakes, which creates that distinctive elastic texture that allows for successful rolling.
- The addition of a small amount of neutral oil (about 2-3 t ablespoons) to the batter helps prevent the cake from becoming brittle when cooled, improving its rollability.
- The steam created during cooling while rolled in the towel is actually crucial to the cake's texture - it helps create that soft, pliable structure that prevents cracking during the second roll.
- Most failed Swiss rolls can be easily repurposed into delicious trifles - simply cube the cracked cake and layer it with the filling and some fresh fruit.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g