This oozing chocolate desert cake is the perfect thing to enjoy this Christmas! Complete with a spiced buttercream filling and covered in double chocolate ganache this calorific delight certainly requires a spot on your table. You might be a little cautious about baking your own swiss roll for the first time but fear not it’s far simpler than it sounds with a few handy tips.

 

For the swiss roll:

4 large eggs

100g golden caster sugar

65g self raising flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

50g cocoa powder

 

Spiced buttercream:

50g butter

150g icing sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Chocolate ganache:

200ml double cream

175g dark chocolate

 

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius and line a 33 x 23 cm baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Begin by making your swiss roll, place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and using an electric whisk beat together until pale, light and fluffy.
3. Then gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder and cinnamon ensuring the air isn’t lost from the egg mixture.
4. When combined, pour into the lined tin and spread evenly. Then place in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile make your buttercream by combining all the ingredients into a bowl and beating with an electric whisk until fluffy and creamy.
6. When the cake has baked and is soft but not under baked remove from the oven. Remove the parchment and allow to cool on a wire rack so it cools on both sides.
7. When almost cooled, remove the uneven edges with a knife and make a slight incision in the cake a few cm in from the top to make it easier to roll. Cover the cake evenly with icing.
8. Take the shorter edge nearest to you and roll the cake gently taking care not to break the sponge.
9. When it is rolled you can start preparing the chocolate ganache which will cover the cake and hide any rough edges.
10. Heat the cream in a saucepan, stirring until just beginning to boil then remove from the heat. Now add chunks of the chocolate and continue stirring more quickly until all the chocolate has melted and there are no lumps left. The ganache should be thick and glossy.
11. Now cover the swiss roll with the ganache, spreading it across all sides of the cake with a knife.
12. Then when the ganache has set take a fork and using the back of the fork drag it along the cake to make a tree bark like effect and creating your log.
13. Finally you can decorate your cake with a sprinkle of sieved icing sugar to create the effect of snow or if you’re feeling creative you might make some marzipan snowmen or holly.

 

Cara Bintcliffe

Image Credit: Garden Square Shopping Centre