‘Simply irresistible’: The secret to a perfect, crack-free chocolate Swiss roll
A never-fail recipe plus a few simple tricks take this cake from nostalgic favourite to dinner-party centrepiece.
The chocolate Swiss roll’s enduring appeal comes from its nostalgic combination of an airy, subtly sweet cake and a rich cream filling. Add the eye-catching spiral and easy, neat slicing, and it’s simply irresistible.
But a Swiss roll can be fiddly to make because the cake is notorious for cracking. This recipe will yield perfect, crack-free results every time.
Technique of the month: Mastering the perfect, crack-free roll
There are a few key tips and tricks to nailing the rolled cake.
- Start with a good recipe. This one hasn’t failed me yet. It is essentially a chiffon cake, baked flat and then rolled. A chiffon cake combines the lightness of a traditional sponge cake with the richness of a butter cake. I find it more reliable than a sponge for a rolled cake because it has an almost bouncy, pliable texture, which is key.
- The second tip is not to overbake your cake. Follow the timing in the recipe exactly – an overbaked cake will be dry and brittle, resulting in cracks.
- Finally, roll your cake in a clean tea towel while it is still warm from the oven and let it cool completely before unfurling and filling it. Don’t be tempted to unroll the cake while it’s still warm.
Ingredients
4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
80g caster sugar
40g milk
40g neutral oil
50g plain flour
30g cocoa powder, plus extra to dust
creme CHANTILLY
50g caster sugar
125g double cream, cold
200g thickened cream, cold
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 165C fan-forced (185C conventional). Prepare a Swiss roll tin (30cm x 45cm x 3cm) by lining it with baking paper.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, begin whisking the egg whites until foamy then slowly add 40g of the caster sugar. You’re aiming for a meringue with glossy medium peaks and enough structure to fold into the yolk batter without deflating too much, but not dry and overbeaten.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, combine the yolks, the remaining 40g caster sugar, the milk and the oil, and whisk to combine. Sift over the plain flour and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
Step 4
Fold half the meringue mix through the egg-yolk mixture, then fold through the rest. Once combined, spread the sponge mixture evenly onto the prepared tin, then place the tin in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
Step 5
While the cake is baking, place a clean tea towel on the bench and dust liberally with cocoa. This will prevent the cake sticking to the tea towel. Once baked, turn the cake out onto the tea towel and rolling up in the towel gently but tightly. Allow it to sit, rolled up, until completely cooled. (Keeping it wrapped in the tea towel helps the cake hold its shape and cool evenly without drying out.)
Step 6
For the creme chantilly, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Step 7
To assemble, gently unroll the sponge, spread with an even layer of the creme chantilly, leaving 3cm at one end of the cake without filling. Gently roll the sponge up again towards the end without cream, taking care not to press out all the filling.
Step 8
Put the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the cream to set up. This will allow you to cut beautifully neat slices. I like to dust the top of the cake with extra cocoa powder before serving.
Tips
- Having your eggs at room temperature will allow them to whip up to their fullest volume. If you have fridge-cold eggs, simply immerse them, in their shells, in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes.
- I like to make the creme chantilly while I bake the cake, then let it firm up in the fridge before I fill the cake.
- Dusting the tea towel with cocoa powder helps prevent the cake from sticking as it cools. We can’t use icing sugar here as it will show on the final cake.
- The key tip is to avoid overbaking the cake. If you try this recipe and find it cracks, don’t despair. Next time you try it, reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Every oven is different, and practice makes perfect!
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Emelia Jackson – Good Food’s Better Baking columnist is a former MasterChef Australia winner and author of two baking cookbooks.
