E6 MG EE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22 , 2021
with the towel. The secret is to
use a firm, but gentle, hand
when rolling and unrolling; you
don’t want to tear the cake, but
you also want a roll with a tight,
round shape. And remember,
the cake must be room tempera-
ture when you unroll it. If you
notice it is still a bit warm when
you start to do so, roll that cutie
right back up and wait. A warm
cake will crack or melt your
whipped cream; neither of
which is much fun.
Third, ganache will hide any
cracks. Let’s say you get a little
aggressive with your rolling and
the cake cracks. You’ll be disap-
pointed, I get it, but you’ve still
got this, because once you coat
the roll in ganache, no one will
be the wiser. I promise. More-
over, if you’re giving the roll the
“buche de noel” treatment (see
the notes to the recipe for the
how-to), you’ve even less to
worry about, as you’ll be cutting
the roll in two and dragging a
fork along the ganache to create
the textured look of tree bark —
and a cake crack is utterly
powerless against ganache pos-
ing as bark.
Whip your cream to medium
peaks. Although softly whipped
cream is lovely texturally, if your
cream is too loose, it will
squeeze out the ends of the cake
as you roll it. Medium peaks,
when the cream holds its peaks
but they curl at the end — are
ideal as the cream is stable
enough to behave while being
rolled, but still light and fluffy
when served.
Using two flat spatulas,
transfer your roll to a serving
plate after it has chilled in the
fridge. T he roll is much easier to
manipulate once it has chilled.
After glazing it, place it in the
refrigerator for at least an hour.
When ready to serve, use two
flat spatulas to move it to a
serving plate. If making a buche
de noel, p lace the chilled and cut
roll on the serving platter before
glazing it so you don’t have to
move it once decorated.
Best of all, this easy Swiss roll
can be made, lightly wrapped
and refrigerated for up to three
days before serving, making it a
fuss-free celebration bake.
[email protected]supersize Drake’s Yodel (my fa-
vorite packaged snack cake as a
child). If you draw a blank when
envisioning a Yodel, think Host-
ess HoHo or Little Debbie’s Swiss
Roll. Thus, the Swiss roll gives
some of us all the nostalgic feels,
despite being such an elegant
and decidedly grown-up dessert.
To my mind, the Swiss roll has
Christmas and New Year’s Eve
written all over it, particularly
when decorated like the branch
of a snow-dusted tree (a.k.a. a
buche de noel). But this particu-
lar chocolate Swiss roll, with its
orange Grand Marnier whipped
cream and ganache, befits any
occasion warranting something
delicious and eye-popping and
— wait for it — easy.
If the notion of rolling up a
cream-filled cake (with a reputa-
tion for cracking) seems daunt-
ing, take heart: It i s simple when
the recipe has been streamlined
and made user-friendly (you’re
welcome); and a couple of tips
are followed and tricks imple-
mented. I get it if you’re still
skeptical — I mean how can
something so visually alluring
be easy to pull off?
What follows is a list of some
of the tweaks I’ve made to both
the ingredients and the assem-
bly of the classic Swiss roll, that
make it less fussy, more accessi-
ble.
Despite being a professional
baker and knowing my way
around a host of complicated
desserts, I’ve only got eyes for
the easy ones. I am the self-pro-
claimed queen of easy-peasy
baking, so here are my Swiss
Roll Assembly 101 tips:
Use whole eggs when assem-
bling your cake batter and beat
them until ribbony. Typically,
when Swiss roll-making, eggs
are separated, and the yolks and
whites are beaten and whipped
individually to provide struc-
SWISS ROLL FROM E1
Swiss
roll is a
swirl of
nostalgia
Chocolate Orange Swiss Roll
With Whipped Cream and Ganache10 to 12 servings
A stand or hand mixer is required to ensure the eggs triple in volume
and are appropriately foamy and light. The thin cake bakes in no time
and is rolled while still warm. While it cools, you make the ganache and
whipped cream. By the time the cake has properly cooled, you will be
ready to fill and coat it.
Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
MAKE AHEAD: Although the cake can be eaten soon after assembly,
a Swiss roll also can be lightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
The roll will keep lightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator
for up to 3 days.
From food writer Jessie Sheehan.Ingredients
For the cake
lCooking spray or unsalted
butter, for greasing the pan
l5 large eggs, at room
temperature
l^3 / 4 cup (150 grams) granulated
sugar
l3 tablespoons neutral oil, such
as vegetable
l 11 / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
l^1 / 2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose
flour
l5 tablespoons (25 grams)
Dutch-process cocoa powder,
plus more for dusting
l2 teaspoons espresso powder
l1 teaspoon baking powder
l^1 / 4 teaspoon fine salt
For the ganache
l^1 / 2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy
cream
l4 ounces (113 grams) dark
chocolate, coarsely chopped
l2 teaspoons orange liqueur,
such as Grand Marnier
For the whipped cream
l 11 / 2 cups (360 milliliters) heavy
cream
l3 tablespoons orange liqueur,
such as Grand Marnier, or to
taste
l1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
l^1 / 4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (45
grams) confectioners’ sugar
l1 tablespoon finely grated
orange zest
l1 teaspoon orange extract
(optional)Steps
lPosition a rack in the middle of
the oven and preheat to
3 50 degrees. Grease a 13-by-
18-inch rimmed baking sheet
with cooking spray or softened
butter. Line the baking sheet
with parchment paper and
grease the parchment.
lIn the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with the whisk attach-
ment, beat the eggs on medium
speed until light and foamy,
about 3 minutes. Increase the
speed to high, gradually add the
sugar and beat until the eggs
have tripled in volume and
when the whisk is lifted, the egg
mixture falls off the whisk and
piles up on the surface briefly,
before disappearing, 4 to 5 min-
utes.lReduce the speed to medium,
pour in the oil and vanilla and
beat until combined. Stop the
mixer and sift the flour, cocoa,
espresso powder, baking pow-
der and salt into the bowl. Mix
on low speed until just a few
streaks of flour/cocoa remain.
The unmixed batter can accu-
mulate around the bottom of
the bowl, so be sure to thor-
oughly scrape the sides and
bottom with the whisk attach-
ment or a silicone spatula. Re-
move the whisk attachment and
unlock the bowl from the mixer,
then finish gently mixing by
hand. The batter will be thin
with small flecks of chocolate.
lTransfer the batter onto the
baking sheet, nudging it into
the corners and spreading it
evenly with an offset spatula or
butter knife. Bake for 11 to
13 minutes, or until a cake tester
inserted in the center comes out
clean and the cake just begins to
pull away from the sides of the
pan.
lWhile the cake bakes, spread
out a clean kitchen towel on the
counter with the long side clos-
er to you and lightly dust it with
cocoa powder.
lRemove the cake from the oven
and immediately run a butter
knife around the edges of the
pan to release the cake. Lightly
dust with cocoa powder over
the top and invert it onto the
cocoa-dusted dish towel, with
the long side closer to you.
Carefully peel away the parch-
ment paper and lightly dust
with more cocoa powder. Gen-
tly, and relatively tightly, roll up
the cake from its short side,
along with the dish towel (yes,
the dish towel gets rolled up
inside the cake). This is a little
awkward, but if you move the
warm cake while it is on the
towel, you risk tearing it.
lPlace the rolled-up cake seam-
side down on a wire rack and let
cool completely, about 40 min-
utes. The cake will be easiest to
unroll and fill at room tempera-
ture.
lMake the ganache: While the
cake cools, pour the heavy
cream into a microwave-safe
glass bowl or measuring cup
and heat for 11 / 2 to 2^1 / 2 minutes,
until hot. Keep an eye on it, asyou don’t w ant it to bubble over.
Place the chocolate in a medium
bowl. Pour the heated cream
over the chocolate and let sit for
1 minute, add the orange
l iqueur and then slowly stir
u ntil smooth. It may look like
it’s not going to come together,
but it will as you keep stirring.
lMake the whipped cream: In
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the whisk attachment, or
using a large bowl and a hand-
held mixer, whip the cream,
orange liqueur and orange juice
on medium speed until thick-
ened, about 2 minutes. Add the
sugar, zest and orange extract, if
using, and whip until the cream
just holds firm peaks when the
whisk is raised, about 3 minutes
more.
lAssemble the roll: Carefully
u nroll the cooled cake. Using an
offset spatula or butter knife,
spread the whipped cream onto
the cake in an even layer, leav-
ing a^1 / 4 -inch border. Gently
r eroll the cake without the
t owel. In a perfect world, your
cake will not crack, but if it does,
they’ll be hidden by the
g anache. Carefully trim each
end of the cake using a serrated
knife, dipping the knife in hot
water and drying it between the
cuts. Using two flat spatulas,
such as fish spatulas, transfer
the cake to a wire rack set over a
baking sheet.
lGlaze with the ganache, spread-
ing it to coat with an offset
spatula or butter knife, but leav-
ing the ends bare, if you desire.
Refrigerate for about 1 hour to
let the ganache set up.
lOnce set, use the same two flat
spatulas to transfer the cake to a
serving platter. Slice it with a
serrated knife, again cleaning
the blade between slices, and
serve.
lNOTE: To turn your cake into a
buche de noel, refrigerate the
cake after filling it, but before
trimming its ends or glazing, for
at least 1 hour and up to over-
night (if chilling overnight,
lightly wrap in plastic wrap).
Place the chilled and cut roll on
the serving platter before glaz-
ing it so you do not have to move
it once decorated. Make the
g anache while the cake cools.
Trim the ends of the chilled cake
and cut off an additional 4-inch
piece of the cake at a slight
angle and rest the angled edge
against the side of the cake.
Glaze with the ganache, spread-
ing it to coat and use a fork to
make lines along the cake that
mimic the texture of bark.
Lightly dust with confectioners’
sugar, which will give it a fresh-
ly fallen snow vibe, and serve.
Nutrition | Per serving (based on 12): 347
calories, 5 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 25
g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 132 mg cholesterol,
125 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 20 g sugar
Recipe tested by Ann Maloney; email
questions to [email protected]ture and lift. But here, to avoid
such fussiness (and the extra
bowl), a little baking powder is
called for, as well as whole eggs.
The eggs are beaten with sugar
for about 5 minutes on high,
until the airy batter luxuriously
falls from the whisk, leaving a
ribbon-y shape on the surface,
before disappearing a few sec-
onds later.
Bake your Swiss roll in a
standard half sheet pan (a.k.a.
your rimmed cookie sheet).
Swiss rolls are traditionally
made in jelly roll pans: smallish
baking pans, about 10-by-15-
inches, that most folks don’t
keep on hand. But a half sheet
pan, 13-by-18-inches, is likely
hanging out in your kitchen
right now, and using it to bakeyour Swiss roll means no bor-
rowing or buying single-use
equipment. Moreover, a Swiss
roll assembled in a half sheet
pan is slightly larger than one
assembled in a jelly roll pan, and
in my book, a “slightly larger”
treat is always a slightly better
treat.
Do not overbake your Swiss
roll. Swiss rolls are made from a
very thin cake that bakes quick-
ly, in 11 to 13 minutes. An
overbaked cake is more likely to
crack when rolled, so be sure to
pull it from the oven when it is
dry to the touch, is coming away
from the edges of the pan and a
tester inserted in the center
comes out clean.
Gently show the Swiss roll
who’s boss. The trickiest part ofassembling a Swiss roll is re-
membering that a gentle, but
confident touch goes a long way.
First, removing the baked
cake from the pan can be a little
daunting. But, if you keep the
bottom edge of the pan close to
your work surface (so the cake
does not have very far to go
when it flips out) and quickly
flick your wrists so that the pan
is quite literally upside down
over the counter, the cake simply
pops out — and always in onepiece. You just peel off the
parchment and get ready to roll.
Second, rolling the cake up
with a tea towel — yes a tea
towel rolls up inside the cake —
and waiting about 40 m inutes
for it to come to room tempera-
ture is a little peculiar. I get it.
But this is how your roll devel-
ops its “muscle memory.” Once
you unroll the cake, remove the
towel, and spread it with
whipped cream, it will easily roll
back up into the shape it heldLAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
An even layer of whipped cream is spread to within a^1 / 4 inch of the edge of sponge cake before it is rolled.FACE MASKS & HAND SANITIZER IN STOCK
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