If you love swiss roll cakes, then you’re going to love this chocolate and cranberry cake roll. It’s a tender chocolate sponge cake that’s filled with fluffy whipped cranberry curd filling and covered in chocolate ganache.
Happy New Year, guys! As usual, I am fashionably late in publishing recipes, but cranberry season is still on, isn’t it? I planned to post this recipe between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but as I promised my husband I wouldn’t bake anything or write a blog in those 6 days (I mean, I still broke my promise because I posted a recipe for Cranberry and Orange Loaf Cake, oh well…), but better late, then never, am I right?
For every holidays and a start of a new year, my mom always make one roll cake, candied walnut roll cake or as I call it hedgehog cake roll. I made a version of a layer cake from her recipe – Caramelized Walnut Cake.
For this holidays I decided to pair cranberries with chocolate it this perfectly chocolatey, deliciously moist, and oh so pretty roll cake filled with amazingly delicious crnaberry filling.
A roll cake is a very impressive cake and looks quite difficult to make, which is why people often shy away from baking them, but they’re actually very easy to make.
WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
– for the sponge:
- all-purpose/plain flour and cocoa powder
- eggs, separated (and best at room temperature)
- oil
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- baking powder and salt
– for the cranberry filling:
- frozen cranberries
- egg and egg yolk
- granulated sugar
- orange juice and zest
- cornstarch
- butter
- heavy cream
-for chocolate ganache (it optional, you can just dust the cake with powdered sugar)
- semi-sweet chocolate
- heavy cream
- honey, optional, for shine
I used 15×10 inch jelly roll pan by Wilton! Since this is a really thin sponge cake, I wouldn’t know if it would work in larger jelly roll pans such as 17×12 inch. I doesn’t own it, because it wouldn’t fit into my oven.
HOW TO STORE CRANBERRY ORANGE LOAF CAKE AND HOW LONG DOES IT LAST
Store it in refrigerator in air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.
FEW TIPS AND TRICKS
- I always suggest using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, buy it! They are cheap and you will always ensure same results in baking!
- I use Large eggs which are around 60-65 grams. In US it would be a XL egg.
- Bake your cake layer on a silicone mat or baking paper so it will peel off easier.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the top of the cake gently springs back when touched with your finger. Do NOT over-bake!
- Always roll up your cake layer in a tea towel or parchment paper while it’s still warm so it will be flexible, easy to manage, and less likely to crack.
→If you make this cake, please leave a comment, rate it and tag @mihaela_biteitquick on Instagram! I would love to see what you baked!
Happy baking,
Chocolate and Cranberry Cake Roll
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 4 large eggs separated
- 100 grams granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 45 grams oil 3 Tablespoons
- 80 grams all-purpose/plain flour 2.8 oz, 2/3 cup
- 20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder 0.7 oz, 3 Tbsp
- ½ teaspoon baking powder 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
Cranberry Filling
- 200 grams frozen cranberries 7 oz
- 200 grams granulated sugar 1 cup
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 30 grams cornstarch 1 oz, 1/4 cup
- 60 grams butter 1/4 cup
- 120 grams heavy cream 1/2 cup, whipped to soft peaks
Chocolate ganche
- 100 grams heavy cream 3.5 oz
- 100 grams semi-sweet chocolate 3.5 oz, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey optional, for shine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F). Grease 38x26 cm (15x10 inch) baking pan with butter, then line it with baking paper so the cake seamlessly releases. Grease the baking paper too.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a large bowl bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract until pale, about 2 minutes. Add in oil and beat 30 seconds. Add in half of dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Using rubber spatula gently fold in egg whites until half-incorporated, then gently fold in rest of dry ingredients until fully combined and there is no visible streaks of flour or egg whites. Avoid over-mixing.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched.
- Place a kitchen towel on a a flat surface and cover it with a piece of baking paper dusted with powdered sugar or cocoa powder. Gently turn baked cake onto prepared kitchen towel, peel of the top layer of baking paper. Slowly roll the cake with kitchen towel, rolling from the short end to the other short end. Let the cake cool completely.
- For the cranberry filling: Cook cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice in medium saucepan over medium-low heat, mashing occasionally with potato masher, until cranberries have mostly broken down, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain cranberry mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extract as much puree as possible. Discard solids.
- In a small bowl whisk vigorously egg, egg yolk and cornstarch, then add in cranberry mixture and whisk well. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Transfer curd to bowl, press piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form and mix in cranberry curd.
- Gently unroll the cooled cake, and spread the filling into an even layer onto top (you may not spend all the filling, I have had a few tablespoons left). Then carefully re-roll the cake, without the towel this time. Wrap the chocolate roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours. I always cool my cake overnight.
- Once cooled, pour ganache all over the cake roll, or simply dust it with powdered sugar.
- For ganache: Place chopped chocolate and honey, if using, in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate, then stir until smooth. You should get a smooth runny ganache that's easily pourable.
- Pour ganache all over cake roll. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Store it in refrigerator in air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
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