Description
Elegant Black Forest Roll Cake brings chocolate, cherry, and cream together. My recipe shares all the kitchen secrets for this stunning dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cake Base:
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cherry Cream Filling:
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream, chilled
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250g) cherry pie filling or compote
- Finishing Touches:
- 1/4 cup chocolate shavings, for garnish
- 6–8 fresh cherries, for garnish
- 1–2 tablespoons Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional
Instructions
- Prep Your Pan & Preheat: First things first, get your oven preheating to 375°F (190°C). Then, line a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the sides a bit – this is your secret weapon for easy rolling later! I always forget this step and end up scrambling, so learn from my chaos, hon.
- Whip the Egg Whites: In a clean, dry bowl, whip your egg whites until they form stiff peaks. This creates so much airiness for the cake, it’s amazing. I once tried to do this with a greasy bowl, and the whites just wouldn’t whip; it was a sticky mess, so make sure your bowl and whisk are spotless!
- Combine Wet & Dry: In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Then, gently fold in the dry ingredients (flour and cocoa powder) until just combined. Overmixing here makes for a tough cake, and nobody wants that, right?
- Fold in the Whites: Now, carefully fold about a third of the whipped egg whites into your chocolate batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest. This step needs a light hand; you want to keep all that beautiful air in there. It should look like a rich, airy cloud of chocolate. Don’t deflate it, oops!
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into your prepared jelly roll pan. Spread it out gently to the edges. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. The cake should spring back when lightly touched, and the edges will start to pull away from the pan. Don’t overbake, or it’ll be brittle and crack when you roll it – I learned that the hard way, trust me!
- Roll While Warm: Here’s the trick: immediately after taking it out of the oven, invert the warm cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. While still warm, roll the cake (with the towel) from the short end. Let it cool completely rolled up like this. This trains the cake to hold its shape, making it so much easier to fill later. It’s a little scary the first time, but it works!
- Whip the Cream: Once the cake is completely cool, whip your heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it’s thick and holds soft peaks. Be careful not to over-whip, or you’ll end up with butter! I’ve been there, thinking I could walk away for ‘just a second’. Nope. Stay with it!
- Assemble Your Elegant Black Forest Roll Cake: Gently unroll the cooled cake. If you’re using Kirsch, brush it lightly over the cake. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake, leaving a small border. Then, spoon the cherry pie filling over the cream. Carefully re-roll the cake, without the towel this time. Transfer it to a serving platter, seam-side down. Chill for at least an hour to set.
- Garnish and Serve: Once chilled, decorate your Elegant Black Forest Roll Cake with chocolate shavings and fresh cherries. It looks stunning! The smell of chocolate and fresh cherries together is just heavenly. Slice it up and watch everyone’s faces light up. This is always my favorite part!