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Chocolate Cake Roll with Chestnut Whipped Cream Filling

A light chocolate yule log filled with a sweetened chestnut whipped cream, with a gorgeous faux-bois wood grain baked right in to the cake itself.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
6 hrs
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For Design Paste:
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (softer than room temp, but not melted)
  • 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cake flour sifted
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
  • 1 large egg white 34g
For Chocolate Cake:
  • 3 large eggs separated
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1½ tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup cake flour sifted
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder sifted
  • pinch cream of tartar
  • powdered sugar and cocoa powder for dusting
For Chestnut Cream Filling:
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream cold
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
  • 3 tablespoons sweetened chestnut paste
  • 1½ teaspoons Amaretto liqueur optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan. Trace the outline of the jelly roll pan on the bottom of a piece of heavy duty parchment paper. Lightly butter the top of the parchment with a thin, even layer.
  2. To make design paste, with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix butter and sugar together until you get a smooth paste. Add flour and cocoa and mix until partially incorporated, then add egg white and mix until smooth. Paste should have a buttercream-like consistency.
  3. Place wood grain stencil on the parchment, with the grain going parallel to the short side of the pan. Tape into place to keep it from moving.
  4. Using an offsest spatula, spread a thick layer of chocolate paste mixture over stencil. You want a layer that's thicker than the stencil itself, so don't scrape it off too much. You may not need all the paste for this. Once entire stencil is covered, gently peel off the stencil. Cut around outline and place parchment into buttered jelly roll pan. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
  5. To make cake batter, place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and yolks are lightened in color. Drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly, until incorporated. Whisk in milk, vanilla extract and salt.
  6. Sprinkle sifted cake flour and cocoa powder over batter and fold until completely incorporated.
  7. In a clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until whites hold medium-stiff peaks.
  8. Fold a third of egg whites into batter to lighten it, then add the remaining egg whites and fold until just incorporated and no streaks of white remain.
  9. Pour batter over top of stenciled design, spreading the batter into an even layer using a large offset spatula. Bang the pan once or twice on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and level out the top.
  10. Bake for about 10 minutes or until top is springy and edges are just barely starting to brown.
  11. Remove from oven. Dust top of cake with a bit of powdered sugar mixed with cocoa powder, then carefully invert warm cake onto a piece of parchment backed by a solid surface like a large cutting board. Peel off parchment paper backing, revealing the design. Liberally dust a clean tea towel with more powdered sugar/cocoa and lay on top of cake. Flip cake over so the design is facing down. Also, if your stencil design doesn't cover the full surface, make a note of which surface is the empty side: you'll want to start rolling from this side.
  12. Starting with the side of the cake without the design, carefully roll up the warm cake in the towel. Doing this while the cake is still warm will give the cake a 'muscle memory' and allow you to roll it up later with the filling without it cracking.
  13. Let rolled cake cool for about 1 hour or until completely cool to the touch.
  14. Meanwhile, to make filling, in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon cool water and let soften for 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture for 5-8 seconds until the gelatin is completely dissolved and liquefied. Let cool slightly (but don't let it firm up, if it does, microwave it again).
  15. Place cold whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until frothy, then add powdered sugar, increase to medium high and beat until the paddle starts to leave trails in the cream.
  16. Mix a spoonful of the partially-whipped cream into the bowl with the melted and cooled gelatin until completely incorporated, then, with the mixer running on low, add this back to the bowl with the rest of the cream. Increase speed to medium high, beating until cream holds medium-stiff peaks (take care not to overbeat). Mix in chestnut cream and amaretto until incorporated. Set aside or chill for 5 to 10 minutes to let the gelatin set up a bit (a slightly firmer filling makes the cake easier to roll).
  17. Carefully unroll cake and remove towel. Spread filling into a thin even layer over the whole cake, leaving about 1/2 inch bare at both ends. You may not use all of the filling (save the rest to dollop on top!)
  18. Gently roll up the cake, firmly, but taking care not to use too much pressure lest the filling squeeze out the sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until filling is set. If you happen to have a cardboard tube lying around, place your cake roll in the tube to keep the bottom from flattening out as it chills (I used a 3½-inch-diameter tube for a whiskey bottle and it was the perfect size).
  19. Dust cake liberally with powdered sugar. Cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife and serve. Cake roll will keep, tightly wrapped and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.