Julia & Jacques’ Chocolate Roulade (Oceania)

8 ounces heavy cream for the cake batter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup egg whites (6 to 8 egg whites)

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup heavy cream to make cake filling

1 Tablespoon instant coffee

6 ounces heavy cream

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet pan with buttered baking paper.

In a small sauce pan on medium-low, heat the cream just to the simmer. Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a moment to begin to melt, then use a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream to make a ganache. The chocolate should be thoroughly melted, and the color should be uniform – no streaks. Do not whisk air into the mixture, just whisk to create an emulsion. Set the ganache aside to let it cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whip the egg whites with the sugar until they form stiff peaks with a glossy sheen.

Fold 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate ganache to lighten it. Then fold the lightened ganache into the remaining whipped whites and fold gently to thoroughly incorporate. Be careful not to overmix or you will knock out all of the air bubbles. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Spread it in an even layer.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. It should be set and puffy. Cool to room temperature before filling.

Make the filling by combining the instant coffee and heavy cream. Whip until it forms soft peaks.

To assemble the cake, spread the flavored whipped cream over the cooled cake. Use the baking paper to lift and curl one edge of the cake to begin forming a log. Peel the paper back and continue to roll until the whole cake has formed a roulade (log).

Transfer to a serving platter and decorate as desired. It is nice with a sprinkling of icing sugar or cocoa powder. Pipe a few whipped cream rosettes for a fancier look. Or, if you want to be very decadent, glaze with some ganache and pipe a few rosettes on top.

Prepare the ganache glaze: heat heavy cream to the simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until smooth and uniform in color. Let cool slightly before glazing cooled cake.