Recipe: Chocolate Angel Food Cake Roll by Sabine Venier

Excerpted from The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book by Sabine Venier

My mom used to bake angel food cake rolls a lot when I was a kid. I always loved the airy and cloudlike cake filled with whipped cream and served with loads of fresh berries. I thought my mother’s recipe deserved a chocolaty twist and to be shared with you. It’s just a lovely recipe, and it’s easy to make. It’s definitely the perfect cake for enjoying Sunday afternoons with your family.

yield: 12 servings

Cake

12⁄3 cups (200 g) unpacked powdered sugar, plus 1 tbsp (8 g) for dusting, divided

1⁄4 cup (34 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1⁄4 cup (21 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, spooned and leveled

6 large egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

Pinch of salt

Whipped cream

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp (8 g) powdered sugar

1 tbsp (5 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

Note: If you desire, you can add strawberries, blackberries or raspberries to your filling. You will need about 1 cup (150 g) of fresh berries, but be careful that you don’t overload the filling. Otherwise, it will be hard to roll up the cake again.

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 9 x 13–inch (23 x 33–cm) baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup (120 g) of the powdered sugar and the flour and cocoa powder and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Then, sift in the remaining 2⁄3 cup (80 g) of powdered sugar and continue to whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form and the meringue is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes. Sift in the flour mixture in three batches, gently folding with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overwork the meringue, or it will lose all its air and deflate.

Transfer the meringue batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Lightly dust a clean, dry kitchen towel with the extra tablespoon (8 g) of powdered sugar, flip the cake roll onto the kitchen towel and gently peel off the parchment. Starting on a short side, roll up the cake in the kitchen towel and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

Make the whipped cream: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Then, add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Slowly and carefully unroll the cake and spread the whipped cream mixture evenly on top. Tightly roll up the cake again (without using the towel) and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut the cake roll into slices before serving. It will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Excerpted from The Chocolate Addict, copyright © 2020 Sabine Venier, published by Page Street Publishing Company, photography by Sabine Venier, excerpted with permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.