Tasty Chocolate Roll

This is a light dessert that might not be terribly pretty (especially the first time making it) but it tastes AMAZING! 

I'm going to break it down into a lot of small steps so that even a beginning baker can follow along.

I also want to note that the color may look a little strange in my photos. 

Ingredients:

1 c. chocolate chips (semisweet)
1/4 c. water
5 large eggs
1 c. sugar
cocoa powder (a couple large spoon fulls)
1 c. whipping cream
Fruit (optional)

Materials:

parchment paper
wax paper
(BOTH parchment and wax paper OR just parchment paper)
15x10 inch baking sheet (2 sheets are preferred. If the second one is bigger that's even better)
beater

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Separate the eggs into egg white and egg yolk. I usually just roll the egg yolk gently in my hand, with spaces between my fingers, over the yolk bowl (hands are washed). This may seem too primitive for some, but I find it very easy and effective.  

Put the chocolate and the water in a microwavable bowl. Microwave the chocolate until it melts. Stir every 30 seconds.

Beat the egg yolks with only 3/4 c. of sugar (not all of the sugar). Beat it until it is thick and a pale yellow color.

Whisk the egg yolk mixture in with the chocolate mixture.

Now beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and stiff.

How can you tell if they are stiff ? If you make a small scoop out of the egg mix with a knife it shouldn't sink back to fill in the hole (see image).

Gently fold/stir egg white fluff into the chocolate mix.

Lightly grease the cookie sheet. I used butter. Place a piece of parchment paper over the greased cookie sheet. Lightly grease the top of the parchment paper too. Make sure there is enough parchment paper that when you pour in the chocolate batter it won't flow out into the cookie sheet.

Pour chocolate batter into parchment paper (on top of cookie sheet). If it won't spread into the corners help it by pushing the corners of the parchment paper down.

DO NOT REPLACE WAX PAPER FOR PARCHMENT PAPER IN THIS STEP! The cake must be baked on the parchment paper. The wax on the wax paper will melt to your cookie sheet.

Now put the chocolate batter (on top of the parchment paper on the cookie sheet) in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While it's in the oven you can make the filling.

Take your whipping cream and add the rest of the sugar to it (1/4 c.). Beat it until it won't flow (**see picture).

Also, you can use this whipping cream trick for other recipes. It's pretty tasty.

If you still have some time after you're done whipping it just put it in a bowl, cover it with aluminum foil, and let it sit in the fridge until later.

** The picture makes it appear a little bit yellow - this is just because my camera is weird. It should be completely white.

Once you remove the cake from the oven cover it with a damp (not soaked) cloth or paper towel. I use paper towel and it works fine.

Place the cake in the fridge an allow it to cool off completely. 30 minutes should do the trick. Less time is fine too.

Take the cake out of the fridge. Gently remove the moist cloth or paper towel. Sprinkle the cocoa powder evenly over the top of the cake. Don't be too stingy but don't give it a huge layer of cocoa. This will keep it from sticking to the paper when you roll it.

Okay, this is the weird part.

Cover what you just powdered with a piece of wax paper or another piece of parchment paper.

Put another cookie sheet over the wax paper/parchment paper you just put on the cake. This will be sort of like a cake sandwich between two cookie sheets. If you don't have a cookie sheet I would recommend using a large book.

Use this to flip the cake over onto the 2nd cookie sheet/book.

Take off the cookie sheet that is now on top. This is the cookie sheet you originally used to bake the cake on.

Carefully peel back the parchment paper on top of the cake. Your cake might try to stay on but do your best. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have an idea. If anyone reads this and decides to do the recipe you should try the  following:

Before you even pour the cake batter onto the parchment paper, lightly powder the paper with cocoa powder (after greasing it). You would do this during Step #7. Let me know how it goes.

Now you can spread the whipped cream on the cake. Make sure to leave a little room along the edges of the cake so that when you roll it the cream wont be squeezed out and wasted. This is when you would add the optional fruit. I've only tried strawberries but I imagine bananas, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries might also be nice.

When I was taking pictures for this instructable I was actually making two rolls. After the first one I had an epiphany and realized why my cake kept falling apart as I rolled it.

You are going to take the roll and slowly pull the parchment paper towards the other end of the roll (LOOK AT THE PICTURE IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHAT THIS MEANS!). DO NOT pull the paper directly upwards. I would recommend looking at both of the pictures I have included with this step.

Okay, so you can eat your roll now or you can let it sit in the fridge for a while. I like mine chill and it always seems to become more moist if I let it hang out in the fridge for a bit. It also becomes less mangled when I cut it if it has been chilling in the fridge for a while.

How to chill it in the fridge: keep the wax paper/parchment paper tightly around the roll and put it somewhere in the fridge. Done.

Fruit is a good thing to serve with it or on top of it.

This may not be the prettiest dessert but it is definitely delicious and boyfriend approved!