Giant Swiss Roll

For the weekend of Father's Day, Alex and I packed up the kitties and headed down to my parents' in PA for a bit of a celebration. The car ride was much better than it ever was in the past when just a single kitty was involved - Tessy would occasionally meow, but Nymeria was silent the entire time. The amount of comfort they get from each other is just lovely. Once we got to my parents', you could definitely tell Tesla remembered the house from over Christmas, but it took him much longer to adapt to more people than he is used to - he's definitely a grown up kitty, now. Sad. Little, of course, had no qualms about where she was and immediately took to running around the house like crazy and hopping from lap to lap for cuddles (Nymeria's nickname is Little - it has completely stuck - Tesla is Bear).



I couldn't let Father's Day pass without a treat for my dad, so I decided to make a giant swiss roll that I pinned on Pinterest a while back. As soon as I saw it, I knew I'd have to make it for my dad eventually - he buys swiss rolls all the time. Lately, my mom scolds him every time he brings them home, so I figured I ought to make him one that she won't yell at him for. Not because it's healthy or anything, because it's totally not. But Father's Day is more than reason enough to have it!



I was nervous about making any substitutions like I normally would (i.e. white whole wheat in place of all-purpose flour), since I've never actually made a sponge cake before, so I just stuck with what the recipe called for. Eventually, I'll try it out with white whole wheat. The cake turned out lovely, but I found that the oven at my parents' house is uneven; the batter somehow pooled off to one side so it was pretty thick on one side. This made it a bit harder to roll up, but that's alright - it just meant more filling on the inside, which I have no problem with. As long as it doesn't mess with the taste, I'm a happy camper.

This swiss roll was a hit. The filling is very sweet, but the cake and ganache coating offsets it nicely. My sister, Jenny, told me it reminded her of a Disney dessert - which pretty much just means over the top in every aspect. I'll take it. Perfect indulgence.



This my dad and I at my sister's wedding last summer. I love this picture. And here's a picture from this weekend of my sisters and I with our pap!

Giant Swiss Roll
makes 1 swiss roll
adapted from Cooking by Moonlight


For the cake:
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa
1/3 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/2 cup coconut sugar

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form (the egg whites should form a soft curl). In a medium bowl, stir together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture, and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in half of the egg white mixture until fully incorporated, and then fold in the second half of the egg whites (do not over mix!).

Spread the batter evenly onto a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Bake at 425ºF for 6-8 minutes, until the cake springs back lightly when touched. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then flip the cake onto a tea towel. Peel off the parchment paper, and roll the cake up in the tea towel to cool (this will create a memory for when you roll it up later).

For the filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut oil
8 oz. marshmallow creme
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt

1 cup powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter, coconut oil, and marshmallow creme together. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Slowly stir in the powdered sugar, and mix until fully combined.

For the glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. dark chocolate

1 t vanilla

Heat the cream over medium heat in a small saucepan, until just bubbling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and whisk until the chocolate is melted.  Stir in the vanilla.

To assemble:
Once the cake is completely cooled, remove it from the tea towel. Spread the filling evenly across the cake with a spatula. Roll the cake up lengthwise. Pour the chocolate ganache glaze overtop, and allow to harden slightly before serving. Slice the roll, and serve.