Sandy’s chocolate roulade (the cake of champions)
Sandy Shuvalov is a very special friend of mine and it was her birthday three weeks ago and I missed it! Yep, I completely forgot. So being Jewish and a world heavy weight champion in the arena of guilt I rang her up immediately and launch into an apology.
Nava: “Sandy, I’m so sorry, I forgot your birthday, I’m going to make you a cake and I’ll leave it outside your house.”
Sandy: “No, don’t be silly, I don’t want you to make me a cake”
Nava: “I insist. Don’t bother arguing, I’m going to do it.” (I’m also a world class nudnick.)
Sandy: “No, I forbid you to make me a cake… which cake are we talking about?”
I wanted to make a cake for that afternoon so it couldn’t take all day but it still had to be special and look spectacular.
I decided to make a delicious chocolate roulade filled with sweet whipped cream and fresh juicy strawberries, slathered with a delectable chocolate sauce.
Why did I choose this cake for your birthday? Well, just like strawberries and cream, you are loved by all. You are sweet, sincere and very real. You have had a tough year yet you have remained steadfastly kind, thoughtful and considerate. Talking of champions, some years are like 16 rounds with Mohammed Ali, and this one is that kind of ordeal, but throughout it all you have rolled with the punches, never complaining. You remained resilient and strong and never lost your sense of humour.
Wishing you a happy birthday filled with love, light, and happiness and above all the best of health.
Love you lots
Nava
Ingredients
Roulade
6 eggs separated at room temperature
½ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons cacao
1 tablespoon cornflour
3 tablespoons oil
Cream Filling
600mls Thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons sugar
250g fresh strawberries
Chocolate sauce
¾ cup dark chocolate chip
¼ cup white chocolate chip
3 tablespoons milk
20g butter
Method
Pre heat the oven to 180C
Sift cacao, flour and cornflour into a small bowl, set aside.
Grease and line the base of a 25cm X 30cm swiss roll pan, (or a shallow baking tray) with baking paper, (grease the baking paper as well).
In a stand alone electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium to high speed for about a minute before adding the sugar slowly (one tablespoon at a time) beat the eggs until firm peaks form about five minutes from beginning to end.
Lower the speed and add egg yellow one at a time, with the speed still on low add the flour and cacao mixture until combined, pour oil slowly until incorporated.
Pour the cake mixture onto the prepared pan and gently move the tray around to level out the cake batter. Bake for 8-10 minutes. (It took 8 minutes in my oven)
Once cake is ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cake has cooled down, check that the cake isn’t stuck to the sides of the pan, if it is, use a knife to gently separate it from the edge.
Cut a sheet of baking paper the same size as the cake and place on your work bench and dust evenly with cocoa. Turn the roulade over and onto the cocoa dusted baking paper. (The baking paper you baked the cake in should now be on top) carefully, remove the baking paper set cake aside and start to prepare the filling.
With a stand alone electric mixer whip the cream, vanilla extract and icing mixture until stiff peaks form. Place cream in the fridge.
Rinse and dry the strawberries. Remove the stalk and cut into any shape you like.
Assembly
Optional: Set aside a little bit of the whipped cream, about a third of a cup, to decorate the top of the cake.
Spread remaining cream on top of the cake and sprinkle chopped strawberries evenly.
Firmly roll up the roulade from the long side, using the baking paper to lift and roll away from you.
Very carefully transfer roulade onto a serving dish and place in the fridge as you prepare the chocolate sauce.
Place dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir until chocolate has melted completely and ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat and stir in butter until completely melted and incorporated into the sauce (it should give it a nice shine) if the butter isn’t melting return saucepan to the flame and stir until butter has completely melted.
Remove from heat and let it cool down.
Slowly, spoon the sauce over the top of the roulade, using a butter knife gently spread the chocolate dripping along the side of the roulade. Repeat until you have used all the sauce.
Place the small amount of cream you set aside in a piping bag and pipe little swirls along the top of the cake.
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