Chocolate Sponge Cake (Log Cake)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a flour-less cake I believe everyone should try making at least once. The joy of achieving the perfect roll is always exciting. Much more than this is the amazing taste of this cake. It is rich, but in an innocent way. This is a recipe by Stephanie Jaworski of joy of baking. I took it a step further with the filling and frosting. In this recipe, you get chocolate 3 ways: the chocolate sponge, chocolate whipped cream filling and chocolate ganache frosting. Wait until you see how easy it is to make this dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

For Sponge Cake:

(1) 6 Large Eggs (Separate the Egg Whites from the Yolks)

(2) 120 Grams Semi-Sweet Chocolate (4 Ounces)

(3) 50 Grams Granulated White Sugar (1/4 Cup)

(4) 25 Grams Granulated White Sugar (2 Tablespoons)

(5) 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

(6) 3/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar (Optional)

For Chocolate Whipped Cream:

The recipe for whipped cream can be found here. Add 1/3 cup of chocolate ganache to the whipped cream to make chocolate whipped cream.

For Chocolate Ganache:

The recipe for chocolate ganache can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

(2) Prepare Pan. Butter or Grease a 17 by 12 inch baking tray or sheet pan. Next, cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment paper. All these steps are important to ensure that the sponge cake does not stick to the pan and comes off easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Separate the egg yolks from the whites and set aside.

(4) Chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof  bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of boiling water until the chocolate melts. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the egg yolks and 50 grams of sugar and beat at high speed until the mixture is thick and fluffy. About 5 minutes. It should fall back into the mixing bowl in a slow ribbon when the paddle attachment is lifted up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

(7) Next, add the melted chocolate and beat just until combined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Next, beat the egg whites. Egg whites are very fussy and must be beaten in a clean and dry bowl. If you have only one stand mixing bowl, you can turn the batter into another large bowl and wash the mixing bowl thoroughly before beating the egg whites with it. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites in a large bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed until it starts to foam. Add the cream of tartar if using and beat until it starts to form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 25 grams of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Add 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in until just incorporated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The batter gets all its rise from the egg white so be careful to fold it in gently so as not to deflate it.

(10) Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and spread evenly with your spatula. Bake in preheated oven until the batter loses its shine, puffs up and springs back when gently pressed. About 15 to 17 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely. Cover it with a damp towel to keep it moist. You can use a paper towel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12) While the cake cools, prepare the chocolate ganache and chocolate whipped cream. The recipes for these can be found here and here.

(13) Once the cake has cooled, take off the damp towel and spread the chocolate whipped cream over the cake. Gently roll the cake into a log, peeling off the parchment paper as you roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(14) Place the cake on your serving dish and spread the chocolate ganache over the cake to cover it. You can use a knife of toothpick to draw patterns on the ganache to make it look like a log. This cake can be enjoyed without the ganache.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Refrigerate frosted cake. It can last up to  week in the fridge.

Alternatively, you can fill the log cake with the whipped cream and dust some cocoa powder over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to add fondant bunnies to your log cake, I have a tutorial for that here.

Have fun trying this out.