serves 6-8
6oz plain chocolate
5 eggs
6.5 oz caster sugar
1/4pt double or whipping cream
1/4tsp vanilla essence
Icing sugar for dusting
oil and line a 13″x 9″ swiss roll tin. oil and flour wax paper or teflon sheet.
Break up chocolate and melt in a bain marie. Separate the eggs. Add the yolks to 6oz sugar (hold back 1/2oz) and whisk till light and thickened. Add 2 tbl of hot water into the chocolate and beat into the egg yolk mixture.
in another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold whites and chocolate together – carefully, don’t over mix and flatten the mix!
Tip the mix onto the lined tin, and gently drag out to flat, filling the edges. Cook for 15 mins at 180°c (less for fan). remove from the oven, but leave in the tin. cover with waxed paper and a damp t-towel on top – stops a crust forming. Leave it overnight, or at least 5 hrs.
Whip the cream with vanilla essence and a spoon of icing sugar if preferred.
Sprinkle a clean fresh waxed sheet with the remaining sugar. Put the cake on the sugared paper and gently peel the first paper from the bottom (now top) of the roulade. Spread with the whipped cream and roll up, using the sugared paper to help hold it together.
Chill & serve.