JP Food: Irish Cream Chocolate Roulade

From Tallaght, John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.

This is a super easy dessert to rustle up, a great get-ahead recipe that can be prepared a day or two in advance.

It also freezes well if you really want to get ahead. The recipe calls for some Bailey’s Irish cream but if you want to leave the alcohol out you can replace with vanilla extract – it will taste just as good.

This is a fatless and gluten-free recipe, the beaten egg whites providing the rise in the sponge base which while rich and indulgent is also surprisingly light!

The addition of double-cream Swiss-roll into the cake middle and the icing drizzled on top adds a note of delicious luxury.

Serve with fresh strawberries or raspberries and enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 large eggs separated

175g castor sugar

175g excellent quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

2 tablespoons of cocoa

300ml of double cream

2 tablespoons of icing sugar

4 tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish Cream or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Icing sugar for dusting the roulade

Icing:

50g icing sugar

2 teaspoons of Baileys / vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of double cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°Celsius / 160°C fan / 350°f / Gas mark 4.
2. Lightly grease a Swiss-roll tin and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.
3.  Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl over simmering water – allow to melt.Important to ensure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. once melted, leave aside to cool.
4. Using and electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff and shiny.
5. In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks and caster sugar until thick and creamy, then add in the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
6. Add two tablespoons of the beaten egg whites and fold through to introduce the egg whites to the chocolate batter mix.Then add in the remaining egg white mixture and fold gently to combine.Sift the cocoa in and mix gently to ensure fully combined and there are no lumps.Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. once baked leave aside to cool completely before mixing the cream.
7. Use an electric hand mixer to mix the cream, Bailey’s / vanilla extract and icing sugar.Beat until it holds its shape, but be careful not to overmix or you will find it difficult to spread over the top of the sponge.
8. Layer the cream on top of the baked sponge and using the edge of the parchment, gently roll away from you in tight roll and place into the fridge.Make the icing and then drizzle over the top of the roulade, serve with strawberries / raspberries and enjoy!

I made this roulade for my family last weekend for dessert after Sunday lunch.

It went down a storm with everyone coming back for seconds.

It’s a rich, indulgent treat that is super easy to make but so delicious to eat.

It goes a long way feeding 6-8 people, so it’s great for feeding a crowd.

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