Black Cherry and Chocolate Roulade
A delicious moist, non cracking, truly chocolatey roulade filled with black cherry jam and fresh whipped cream then topped off with fresh chocolate dipped cherries. Fit for any occasion.
Serves 8
Ingredients
You will need a shallow tin - mine measures 36cm x 26cm and 5cm deep - greased and lined with baking paper.
For the cake :
70g Plain flour
25g Cocoa powder
1 tsp coffee powder mixed with 2 tbsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
75g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C non-fan, Gas Mark6, 400°F)
For dusting 3 tsp caster sugar and 1 tsp cocoa powder mixed
For the filling :
3 tbsp black cherry jam mixed with 1 tbsp. Amaretto and 1/2 tsp almond extract
300ml double cream whisked with 1 tbsp icing sugar
8 fresh stoned cherries
50g White chocolate melted
Preparation
Start by sifting the plain flour and cocoa powder together.Whisk together the 3 eggs and caster sugar until light, mousse like and when the whisks are taken from the mixture they leave a trail for a number of seconds.
Add half of the flour, sifting a second time - then the coffee and vanilla. Fold together slowly and carefully to ensure as much of the air is retained as possible.
Fold in the second half of the flour and when all is well combined transfer to the prepared tin.
Use the back of a spoon or an angled palette knife to even the mixture and push to the sides and corners of the tin. This mixture will not find its own level in the oven.
Bake for just 8 minutes then check to make sure your sponge has risen slightly and is springy to the touch.
Take from the oven and place the tin on a cooling rack. Leave for a few minutes but whilst still warm it must be removed from the tin.
Sprinkle over the surface the caster sugar and cocoa mix then place a clean piece of paper over and a second cooling rack then flip the whole lot over so that the original cooling rack is on the top. Remove the original rack, the tin and the baking paper. Using the new piece of paper as an aid roll up the warm sponge and paper and leave rolled up until completely cool.
To prepare the filling whisk the double cream with the icing sugar until soft peaks are formed. Set aside.
Mix the black cherry jam, amaretto and almond extract together.
Stone the fresh cherries then holding the stalks, dip into the melted white chocolate and leave to set on a piece of baking parchment.
When ready to assemble - unroll the roulade, spread over the jam, cover then with the whipped cream and carefully re-roll. Trim the ends to neaten the roulade, transfer to a presentation plate then decorate with a dusting of sugar/cocoa mix, a drizzle of white chocolate and the dipped cherries.