We Should Cocoa ~ James Martin's Chocolate and Strawberry Roulade

Who's stupid idea was it to set roulade as this month's We Should Cocoa challenge?  Clearly the actions of a mad woman who has never made a piggin roulade in her life!!!!  Grrrrrrrrr.  As you can see this was an unmitigated disaster, lovely tasting but that's about where it ends.  I had planned on making a few different roulades to get some practise in before making this one for the challenge but unfortunately time got away from me and I had no choice but to post my one and only attempt ... sigh!

If I was to make this again (and considering I've now gone to the expense of buying a pan I will need to justify the purchase!) I would make the two chocolate fillings well in advance and give them time to set up in the fridge before spreading over the base.  I'd also make sure that no falling objects leave dents in the cooling cake (stupid bag of brown sugar!)

Here is the recipe;

James Martin's Chocolate and Strawberry Roulade
For the base
4 free-range eggs
110g caster sugar
110g SR flour, sifted
2-3 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
For the Filling
400ml double cream
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
200g white chocolate, finely chopped
300g strawberries, sliced
200g strawberries, to serve
2-3 tbsp icing sugar
75g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Line a 23cm x 33cm/9in x 13in Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.

Place the eggs and sugar into a bowl and whisk until light, fluffy and thickened.

Fold the flour into the mixture until well combined. Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the surface lightly with a spatula.

Place the tin into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. (The sponge is cooked through when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.)

Place a sheet of baking parchment, slightly bigger than the tin onto a work surface and dust with some icing sugar.

Turn the sponge out onto the parchment paper and then peel off the parchment on the bottom of the sponge. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the filling, place half of the double cream into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Add the dark chocolate and whisk to combine until thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, not allowing the water to touch the base of the bowl.

Whisk the remaining cream in a separate bowl to soft peaks. Add the white chocolate and mix until well combined.

Spread the dark chocolate ganache over the sponge, leaving a 2cm/1in gap along one of the longest sides.

Carefully spread the white chocolate cream over the top of the dark chocolate. Finally, scatter the sliced strawberries over the cream.

Starting at the longest edge without the 2cm/1in gap, using the parchment paper, roll the sponge up to form a pinwheel, with the chocolate inside. Press tightly to encase the filling.

For the garnish, place the strawberries into a food processor with the icing sugar and blend until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl.

Push a knife carefully over the flat side of the chocolate, to create little rolls or shards of chocolate. (Make sure that the chocolate is secured when cutting.)

Place the roulade onto a plate and dust with the cocoa powder and finish with a scattering of chocolate curls or shards. Serve with the strawberry sauce.

Serves 6-8
Saturday Kitchen