Chocolate Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Sponge Cake

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Whip the eggs with the salt and the sugar 8–10 minutes, until the mixture is pale, fluffy and falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Room-temperature eggs whip better than cold eggs. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Warm eggs also make a more stable foam that holds up in the oven.
3. 3
   Add and mix on low speed, just until they are absorbed.
4. 4
   Sift the flour and cocoa over the top and Fold gently, just until the flour is absorbed.

   ⚙ FoldingSilicone spatulaSifter

   💡Fold with a spatula, in broad strokes from the bottom up, and stop when there are no streaks: vigorous mixing knocks the air out of the foam. Add whipped mixtures in stages: a quarter first, to lighten the mixture.

   💡Fold with a spatula, in broad strokes from the bottom up, and stop when there's no dry flour: vigorous mixing of a batter with flour develops gluten.
5. 5
   Spread the batter in an even layer over the pan.

   Baking sheetOffset spatula
6. 6
   Bake 10–11 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking sheet

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
7. 7
   Sprinkle the powdered sugar over a kitchen towel, turn the hot cake out onto it, peel off the paper and immediately roll it up together with the towel and let it cool in the roll.

   Kitchen towel

   💡Roll while the cake is still warm and flexible: it cools in the shape of a roll, and later unrolls and rolls up again with the filling without cracking.

For the Cream Filling

1. 8
   Whip the cold cream on medium speed, until it starts to thicken.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixer

   💡Cold cream whips quickly and holds firm: warm cream won't hold air. Stop when the peaks are firm, before it turns grainy.

   💡Whip cream very cold, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, and stop when it holds firm: overwhipping turns it grainy and buttery.
2. 9
   Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and keep whipping on high speed to firm peaks.

   Hand mixerorStand mixer
3. 10
   Unroll the cake, spread it with the cream and roll it back up.

   Offset spatula

   💡Spread the cream only on a completely cooled cake, and leave a bare border at the end: the cream gets pushed there as you roll instead of spilling out.
4. 11
   Chill 4 hours and serve cold.

   Refrigerator