Chocolate & Chestnut Roulade - Bakemas Day 22

Ever since I made this I’ve but in a constant state of either eating or wanting to eat this roulade.

This is one of those recipes that my mum hand wrote into a recipe book that’s now falling apart and being held together with an elastic band. I don’t ever remember her making this when I was a kid, I’m pretty sure she did, but five or six years ago I adopted this recipe and it’s been one of my favourites ever since. It’s that recipe that randomly pops into your head and once you’ve had the first slice you want to make another 20 roulades to have a constant intake because it’s so good...which is where I am right now, on my second roulade and planning to make a third but shh!

Does anyone actually know the difference between a roulade, Yule log and a Swiss roll? I think I always imagine a Yule log to be chocolate sponge with chocolate filling, a Swiss roll to be vanilla sponge with jam and a roulade to have a cream like filling but I think that’s just the way it works in my brain, so how are you supposed to know what to call your log shaped rolled cake. Luckily for me this was already named so I didn’t have to go through that whole palaver but if anybody knows the officially official definitions I’d be interested to know.


Anyway, this is one of those foods where you’re out at some festive gathering, someone pulls out a roulade and you just have to stare longingly at it wishing you could eat it. 90% of the time you’re not going to go home and make one, I don’t know why but it always seems like a lot of faff and hassle to make a roulade but it’s so quick and easy and it can be in your mouth in less than an hour...well...as long as you have the ingredients already. I haven’t timed myself making this but the sponge takes 8-10 minutes to cook and it’s so thin it cools down in no time.

I used the trusty coconut solids from a can of full fat coconut for the dairy free filling and the mixture of that with the chestnut puree is so delicious. I might be bias but I swear the coconut cream makes it taste even better. If you don’t have a dairy problem you can use double cream instead I think you need about 300ml but if you like coconut you should give the coconut cream a go anyway.


You will need
3 free range eggs
4 oz caster sugar
2 oz plain flour
1 oz cocoa powder
1 tbsp hot water
1 can coconut milk, refrigerated (70% solids minimum)
3oz chestnut puree
½ tbsp icing sugar
2-3 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
Line a swiss roll tin (13”x9”) using 1 sheet of greaseproof paper pushing it into the corners then set aside.
Place the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together until it’s thick and mousse like.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold in, add in the water and fold again.
Pour into the lined tin making sure it’s evenly spread out right to the corners then bake for 8-10 minutes.
Place a damp tea towel on the worktop, put a piece of greaseproof paper over it and lightly dust with caster sugar, once the sponge is cooked turn it out into the sugar lined greaseproof paper, leave to partially cool then peel off the baking paper and leave to cool completely.

To make the chestnut cream spoon the coconut solids out of the can (mine came to about 250g) and put in a bowl, whisk the coconut until smooth, add the chestnut puree and icing sugar and whisk again, finally stir in the chopped dark chocolate and set aside.

Once the sponge is completely cool, spread the cream filling evenly over the sponge leaving a few tablespoons aside. Gently roll the roulade up and place on a plate, add the leftover cream on top, sprinkle with a little more chocolate and dust with icing sugar.

Store in the fridge.