Messy and delicious.
I really set myself up for disaster.
Although I’d made this chocolate sponge once before, I wasn’t completely confident with my recipe. I second-guessed and over-thought every step of the way, from the first egg I cracked to the moment I pulled the sponge out of the oven: flat and so badly overbaked that it was actually crispy around the edges and split into sponge shards when I tried to roll it up with the swiss meringue buttercream.
Let’s just say the presentation suffered.
As messy as they looked, these mint chocolate mini rolls still tasted delicious. Decadent cocoa sponge filled with swirls of creamy peppermint swiss meringue buttercream, coated in luscious dark chocolate ganache. The light, airy texture of the buttercream paired beautifully with the rich, fudgy ganache, and the pop of mint relieved the intensely dark cocoa. A bite was both refreshingly light and deeply decadent.
My husband and I devoured them.
As a perfectionist, I would prefer to not fail at anything ever. Failure sucks. But I also know that I can learn a lot from kitchen disasters, and I learned WAY more about baking a chocolate sponge this time than I did the first time I made it, when things went relatively smoothly. (For my specific tips, see the recipe.)
With everything I’ve learned (and the added bonus of remember how DELICIOUS this recipe is!), I can’t wait to get back in the kitchen and make these Mint Chocolate Mini Rolls again. The full recipe is below, including my current working recipe for the chocolate sponge, which is still a work in progress. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes. At least you’ll know plenty about what NOT to do!
Enjoy!
Mint Chocolate Mini Rolls
(Makes 12)
For the flourless chocolate sponge:
30 grams butter, melted (about 2 tbsp)
60 mL coffee (about ¼ cup)
60 grams cocoa powder (about ½ cup)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, separated
150 grams granulated sugar, divided (about ¾ cup)
For the peppermint swiss meringue buttercream:
100 grams egg whites (from about 4 medium eggs)
200 grams granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
375 grams unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature (about 18 tbsp)
1 tsp mint extract
To assemble:
150 grams dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
150 mL heavy cream (about 2/3 cup)
1 tsp honey or corn syrup
Crushed candy canes, for decoration
Special equipment: parchment paper, stand mixer with whisk, foil, cooking rack
Method
For the flourless chocolate sponge:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 10” by 17” sided baking tray with greased parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, coffee, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk egg yolks and 100 grams (about ½ cup) sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Whisk in the cocoa paste. Transfer whisked cocoa batter to a large bowl and set aside.
Clean stand mixer bowl and whisk; dry thoroughly. In the newly-cleaned stand mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium speed until they start to form peaks. Still whisking, sprinkle in remaining 50 grams (about ¼ cup) sugar; once incorporated raise the speed and continue whisking just until medium peaks form. Don’t overwhisk! If the meringue becomes too stiff, it will not incorporate well into the cocoa batter.
Using a rubber spatula, add two scoops of egg whites to the cocoa batter and fold in until incorporated (doing only a bit will lighten the egg yolk mixture and make it easier to incorporate the rest of the whites). Fold in the rest of the whites carefully with a spatula, trying to keep as much of the egg white volume as possible.
Gently spread batter into the prepared pan with a spatula, making sure it is evenly distributed across the pan so it will bake evenly. Bake in preheated oven until the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10-15 minutes.
For the peppermint swiss meringue buttercream:
Fill a small sauce pot with a few inches of water and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat so the water stays at a low simmer.
Whisk egg whites and sugar lightly in a heatproof bowl (a stand mixer bowl works well) until they’re combined. Place bowl over the simmering water in the sauce pot. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the sauce pot—if it does, it will start to cook the egg whites!
Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved into the egg whites and the mixture feels slick to the touch. Remove bowl from the heat and whisk on medium speed (if you’ve used a stand mixer bowl, you can just attach it to the mixer and use the whisk attachment) until the meringue is stiff and the bowl feels cool to the touch, about 5 minutes.
Increase the speed to medium high and add the butter to the cooled meringue a few cubes at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated between each addition. Whisk in mint extract.
To assemble:
Place the parchment paper with the sponge on the cutting board and cut the sponge into four even rectangles. Slide a spatula under one of the pieces to make sure it’s not sticking to the parchment paper; spread evenly with ¼ inch buttercream. Starting at the closest long side, roll the rectangle into a log. Don’t worry if it cracks a bit—you’ll be covering it with ganache anyway! Cut this log into 3 even mini rolls. Repeat with the remaining three sponge rectangles.
Set a cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Place mini rolls on the rack, spacing evenly and making sure there is room between the rolls.
For the ganache, chop chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes, then stir to incorporate the cream and chocolate into a smooth, silky ganache. Stir in honey or corn syrup. Let the ganache sit a few minutes, or until it is ready to glaze; you’ll know it’s the right temperature when it falls off a lifted spatula in a slow, steady stream.
When the ganache is ready, spoon over rolls, using an off-set spatula or a knife to spread it evenly over sides and tops. Sprinkle over crushed candy canes and leave to set up.
Originally posted December 26, 2020.
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