Mocha–Mascarpone Jelly Roll Cake (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 19, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes chilling
Yield
Serves 12
Sugar
17 grams (down from 37)
Ingredients
Filling and Frosting
½ cup maple syrup 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder 1 teaspoon almond extract ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 pound (454 grams/2 cups) mascarpone cheese 1 cup heavy creamCake
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour ⅓ cup (1 ounces/28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 5 large eggs ½ cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extractBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Whisk maple syrup, espresso powder, almond extract, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, stir mascarpone with rubber spatula until softened and smooth, then whisk in maple mixture. Measure out ½ cup and set aside.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Using rubber spatula, fold in ½ cup reserved mascarpone mixture until combined. Refrigerate mascarpone-maple mixture and whipped cream–mascarpone mixture separately until needed or for up to 2 days.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip eggs on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add maple syrup in steady stream. Increase speed to high and whip until mixture has tripled in volume, is pale yellow color, and ribbons fall from whisk, 5 to 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Sift flour mixture over top of whipped eggs. Using rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into eggs until incorporated and no traces of flour remain.
- Scrape batter into prepared sheet and spread into even layer. Bake until cake is firm to touch and springs back when pressed lightly, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Invert second baking sheet, grease bottom lightly, and line with parchment. Remove cake from oven and run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Working quickly while cake is warm, place second baking sheet on top, parchment side down, and gently flip pans over. Remove sheet and parchment now on top. Starting from short side, roll cake and bottom parchment into log. Let cake cool, seam side down, for 15 minutes.
- Gently unroll cake. Stir mascarpone-maple mixture to loosen, then spread evenly over cake, leaving 1-inch border along bottom edge. Re-roll cake around filling, leaving parchment behind as you roll. Transfer cake to serving platter. Spread whipped cream–mascarpone mixture over top and sides of cake and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Serve.
for the filling and frosting
for the cake
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes chillingYield
Serves 12Sugar
17 grams (down from 37)Ingredients
Filling and Frosting
Cake
Ingredients
Filling and Frosting
Cake
Ingredients
Filling and Frosting
Cake
Why This Recipe Works
These showpieces can be daunting to make: Too often, the cake breaks when rolled, the filling spills out, or the frosting doesn't set up properly; plus, the cake itself can be dry and rubbery. We wanted a moist, chocolaty cake that rolled well, with a flavorful, luscious filling. Knowing the filling would be the easier task, we started there. Mascarpone made a perfect base, since its richness and gentle tang paired nicely with the chocolate cake. We amped up the mascarpone's mild flavor with espresso powder and a small amount of almond extract. We tried sweetening the filling with Sucanat, honey, and maple syrup, and tasters far preferred the latter: While the bold flavors of Sucanat and honey overpowered the other flavors in the filling, the gentle sweetness of maple syrup worked perfectly. We decided that we could streamline our process by making the filling pull double duty: We reserved some of the filling mixture and folded in whipped cream to make a rich, creamy frosting for the outside of our jelly roll cake. Next, we turned our attention to the cake itself. Our traditional chocolate jelly roll cake called for whipping eggs and then gradually adding sugar, but since we were using maple syrup in the filling, we wanted to use it in the cake as well. We were happy to find that the syrup incorporated seamlessly into the whipped eggs, and a mere ½ cup provided plenty of sweetness without overpowering the chocolate. We also increased the amount of cocoa powder from ¼ cup to ⅓ cup to boost chocolate flavor and make up for the structure that the extra sugar would normally provide. Finally, our rich, flavorful jelly roll cake came together into a dessert worth sharing.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Whisk maple syrup, espresso powder, almond extract, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, stir mascarpone with rubber spatula until softened and smooth, then whisk in maple mixture. Measure out ½ cup and set aside.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Using rubber spatula, fold in ½ cup reserved mascarpone mixture until combined. Refrigerate mascarpone-maple mixture and whipped cream–mascarpone mixture separately until needed or for up to 2 days.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip eggs on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add maple syrup in steady stream. Increase speed to high and whip until mixture has tripled in volume, is pale yellow color, and ribbons fall from whisk, 5 to 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Sift flour mixture over top of whipped eggs. Using rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into eggs until incorporated and no traces of flour remain.
- Scrape batter into prepared sheet and spread into even layer. Bake until cake is firm to touch and springs back when pressed lightly, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Invert second baking sheet, grease bottom lightly, and line with parchment. Remove cake from oven and run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Working quickly while cake is warm, place second baking sheet on top, parchment side down, and gently flip pans over. Remove sheet and parchment now on top. Starting from short side, roll cake and bottom parchment into log. Let cake cool, seam side down, for 15 minutes.
- Gently unroll cake. Stir mascarpone-maple mixture to loosen, then spread evenly over cake, leaving 1-inch border along bottom edge. Re-roll cake around filling, leaving parchment behind as you roll. Transfer cake to serving platter. Spread whipped cream–mascarpone mixture over top and sides of cake and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Serve.
for the filling and frosting
for the cake
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments