Chocolate Chestnut Roll Food

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT ROLL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F and grease a 15 x 10" jelly roll pan; line bottom with waxed paper and grease paper.
• Sift first three ingredients together.
• Beat yolks until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating until very thick.
• Add vanilla to egg mixture; add vanilla and stir in water.
• Fold in flour mixture.
• Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into batter.
• Spread evenly in prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip.
• Dust cake with confectioners' sugar; cover with a towel and invert.
• Remove pan and paper.
• Trim 1/4" from sides and roll up cake and towel from short side.
• Place seam-side down on a rack; cool.
• Unroll cake; spread chestnut filling over the cake and re-roll.
• Frost with cocoa cream; decorate with dark cocoa cream.
• To make the chestnut filling: Beat chestnut puree until smooth and spreadable.
• Beat cream, sugar and rum together until stiff; fold into puree.
• To make the cocoa cream: Beat the ingredients together until stiff.
• To make the dark cocoa cream: Beat the ingredients together until stiff.

CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a 22 x 32cm swiss roll tin (if it's 20 x 30cm that's still fine) with baking parchment. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl and set aside.
• Crack the eggs into another bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and tip in the sugar. Use an electric whisk or the whisk attachment to beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 mins until pale and very thick. Use a spoon or spatula to gently fold in the flour mixture until completely incorporated and everything's the same colour with no streaks.
• Gently scrape the mix into the tin and spread to the corners. Bake for 9-10 mins until puffed up and springy to touch. While the cake is baking, get another piece of parchment a little larger than the tin and scatter it with sugar. When the sponge is cooked, use oven gloves to carefully invert it onto the sugar-coated paper. Lift off the tin and peel away the top layer of parchment. Score a line 2cm from one of the shorter edges, then use the parchment to roll the sponge into a spiral with the parchment running through it. Leave the rolled sponge to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the filling by whisking all the ingredients together until the cream stiffens. Unroll the sponge and spread over the filling, leaving the scored edge clear. Starting from the scored edge, use the parchment to roll the sponge up around the filling. Lift onto a board or serving platter and dust with icing sugar. Can be served straight away or chilled for up to 24 hrs. Serve in slices.

CHOCOLATE & CHESTNUT TRUFFLE TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grease a 25cm springform tin, then line the base and sides with baking paper. Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
• Sift the flour and cocoa together onto the mixture, then gently fold in, followed by the butter. Pour into the tin, ease to the edges, then bake for 8-10 mins until risen and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin.
• Meanwhile, beat the chestnut purée and egg yolks until as smooth as possible. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water with half the cream. Remove from the heat, then beat into the chestnut mixture.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, whip the remaining cream until it holds its shape. Fold into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the egg whites. Drizzle the brandy, if using, over the sponge base, then pour the chocolate mix on top. Level the surface and chill for 5 hrs or overnight until firm. Chill for 2 days, or freeze for 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• To serve, carefully remove from the tin, strip off the paper and slide onto a cake stand. Dust heavily with cocoa.

CHESTNUT STUFFING ROLL

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a large non-stick pan, add the onions and gently cook for 10-15 mins until very soft. Stir in the sage for 1 min, then tip into a large mixing bowl. Pulse the chestnuts in a food processor until chopped into small bits, then tip these into the bowl with the onions and repeat with the hazelnuts. Add the breadcrumbs, mace, beaten egg, 1 tsp salt and some pepper, and mix everything together well.
• Tear off a very large sheet of foil. Smear the butter in the middle, making a rectangle about 30 x 40cm. Lay the bacon rashers over in a row, overlapping a little. Use a rolling pin to slowly but firmly roll down the length of the bacon strips to stretch them a bit. Shape the stuffing into a log along the rashers. Using the foil to help you, roll up the stuffing so that it is completely wrapped in the bacon. Overwrap with the extra foil and twist the ends to tighten and seal. If it's not very round, give it an extra roll or two on your work surface. Chill until ready to roast. Can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge.
• To cook, bake at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 (when you turn up the heat for the turkey) for 30 mins. When the turkey comes out, turn up the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, unwrap the stuffing and continue to cook for 30 mins more until crisp. Keep warm, then slice and serve with sage leaves fried in butter, if you like.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl set over boiling water until chocolate is nearly completely melted, then remove from heat and whisk mixture until smooth.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with half the sugar (1/4 cup/50 grams) and the salt until pale and thick. Stir in the warm chocolate and set aside.
• Put egg whites in a clean bowl with cream of tartar and beat until fluffy, then add remaining 1/4 cup/50 grams sugar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry.
• Stir chestnut flour and chopped chestnuts into the chocolate batter, then fold in 1/4 of the whites to lighten mixture. Fold in remaining whites and scrape batter into an unbuttered 8-inch springform pan, smoothing top if necessary.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out almost clean. Cool on a rack. It may sink and crack a bit on top - this is fine. Run a knife around the edge of cake to free sides and remove form. Transfer to a serving platter. (Cake may be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
• To serve, whip cream with 2 tablespoons sugar to a very soft consistency. Spoon over top of cake and quickly spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with chocolate curls or cocoa powder.

CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a jelly roll or sheet pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
• Beat eggs and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat in dry ingredients on low speed in thirds, alternating with melted butter, until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan (the thickness should be less than 1/4 inch).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 8 to 9 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Flip cake upside-down out of the pan onto a new sheet of parchment paper. Remove the used parchment paper from the top of the cake gently. Roll cake, starting at one end of the paper, into a tube until it is completely rolled into the parchment. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Whip cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Mix in chocolate-hazelnut spread. Roll out the cake and spread filling evenly. Roll up the cake with the filling, keeping in mind that the cake might crack or tear easily.

CHOCOLATE ROLL I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line one 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease and flour lightly.
• Separate the eggs. Beat the whites with the cream of tartar until stiff. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar.
• Sift the remaining sugar, cocoa, and flour together. Beat the egg yolks until thick and fold the flour mixture into them. Stir in vanilla. (The egg yolk mixture will be very stiff). Carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Let cake cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a towel sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, peel off parchment paper and roll cake up with the towel. Let cake cool completely. Unroll cake and spread with the whipped cream. Roll again. Serve with Foamy Butter Sauce or Fudge Sauce. For variation, you can add 2 tablespoons of rum or your favorite liqueur to the whipped cream. Serves 8.