A sponge roll often looks more complicated than it actually is. Many people are wary of it because they fear the sponge will crack when rolled or won't form a nice round shape.
Yet it really comes down to just a few things: the eggs must be beaten until nice and airy, the flour mustn't be stirred in but gently folded – and above all, the sponge mustn't bake too long.
This sponge recipe is my basic recipe for a wonderfully light, elastic roll. This time it gets a deliciously chocolatey filling of dark chocolate and cream. But of course you can just as well fill the roll with jam, cream and fruit or whatever you fancy.
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 5 medium eggs
- 130 g sugar
- 150 g plain wheat flour W 480 (Harina 0000) – for an extra fluffy sponge, up to 75 g of the flour can be replaced with cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp lemon zest or vanilla, as you like
- 2 tbsp sugar for sprinkling the tea towel
For the chocolate cream filling
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 300 g whipping cream
- 1 tbsp cocoa for dusting
- 2 tbsp grated dark chocolate, for sprinkling if you like
Method
The sponge
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C top and bottom heat. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Spread a clean tea towel on the work surface and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar.
- Separate the eggs. Put the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and beat until stiff and glossy, gradually trickling in the sugar.
- Then briefly stir the egg yolks into the beaten whites. Only until they've combined with the mixture.
- Mix the flour and baking powder and sift over the egg mixture. If you'd like to bake the fluffier version with cornstarch, replace 75 g of flour with 75 g of cornstarch and sift both together with the baking powder.
- Gently fold in the flour mixture with a whisk or spatula. Don't stir vigorously – the air we've just beaten into the eggs should be kept as much as possible.
- Spread the sponge batter evenly on the prepared baking tray. It should be about 30 × 40 cm and as even in thickness as possible.
- Put the sponge straight into the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for about 8–11 minutes.
- The sponge is done when it's golden yellow and springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
- Don't bake it too long! A sponge that's too dry is much harder to roll later and can crack more easily.
Roll immediately
- Turn the hot sponge out onto the prepared sugared tea towel straight after baking. Carefully peel off the baking paper.
- Now roll up the sponge tightly from the short side with the help of the tea towel.
- Let it cool completely rolled up like this.
- This way the warm sponge already gets used to its later shape. Once it has cooled, it can be carefully unrolled and filled without cracking.
The chocolate cream filling
- Finely chop the dark chocolate.
- Heat the whipping cream, but don't let it boil vigorously. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it stand briefly.
- Then stir everything until smooth and a glossy chocolate cream has formed.
- Let the chocolate cream cool completely and then chill well. Then whip it until it's light and spreadable.
Filling the roll
- Carefully unroll the cooled sponge.
- Spread the chocolate cream evenly over the sponge, leaving a small border free all round.
- If you like, you can spread a little more cream on the side from which the roll will be rolled up. This creates a small mound of cream on which you can also place grated chocolate or fruit.
- Carefully roll the sponge back up as tightly as possible with the help of the tea towel. Don't press too hard, so the filling doesn't squeeze out at the sides.
- Carefully shape the finished roll and then chill it a little so the filling sets nicely.
- Before serving, dust with cocoa and sprinkle with grated dark chocolate if you like.
Tips and Variations
Separate the eggs or not?
For this roll I beat the eggs separately. It isn't strictly necessary – whole eggs can also be beaten very airy with the sugar. But for me the separated method is the classic version and makes a wonderfully light and elastic sponge.
The filling can vary
A sponge roll can be reinvented again and again. Instead of the chocolate cream, you can fill it for example with apricot jam, strawberry jam, raspberry jam, whipped cream and fresh fruit, or a combination of cream and fruit. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or peaches are especially nice. A little lemon zest or a splash of lemon juice also goes wonderfully with a fruity filling.
Don't bake too long
This is one of the most important points for a sponge roll. The sponge should be just baked through but still soft and elastic. As soon as it springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, it's done.
Roll immediately
The sponge should be turned out and rolled up straight after baking. That way it keeps its elasticity and gets used to the round shape.
Leave a border when filling
Don't spread the filling all the way to the edges. When rolling, it gets pushed outwards a bit anyway. If you spread a little more filling on the side you roll from, you can form a small mound of cream there. You can also put fruit on it if you like.
And don't be afraid of rolling!
With the tea towel, the roll is much easier to roll up. Afterwards you can carefully shape it once more with your hands. By the way, it doesn't have to look like it came from a pastry shop. A homemade sponge roll is allowed to have a little bit of personality.
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