Chocolate Peppermint Roll
Did I tell you I was on a recipe kick with these Andes Peppermint candy? I’m pretty sure I did. If you haven’t heard, I’m sort of crazy for the candy and even more crazy about how it can take almost any recipe from good to great. It’s latest dress-up can be found in this chocolate Genoise recipe. The soft, but denser crumb makes it roll-friendly, so you don’t have to worry about cracks as you coax it into shape. Standing up to the denser crumb is a classic buttercream that spirals its way through for a balanced bite.
Chocolate Peppermint Roll
As many of you know I seldom deviate from my favorite Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB). But this recipe needed a filling that would not disappear mid-chew while the crumb was left hanging with no counterpart. And since the classic buttercream is slightly heavier in texture than SMB, that’s what I used. With the right textural balance in place and the flavor nailed down it was time to get on my fancy pants on and finish a humble cake roll with an elegant touch that would not require flipping it to a Buche de Noel. I thought about getting all fussy with maybe piping some swirls on top and finishing with chocolate curls, but I decided against it.
Cake rolls of any sort always remind of the holidays, so I wanted that to dominate the plate. With that I went with a chocolate pour and shaved chocolate for a more quiet but rustic finishing touch.
And if you’ve never made Genoise cake before, it’s so easy-so don’t hesitate. Especially since the recipe I used is from Martha Stewart and really easy to work with.
A few notes:
- When heating the eggs and sugar, Martha’s instructions indicate that the mixture is ready once it becomes warm. Since I’ve made this recipe several times, I find for the best results the “warm” should be about 100-110 degrees F. For a non-thermometer gauge, the mixture should feel warm to the touch. That’s warm, not tepid. The time approximation is about 3-4 minutes.
- Once the egg mixture enters the whisking stage Martha’s instructions includes whisking the mixture until it almost triples in volume. I find what is more helpful is keeping that in mind and looking for the mixture to create ribbons (see picture).
Chocolate Peppermint Roll
Serves 8 people
For the chocolate genoise recipe, click here.
Ingredients:
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 2 cups confectioner sugar
- ½ cup chopped Peppermint Andes
Chocolate Pouring Sauce:
- 2/3 cups dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- 4-5 tablespoons water, warm
Instructions:
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:
1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.
Chocolate Pouring Sauce:
1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
Assembly:
- Unroll Genoise and spread filling to a 1/4 inch in thickness. Roll filled cake from end to end. Trim ends as needed for a clean finish.
- Place fully assembled roll on a serving plate (or on a cooling rack for a cleaner pouring finish) and pour chocolate on top.
- Finish with peppermint Andes shavings.
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How beautiful! I love the little specks of peppermint in the filling, so pretty and festive :)
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I have not been tempted to jump on the cake roll bandwagon with all of the pumpkin rolls, but this chocolate mint combo might just get me to conquer my roll fears!
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I agree with the previous commenter, this is so much better than a pumpkin roll.
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One of my favorite flavor combinations! I love putting crushed peppermint candy on everything in the winter.
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This is the second roll I’ve seen today, which means the Internet is on a roll! It also means it’s probably time to make one of my own. There *might* have to be some cranberry involved, though. Cranberry instead of mint, perhaps? What do you think?
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What an absolutely gorgeous dessert! It’s breathtakingly beautiful!
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oh boy, i am imagining the perfect combination of peppermint and chocolate melting in my mouth. ((drooling))
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Gorgeous dessert for the holidays!
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This is definitely going on my list to make for the holidays.
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This looks so beautiful and delicious!
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Gorgeous Gorgeous!
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You’re stuff is always so spectacular looking!
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This is so gorgeous, Naomi. If I could find a way to make THIS low carb, I would have that on my holiday table so fast. Hmmmm, food for thought….
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I love the color contrast! And I am loving even more that you are on a mint chocolate kick! My fave!
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Could this be any more gorgeous?! I am in awe. I want to swim through those layers.
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Breathtaking … I love the swrilly-ness!! It completely reminds me of snow for some reason. Festive & Beautiful … do you think this with a cup of mint hot chocolate would be over kill? … in my books, you just can’t have too much chocolate :)
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Oh this is to die for! I love the sound and look of it-holiday perfection.
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Lovely! Mint and choco will always be equal to Christmas and the holidays! I love the swirls. This is a perfect treat for everyone…Happy Holidays!
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This looks delicious but I’m not sure what peppermint andes is? Where do I find it?
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Naomi replied: — November 22nd, 2011 @ 5:55 am
Hi Kathryn-It’s a seasonal candy. Here’s the link: http://www.groovycandies.com/candy/andes-peppermint-crunch-1.asp I found some locally at Target.
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What a pretty cake roll! Perfect holiday dessert.
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Man, this is so beautiful! I love all your desserts-but then you already know that. :)
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Wow… Perfect thickness…. Perfect roll, perfect colors… perfect sin :p
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for the dark chocolate, is it unsweetened or the semi-sweet chips?
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Naomi replied: — November 23rd, 2011 @ 6:09 pm
Hi Kathleen-For the dark chocolate, I used Ghirardelli’s 65% cacao
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This sounds amazing! I’m looking for one more dessert for Thanksgiving and I think this is the one!
I do have a question though- for the pouring sauce where you have 2/3 cups of dark chocolate. Is that measured with chopped chocolate? or melted? or…?
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Naomi replied: — November 23rd, 2011 @ 6:06 pm
Hi Annie-It’s chopped chocolate, not melted
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Mmmm, it looks like a giant, minty swiss cake roll of yummy!
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I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO behind, but catching up with my reads has been a treat! This is beautiful!!!
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YUM! That looks so delicious :) I just love the combination of mint and chocolate.
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How far in advance do you think this can be made?
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