Mocha Mascarpone Rolls

This is a real sweet and decadent treat!  Impress your friends and guests with this dessert.  Pour a bit of liqueur into the Mocha Mascarpone Icing. Omit the chocolate and make a plain sponge or whatever flavour you desire– let your imagination run wild!!!

Preparation time:   20 minutes

Cooking time:         15 minutes

Serves:                     6

3 large eggs

80 g caster sugar

80 g plain flour

30 g unsweetened cocoa powder

15 ml hot water (about 1 tablespoon)

Caster sugar for icing

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C.
2. Grease and line a Swiss Roll tin with non-stick baking paper.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until thick and creamy (an electric whisk produces good result).
4. Sieve the flour and cocoa together and fold into the egg mixture carefully with the water. Do this procedure very lightly and make sure you don’t knock out air from the mixture.
5. Place into the prepared tin and tilt the tin to level the mixture, making sure it goes right into the corners.
6. Bake for 12 minutes until springy to the touch.
7. Dust a large piece of non-stick paper with caster sugar and turn the baked sponge out onto it. Remove the baking paper.
8. Trim off the burnt or hard edges and make a 1cm dent along the width.
9. From this end, roll it up with the paper in the middle. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Unroll the sponge, spread the Mocha Mascarpone Icing and up roll again. Set the cake seam-side down on a serving platter.
11. Spread the Chocolate Ganache over the roll with a palette knife. Use a fork to make wood-grain marks on the surface of the ganache.
12. Dust with icing sugar or place any Christmas decorations on the cake. The cake is best served the day it is made, but can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

MOCHA MASCARPONE ICING

200 g icing sugar, sifted

80 g milk chocolate, melted

300 ml mascarpone cheese, whisked till smooth

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder, sifted

100 g butter, room temperature

METHOD

1. Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the coffee powder, melted chocolate and mascarpone cheese and combine well till smooth. Refrigerated until ready to use.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

150 ml whipping or double cream

Pinch of salt

150 g dark chocolate

METHOD

1. Break the chocolate into a bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until it has melted. Remove from the simmering water and leave to cool thoroughly.
2. Add the cream and salt, stir well and leave for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir until smooth and leave for 5-10 minutes to cool and thicken.