Let me just start off by saying, this Chocolate Mint Cake Roll is from A Treats Affair. I normally develop my own recipes, but this one was too good to resist. I know you are going to agree!!
Why Make This Cake?
It is the perfect blend of chocolate and peppermint. That is such a seasonal favorite in our house through December.
It is a stunning cake. The roll and the peppermint filling are really pretty together. You are sure to impress family and friends with this one!
Making The Batter For The Dark Chocolate Cake Roll With Peppermint Filling
Start by beating your eggs and sugar. This will take a while, like 3-5 minutes. I used my hand mixer, but you can also use a stand mixer for more ease! I just recently purchased this hand mixer. It was pretty inexpensive and has worked perfectly!
Now, you will want to keep your eggs you just worked so hard mixing light and fluffy. To achieve this, make sure your dry ingredients are sifted carefully, and then sifted again before adding them to your eggs.
Now, with a rubber spatula, blend the wet and dry. Be careful when you do this not to deflate all your eggs.
Pour immediately into your parchment-lined jelly roll pan. Spread carefully, again being mindful of the egg structure.
Now, this cake bakes pretty quickly, 12 minutes to be exact. You don't want to overbake or you will wind up with a dry cake. Also, dry cakes are more likely to crack, so keep an eye on the baking time!
Rolling Your Sponge Cake
While it is baking, prep your towel for rolling. To do this, sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Don't be shy here. You do not want this to stick!!
As soon as the cake is baked, invert it onto the sugared towel. With the parchment and the bottom, it comes out with no problem. Carefully peel back the parchment.
The cake will need to be rolled while it is hot, so as soon as the parchment comes off, start rolling. Be careful as you roll, but also roll as tightly as you are able. It is what will create the perfect swirl.
The Peppermint Filling and Finishing
Honestly, my favorite part of this cake may have been the peppermint filling. It was so, so good! Start by pulsing some Hershey Kisses Candy Canes in a food processor. I am using my Cuisinart food processor which has been a personal favorite for years and years.
In another bowl, mix your cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, and melted white chocolate. I am telling you, this cake has all the good stuff! Pour the kisses into your mix. ! Mix it all together really well.
I didn't get a picture of me rolling the cake as I was too stressed and concentrating on the cake instead of photos. But, here is how it works, unroll your cake.
Fill with the filling, then roll back up. Then roll it all tightly with saran wrap and place it in the fridge to set up. I put mine in overnight to make sure it was solid.
For topping the cake, Roxanne used a ganache and crushed candy canes. I am doing the same. You can buy the candy canes crushed, or you can do it yourself. I am sure you can tell what I did:).
Now, get a nice smooth ganache and pour over the cake roll. Spread evenly with the spoon or an offset spatula. I used dark chocolate in mine, but you can always go with sem-sweet or milk if you prefer.
Notes For Making Rolled Cakes
Rolled cakes are a little tricky to make. Trust me, I made this one 5 times to get it the way I wanted. My biggest hang-up was I wanted a perfect cake with no cracks, moisture, etc. This is tough to achieve but possible!
- They are sponge cakes, meaning they have a high egg-to-flour ratio.
- You want to maintain the egg structure after beating, so fold in the dry ingredients carefully.
- The cake will need to be rolled while it is still hot. This will give the cake "memory" for when you roll it with the filling.
- After you have filled and rolled the cake with the filling, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for several hours or even overnight as I did. This helps the filling to set and the cake to firm. It makes it so much easier to handle.
More Desserts
- How about dark chocolate and dried cherry whole wheat cookies?
- These caramel pecan bars are also really dreamy!!
- I also love these chocolate chip cookies with pretzels and caramels
Dark Chocolate Cake Roll With Peppermint Filling
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon mint extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup special dark cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar This is for sprinkling on the towel for rolling
- ½ cup crushed candy cane bits you can buy these, or simply put a few candy canes in a ziplock bag and crush.
Peppermint Filling
- 4 ounces softened butter
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup Hershey's candy cane kisses, crumbs I blended these in the food processor, you will want them to be kind of fine.
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 1 ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. I also like to make sure and spray the edges of the pan to ensure an easy release. Set the pan aside.
- In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. If you need to, sift it several times. You don't want any chunks in it!
- Add eggs and sugar to a medium bowl. Mix on high for about 3-5 minutes. You will want the eggs to get frothy and light. Next is the vanilla, milk, and peppermint extract. I like to fold these in. Now with your flour mix, GENTLY fold it into the egg mix.
- The batter is ready to bake. Pour spoonfuls across your jellyroll pan, then gently spread.
- Place immediately in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 12 minutes, unless your oven runs hot, then reduce that time to 10-11 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, prepare your tea towel. You do this by sprinkling generously with powdered sugar.
- Once the cake has been baked, remove it from the oven. Run a knife around the edges, making sure it hasn't stuck. Invert your cake onto the powdered tea towel.
- Carefully peel back the parchment to remove it. Starting at the short end, start rolling the cake, making sure to roll the towel in with it. Roll all the towel up with it.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 2 hours. While it is cooling, prepare your filling below.
- Once it has cooled, carefully unroll. Then with an offset spatula, spread the filling over the cake. This is enough filling to give it plenty of filling. Reroll the cake as tightly as you can without breaking it. Then, wrap tightly in saran wrap and place in the fridge. I chilled mine overnight, but I would say chill it for at least 4 hours.
- Remove from the fridge and unwrap. Cover with the ganache, then sprinkle with the candy cane pieces.
Peppermint Filling
- Melt white chocolate in the microwave or double boiler. If melting in the microwave, make sure and check every 30 seconds and mix. You don't keep it in the microwave until it is completely melted through, pull it out when it is about 80% melted, then mix until it is smooth.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. With a hand mixer, mix on high for about a minute. Add in the white chocolate and mix again until well blended. Next are the candy bits you pulsed in the food processor. Last, begin adding the powdered sugar. Add in about 1 cup at a time, blending after each time, until it is all mixed in.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Heat heavy cream in the microwave. It will take about 20 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and allow them to sit for about 1 minute. Then mix gently with a fork or whisk to smooth. If it has cooled too much and you need to throw it in the microwave for 10 seconds, you can do that.
Notes
- They are a sponge cakes, meaning they have a high egg-to-flour ratio.
- You want to maintain the egg structure after beating, so fold in the dry ingredients carefully.
- The cake will need to be rolled while it is still hot. This will give the cake "memory" for when you roll it with the filling.
- After you have filled and rolled the cake with the filling, wrap tightly in saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill for several hours or even overnight as I did. This helps the filling to set and the cake to the firm. It makes it so much easier to handle.
Carin says
Hi in the frosting is it 4 oz of butter and 4 oz of cream cheese? The butter is listed twice. Can't wait to give this one a try. Thanks
admin says
IT is 4 ounces of cream cheese, thank you for catching that. I made the correction!
Sharm Wendt says
The peppermint filling calls for heavy cream, but the directions don’t tell you how/when yo incorporate it.
Amy Sandidge says
I am so sorry about that. The recipe is corrected. It is added in with the cream cheese and butter after the chocolate is melted. Thank you for catching that and letting me know!
Melanie Haskins says
May I ask what size jelly roll pan. I usually make pumpkin rolls in a large pan
Amy Sandidge says
Mine was an 11x17! Happy baking.
Lori says
Baked my cake for 11 minutes. Looked fine when I rolled it. Unrolled gently but still cracked big time in 2 places. I think it’s more a “me” problem than a recipe problem. Wish I could figure it out. Any suggestions appreciated. I thought the filling recipe made too much. I didn’t use near all of it and it was too much. Squishing out the sides and the end. Haven’t tasted anything but the filling, it was good!
Amy Sandidge says
Cake rolls are tricky and you are certainly not alone in the struggles. Let me give a few suggestions, maybe they will help. I know it was only baked for 11 minutes, but depending on your oven, that might have been too much. That is could be the first cause (just troubleshooting here). Was it cooled long enough? If you are in a dry area, was it wrapped in a VERY SLIGHLTY damp towel? Again, this is mostly for drier areas, like my area in Idaho. Also, making sure it is rolled when it is hot out of the oven, plus letting it cool before unrolling. I hope some of these help. cracked cake rolls are the worst, but also still taste amazing! Happy baking!