You can never go wrong with the combination of chocolate and raspberries and this cake nails wit with full of fresh raspberries and chocolate flavours. To get an intense raspberry flavour and still retain that perfectly smooth texture the key ingredient is freeze-dried raspberries. Start off with the chocolate cake by adding eggs into a stand mixer with white granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Mix together on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and white in colour.

For the dry ingredients, add flour in a bowl together with cocoa powder and baking soda then toss them together. Pour the egg mixture in a larger bowl then sift in the dry ingredients in and fold it in gently. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the cake batter on the pan then in 350 degrees preheated oven, bake for about 20 minutes or until the cake is set.

Once baked, dust the top of the cake with confectioners sugar so that when rolling the cake it won’t stick together. Cover the top of the cake with a clean towel then onto a wire rack then start rolling the cake from the edge and set it aside to cool completely. For the filling, get some fresh raspberri9es in a bowl then to flavour that add raspberry liqueur, if you don’t want to add any liquor, you can add raspberry coffee syrup. Use a fork to mash that all together. For the cream filling, add cold cream in your mixer and softened unsalted butter, whipped cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.

Cream them all together and the secret to this cream is not to overmix it, just mix it on medium speed just until its combined, if you overmix it you will run the risk of separating the cream. Once you are done and your cake is cooled off completely, gently unroll your cake and add your crushed raspberries and spread them across the surface of the cake and try to get some at the edge of the cake too.

Add your cream right over the top and spread it over the cake then roll it. Start right from the edge and roll it the exact same way that you had rolled it. To garnish the cake, get some cream on a pastry bag and get little dollops over the cake roll and top with fresh raspberries. Place your cake into the refrigerator and let it sit for a couple of hours. Onc your cake is ready, you can slice, dig in and enjoy.

Ingredients;

For Chocolate Sponge Cake;

• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (40g) dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
• 1/2 cup (60g) confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

For Raspberry Filling;

• 2 cups (250g) fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) raspberry liqueur, or non-alcoholic syrup

For Creme Filling;

• 3/4 cup (175ml) heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 cup (113g) butter, softened
• 8 ounces (226g) whipped cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (118ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) raspberry extract

Instructions;

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12×17 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray sides with baking spray; set aside.
2. Prepare the chocolate sponge cake. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a mixer bowl and whisk on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are voluminous and white in colour.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients in small increments into the egg and sugar mixture.
4. Fold gently but thoroughly, combining everything together.
5. Spread the cake batter over the prepared parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top is set.
6. Work quickly with the hot cake: sprinkle the top with confectioner’s sugar; this will help prevent your kitchen towel from sticking to the cake.
7. Lay a clean tea towel, kitchen towel or parchment paper over the top, arrange a wire rack or second pan over that and invert the cake.
8. Remove the parchment paper, fold the towel over the edge and gently roll the cake into a log. Set aside to cool completely.
9. Once the cake is cooled, prepare the creme filling. Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, butter, cream cheese and raspberry extract.
10. Mix on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overmix, This is important; otherwise, the filling will separate. If not assembling cake right away, set the filling into the refrigerator.

Prepare the raspberry filling;

1. Simply combine the fresh raspberries with raspberry liqueur and using a fork, crush the berries into a syrup.

To assemble the cake;

1. Unroll the cake log very gently. Top first with raspberry sauce, then add the creme filling, spreading to the edges.
2. Reserve some filling for the top to use as garnish. Gently roll the cake back into a log, starting from the same end.
3. Garnish the top with reserved filling, fresh raspberries and mint leaves. Place cake rolls into the refrigerator to set for a few hours or overnight.