Oceania Cruises Cooking Challenge: Julia & Jacques' Chocolate Roulade Recipe

I am a firm believer that chocolate is the answer to everything. That’s one reason why I am not the favorite contestant when playing trivia. However, it is the reason that I am often asked to bring dessert to potluck dinners! There are heaps of chocolate recipes in my repertoire, but this Julia & Jacques Chocolate Roulade is a great favorite. Partly because it is relatively easy to prepare, and partly because it is really delicious; but mostly it is a favorite because of the memories of the first time I made and tasted this lovely rolled chocolate ganache cake.

I have had a very charmed and lucky life. I am ever grateful for each and every day and relish them as though each one was my last. For nearly 16 years, I had the great fortune to serve as the Executive Personal Assistant to Julia Child. That was an awesome and amazing time in my life, and I love sharing stories about those delightful days. During my time with Julia, we taped several television series. Included among them was “Cooking At Home with Julia and Jacques”. This series was such fun because Julia Child and Jacques Pépin were such adoring, humorous, and passionate co-hosts. They truly enjoyed being together and sharing their knowledge and expertise with everyone. When they prepared this cake, it was done with a Crème Chantilly (vanilla whipped cream). It is such a light dessert yet packed with so much flavor. I had never seen ganache used as a soufflé base before this show. It was a real eye opener.

Over the years, I changed the recipe slightly to have a little kick of coffee and a glaze of chocolate ganache on top. You can get very creative with this recipe – flavor the filling with anything you have on hand -- from fresh berries to a splash of your favorite cordial. My resources here were a bit limited. It was a fun adventure making and decorating the cake because I am not able to be in my lovely home of New Zealand. At the moment, I am in Florida, happily spending quarantine time with my parents. The kitchen here is not as well equipped or stocked as I would like, but it was very nice to be able to use mom’s Sunbeam Mixmaster that was a wedding present 62 years ago! No matter which equipment you have on hand, you should be fine. If you don’t have a pastry piping bag, a simple dusting of icing sugar or cocoa powder makes a perfect garnish, and a side of warm ganache spooned table-side is never a mistake! Whatever flavors you choose, and however it looks; I hope you enjoy making and eating this delicious roulade.

Don’t forget to share photos of your results on our Facebook page’s recipe post by using the hashtag #OLifeCookingChallenge. Stay tuned for more easy Jacques Pépin recipes and our favorite Oceania Cruises recipes!

Julia & Jacques’ Chocolate Roulade Recipe
Makes one 11” x 17” pan

INGREDIENTS

Cake
8 ounces heavy cream for the cake batter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup egg whites (6 to 8 egg whites)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling
1 cup heavy cream to make cake filling
1 Tablespoon instant coffee

Decoration optional
6 ounces heavy cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet pan with buttered baking paper.

2. In a small sauce pan on medium-low, heat the cream just to the simmer. Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a moment to begin to melt, then use a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream to make a ganache. The chocolate should be thoroughly melted, and the color should be uniform – no streaks. Do not whisk air into the mixture, just whisk to create an emulsion. Set the ganache aside to let it cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites with the sugar until they form stiff peaks with a glossy sheen.

4. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate ganache to lighten it. Then fold the lightened ganache into the remaining whipped whites and fold gently to thoroughly incorporate. Be careful not to overmix or you will knock out all of the air bubbles. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Spread it in an even layer.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. It should be set and puffy. Cool to room temperature before filling.

6. Make the filling by combining the instant coffee and heavy cream. Whip until it forms soft peaks.

7. To assemble the cake, spread the flavored whipped cream over the cooled cake. Use the baking paper to lift and curl one edge of the cake to begin forming a log. Peel the paper back and continue to roll until the whole cake has formed a roulade (log).

8. Transfer to a serving platter and decorate as desired. It is nice with a sprinkling of icing sugar or cocoa powder. Pipe a few whipped cream rosettes for a fancier look. Or, if you want to be very decadent, glaze with some ganache and pipe a few rosettes on top.

9. Prepare the ganache glaze: heat heavy cream to the simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until smooth and uniform in color. Let cool slightly before glazing cooled cake.

About Chef Instructor Stephanie Hersh
Few chefs display both broad culinary skills and also proficiency in pastries and baking, but Chef Hersh brings a wide spectrum of talents to her teaching. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the American Institute of Wine & Food, Chef Hersh is an acknowledged expert in gastronomy. Chef Hersh may be most well known as the Executive Personal Assistant to Julia Child from 1989 until Julia’s death in 2004. Chef Jacques Pépin fondly remembers her role in the production of the “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” PBS series – about which Chef Hersh has many great stories. A respected culinary instructor in her present home of New Zealand, Chef Hersh shares her unique talents with our guests with humor, passion and grace.

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