This is a super festive recipe but I could probably eat it anytime of year!
Ingredients
6 eggs
caster sugar
50g cocoa powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
icing sugar
For the Ganache
80g dark chocolate
50 unsalted butter
150ml double cream, heated
For the Hazelnut Brittle
100g caster sugar
40g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
For the Filling
300ml double cream
1 tbsp sugar
Method
– Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C with a fan.
– Grease and line a large shallow baking tin.
– Separate the egg whites from the yolks and place them in two separate bowls.
– Add 130g sugar to the egg yolks and whisk by hand until creamy and pale.
– Whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer until it forms soft peaks. Slowly add 20g caster sugar and continue whisking.
– Add the cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract to the egg yolks
– Fold in one ladle of egg whites to the egg yolk mix. Then, add the rest of the egg whites and gently fold in so that you do not lose any air.
– Pour the mixture onto the baking tray and spread it across the whole tray. Place it in the oven for 12-14 minutes.
– Remove it from the oven. Sprinkle some icing sugar over a clean tea towel. Flip the sponge onto the tea towel and remove the baking tray and paper.
– Fold the edge of the tea towel onto the edge of the sponge and then gently roll it to form a cylinder. Set it aside and let it cool completely.
– Meanwhile, prepare the ganache by adding the chocolate, butter, and hot cream to a large bowl. Stir until incorporated. Put it in the fridge to cool.
– For the hazelnut brittle, add the sugar to a pan and cook until caramelised. Add the hazelnuts, turn off the heat, and stir through. Pour over some baking paper and spread it as thinly as possible. Let it cool completely.
– For the filling, add the cream and sugar to a bowl and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Break up the hazelnut brittle into shards. Add 2 pieces to pestle and mortar and crush into a powder. Add this to the cream and stir through.
– Gently unroll the sponge. Spread all of the cream on top. Gently roll the sponge with the help of the tea towel.
– Transfer the sponge to a plate. Spread the chocolate ganache all over, leaving the ends bare to show off the swirl.
– Finally, decorate with hazelnut brittle shards.
Time to enjoy!