Dark Chocolate Sponge Roll with Chestnuts & Cherry Filling

Here’s a delicious recipe for a dark chocolate sponge roll filled with a heavenly cream made from white chocolate, chestnuts, and preserved sour cherries.

With a few paper snowflake cutouts and a dusting of powdered sugar, this festive roll gets a beautiful seasonal touch.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Dark Chocolate Sponge Roll
• Snowflake Decoration with Powdered Sugar
• RECIPE CARD FOR PRINTING
• Dark Chocolate Sponge Roll with Chestnuts & Cherry Filling

The dark sponge roll is inspired by my grandmother's recipe for an incredibly fluffy apricot jam-filled sponge roll but is made with a little less sugar.

The filling of white chocolate, chestnuts, and cherries is quick and easy to prepare but needs to chill in the fridge overnight. You can also use it as a cream for layered desserts, ice cream, or other cake fillings.

You may also be interested in the following Austrian cake and tart recipes:

Ingredients

Chestnut Cream with White Chocolate

• 200 g (7 oz) white chocolate couverture
• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, unwhipped
• 250 g (9 oz) cooked and peeled chestnuts

This chestnut cream with white chocolate is divine and can be used for a variety of desserts. Layer it with crushed cookies or biscotti and fruits for a creamy dessert, churn it into chestnut ice cream, or use it for other cakes and fillings.

Dark Sponge Cake

• 6 fresh eggs
• 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 100 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-2 teaspoon butter, melted and lukewarm
• ⅛ teaspoon baking powder (a pinch)

Additional Items

• 1 tablespoon butter for greasing parchment paper
• 1 tablespoon flour for dusting parchment paper
• About 350 g (12 oz) preserved sour cherries, drained weight (substitute with fresh or thawed frozen berries such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or stewed plums)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Chestnut Cream

Important: Prepare the cream a day in advance so it can firm up overnight in the fridge. Otherwise, it will be too runny. The process, however, is very simple.

Chop the white chocolate and melt it with the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly.

Blend the melted mixture with the cooked chestnuts into a smooth cream using a blender or food processor.

Transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for about 10 hours.

Dark Chocolate Sponge Roll

Grease parchment paper with butter and dust it with flour to prevent sticking.

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Gradually fold the egg yolks into the beaten whites without deflating the mixture.

Advice: The eggs must be fresh so that the yolks do not run when separated. Eggs where the yolk is no longer firm should not be used for this roulade. (This means it is best to check the yolk before beating the egg into the bowl so that no yolk gets into the bowl for the egg whites).

Mix the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Sift and fold this dry mixture into the egg mixture along with the lukewarm melted butter.

Spread the batter evenly on the prepared parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for 10-15 minutes.

While the sponge is still hot or warm, add a second parchment paper on top and carefully roll it up. If still very hot, you can also add a kitchen towel additionally to the parchment paper. Let it cool completely.

It is important to leave to cool so that the cream does not get warm and melt. If you fill the roulade with jam, you can spread it immediately after baking and roll it up.

Carefully unroll the cooled sponge. Spread the chestnut cream evenly and distribute the drained cherries on top.

Re-roll the sponge gently but tightly.

You may use stabilized cherries (thickened with cornstarch and cherry juice) for a firmer roll if desired.

Snowflake Decoration with Powdered Sugar

Just before serving, decorate the sponge roll with powdered sugar using paper snowflakes as stencils. Use tweezers to carefully remove the stencils.

You can find instructions for paper snow stars on YouTube ;). I particularly liked this snow star on Youtube. The size of the snow stars was approx. 5-6cm (2 inches).

Avoid decorating too early, as the sugar may absorb moisture and lose its crisp appearance.

Alternatively, you can also draw/print out and cut out stars, shooting stars or other festive motifs.

RECIPE CARD FOR PRINTING

You may also be interested in the following Austrian cake and tart recipes: