Lighter Than Air Chocolate Roll

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (not unsweetened)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons grand marnier
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• confectioners' sugar

Recipe

• 1 make cake layer: preheat oven to 350°f oil a 15- by 10- by 1-inch shallow baking pan and line bottom lengthwise with a large piece of wax or parchment paper, letting paper hang over ends by 2 inches.
• 2 melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. cool to lukewarm.
• 3 beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer. fold in melted chocolate until blended. beat whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• 4 spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until puffed and top is dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. transfer pan to a rack. cover top with 2 layers of damp paper towels and let stand 5 minutes, then remove towels and cool completely. loosen edges with a sharp knife.
• 5 sift cocoa powder over top of cake layer and overlap 2 layers of wax paper lengthwise over cake. place a baking sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. (don’t worry if cake layer breaks; it will hold together when rolled.).
• 6 make filling: beat cream with confectioners sugar and grand marnier with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. fold in zest.
• 7 fill and roll cake: spread filling evenly over cake. put a long platter next to a long side of cake. using wax paper as an aid, roll up cake jelly roll–style, beginning with a long side. carefully transfer, seam side down, to platter, using wax paper to help slide cake. (cake will crack but will still hold together.).
• 8 dust cake generously with cocoa powder and confectioners sugar.