Peppermint Mocha Swiss Roll

oh. my. goodness.

I set out to create the ultimate Christmas-time dessert, and you guys, I think I did it.

To me, serving a nice cake for company always feels really special, and when I was brainstorming of what could represent the epitome of holiday baking the Swiss Roll was the perfect match. Utilizing flavors that are most iconic during the month of December, I found my inspiration in a widely-beloved coffee drink: the Peppermint Mocha!

If you've never made a Swiss Roll before, don't fret! They can look really intimidating...

*imagines Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood judging the swirl of my Swiss Roll*

...but if you have a solid recipe everything is actually really straightforward!

The very first time I made a Swiss Roll the cake didn't rise. At all. 

So I remade the cake, and the second recipe I used (from Better Homes and Gardens) is what I used for this chocolate sponge. I then frankensteined it together with part of Ina Garten's recipe for a Mocha Icebox Cake to create my own Peppermint Mocha Swiss Roll!

What you will love about this cake:

• How festive it looks

• The insanely delicious flavor combinations

• How serving this will make your friends wonder when you earned your pastry degree

This cake is everything I had imagined! The sharpness of the espresso powder and the refreshing peppermint note marry together beautifully in a mascarpone-based filling.

If this cake were a Christmas present the chocolate sponge surrounding the filling is the wrapping paper, and an extra dollop of peppermint whipped cream is the bow on top (besides, who doesn't love fresh whipped cream?!).

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake:

1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

4 Egg Yolks

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup & 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar (each measurement is used separately)

4 Egg Whites

1/2 to 1 cup Powdered Sugar

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 cup cold Heavy Cream

6 oz Mascarpone Cheese

1/4 cup Sugar

1/8 cup Kahlúa Liqueur

1 T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder

1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract

Ingredients for the optional Peppermint Whipped Cream:

1 cup cold Heavy Cream

1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract

1 T Sugar

Making the Cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Grease and flour your jelly roll pan or baking sheet*

3. In a small bowl stir together cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt.

4. In a small bowl beat egg yolks and vanilla at high speed for 5 minutes, until pale in color and thick. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved.

5. In a large bowl (with clean beaters) beat egg whites at medium speed for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks have formed; then gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat for another 3-4 minutes until stiff peaks have formed.

6. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. Then sprinkle cocoa powder mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold that in, until just combined.

7. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

8. While the cake is baking, unfold a kitchen/tea bowl (about the same dimensions of your baking pan) and lay it flat on your kitchen counter or table. With a sieve, sprinkle powdered sugar onto the towel until it is evenly coated (this keeps your cake from sticking when it's turned out from the baking pan).

9. Once the cake is done baking, loosen the edges from the pan and flip it out onto your prepared towel. Then, starting with the narrow end, roll the cake and towel up together (like rolling a cinnamon roll), and let it cool on a wire rack.*

*The original recipe calls for a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan, but I have only ever used my Nordic Ware baking pan that measures slightly larger around 18x13x1, and the cake is still plenty thick once baked.

*I give my cake 1 hour to cool just to be on the safe side, because you don't want it to be warm when adding the filling.

Making the Filling:*

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and whip until peaks begin to form, then gradually increase the speed until the mixture stiffens slightly more and becomes thicker.

*Since I typically give the cake 1 hour to cool, I usually make the filling during that time, and then keep it in the fridge until it's time to assemble everything.

Making the Whipped Cream:

1. Simply combine all ingredients into bowl and beat until stiff peaks have formed.

2. At this point you can either load it into a piping bag to decorate the finished cake, or simply dollop it on top of each slice when serving.

Assembling the Swiss Roll:

1. Once the cake is completely cooled, gently unroll it. Then spread your filling across the cake (don't be afraid to meet it up to the edges), and roll your cake back up. As your roll it back up, the powdered sugar will help the cake separate from the towel.

2. Simply slice and enjoy!

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