Gluten Free Chocolate and Raspberry Roulade

I have never made a roulade before, but my mum makes them all the time so I thought I would have a go. It was fairly easy, except for the rolling bit, but that got there in the end. I filled my roulade with chocolate, cream and seedless raspberry jam, but anything goes! Next time I may fill it with chocolate, Merchant Gourmet Dulce de Leche and cream. Or perhaps fresh raspberries. You need a nice heavy 23cm x 33cm swiss roll tin for this recipe to work.

for the roulade
caster sugar 175gms
green and blacks cocoa powder 50gms sifted
large free range eggs 6, separated

for the filling
double cream 300ml
seedless raspberry jam half a jar
green and blacks plain chocolate 100gms
butter 50gms
brandy or rum 2tbs

Pre heat oven to 180. Butter your swiss roll tin and line the bottom with parchment. Whisk egg yolks and sugar till pale, add the cocoa powder and whisk again. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites till stiff peaks form (be aware of the mixture starting to look 'dry' and separate - don't over whisk). Mix half the egg whites into the egg yolks mix, then fold the rest carefully in until just combined. Pour very gently into the swiss roll tin, tilting the tin so it runs into all the corners. Bake in the oven for 25 mins. When cooked put it on a cooling rack, in the tin, and cover with a clean tea towel topped with a slightly damp tea towel. Leave to cool for an hour.

When cool make your fillings. Melt the chocolate, booze and butter over hot water to make a chocolate sauce. Whisk the cream till soft peaks form. Loosen the edges of the roulade and turn out onto a bit of parchment dusted with cocoa powder (or icing sugar for a snowy Christmas look). Peel off the parchment the roulade was baked on and smooth on your chocolate sauce, next do the jam (or other flavour) and finally the cream. Roll up the roulade along the long edge, using the parchment that is underneath to pull it towards you and roll over and press together. You can use the last bit of rolling you have to do to get it onto a platter or plate.

Serve a couple of inch thick slices per person, with extra pouring cream if you like.