Prep: 30 minutes Bake and assembly: 20 plus full cooling

I wanted to try making a new flavor of jam and then tried to sort out what to do with it, that’s how we landed on cake and chocolate orange is a friend’s favorite! This was fun to make and needs some adjustments but worked out great!

Ingredients

Sponge cake

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2/3 cup flour

• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/3 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 2 tbls milk

• 2 tbls powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache

• 12 oz baking chocolate

• 1 cup heavy cream

Orange Jam

• 24 oz oranges

• 1 cup water and 1/2 cup

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup corn starch

Prep

Spongecake

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (170 C)

2. Starting with the sponge cake, in a mixer (hopefully) add the eggs, sugar and vanilla

3. Whip these until it gets light, bubbly, airy and thicker (not to the point of holding it’s own shape)

4. Mix the flour and baking powder into another bowl

5. Add the milk, melted butter, and sour cream to a third larger bowl

6. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold until incorporated. You don’t want to lose the air and fluffiness

7. Add this into the larger bowl with the milk mixture and fold gently until incorportated

8. Line a 10 x 15 baking sheet with parchment paper (leave some extra off one end for rolling later)

9. Pour the mixture into the baking sheet and flatten out

10. Bake for 20-22 minutes until it’s springy but set

11. Add the powdered sugar to the top of the done cake and then add a clean kitchen towl

12. Use the extra parchment paper to slowly roll the cake into a spiral (roll from the short side, not the long)

13. Set aside to cool

Jam

1. While the cake is baking, you can start the jam

2. Simmer the orange slices (you can zest the peel for extra orange taste), 1 cup of water and sugar until the oranges are breaking up and melting in the mixture in a pot

3. Mix the corn starch with the extra water fully

4. Pour into the mixture and cook through until it reaches the thickness you want, stir constantly

5. Pour into another bowl and set into fridge to cool and set

Ganache

1. When the cake and jam is cool enough to use, you can start the ganache

2. In a pot simmer the heavy cream

3. Break up the chocolate and add to a bowl

4. Pour the simmered heavy cream on top and whip (with a mixer makes this easier) until it thickens to desired amount. I just wanted it spreadable and not runny

Assemble

1. When all parts are ready, slowly unroll the sponge cake back to flat

2. Remove the towel and add a thin layer of the chocolate ganache (to help make sure the jam doesn’t just soak into the cake)

3. Add a layer of the orange jam on top of that

4. Slowly reroll the cake, and remove the parchment paper as you go to help guide the roll

5. Set it seam down to keep it together

6. Frost with the rest of the chocolate ganache

7. I added orange slices on top as a garnish

Afterthoughts

While I overbaked my sponge, this was the best I have done with a roll cake. The chocolate and orange mixed well and the orange was not overpowering this way. The sponge was a good mix in between to hold the tastes together without adding too much extra. This was a fun cake that can impress and give something special to someone.