The week of decadently, delicious chocolate posts continues today with a Hot Chocolate Cake Roll. The best things about cake rolls are that they are super easy to make, faster to make than a traditional layer cake, and they look fantastic. This cake roll combines super moist chocolate sponge with rich chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream, cinnamon, and sprinkles.  Fun fact: I used the chocolate sponge remnants and leftover frosting, ganache, and marshmallow cream from my Hot Chocolate Cake (coming to the blog tomorrow for the final day of Hot Chocolate Week!) to make this cake roll. Cake rolls are a great way to use leftover cake-making pieces!

Ingredients:

• Chocolate Sponge (the link for my recipe is provided here)
• Hot Chocolate Buttercream (the link for my recipe is provided here)
• Chocolate Ganache
• Marshmallow Cream
• Cinnamon
• Christmas Sprinkles

Make the Chocolate Ganache:

Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for approximately 45 seconds – 1 minute. Use either a whisk or a rubber spatula to mix the chocolate and cream together. If not all the chocolate is completely melted, then put it back in the microwave for an additional 20-30 seconds. Stir the mixture. If the chocolate is still not fully melted, continue to heat for 15-20 seconds in the microwave, while making sure to stir in between each heating. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the ganache so that it will not form a skin on the top layer. Place it into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour to thicken before you use it.

Prepare the Cake:

Place the chocolate sponge (approximately 3 cups) in a large mixing bowl and crumble the sponge into small pieces. Add a combination of Hot Chocolate Buttercream and chocolate ganache, approximately ¼ – ½ cup, and then thoroughly mix the cake, buttercream, and ganache together. You want the cake to hold together, so take a small ball of the cake mixture and press it into a disc shape in your hand. If the cake cracks or crumbles at all while doing this, add more buttercream and/or ganache, a little bit at a time.

Once the cake mixture is the desired consistency, form into a rectangle and place on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large, flat rectangle that is about ¼ inch thick. Remove the parchment paper and use a paring knife to cut a rectangle in the cake. Remove the excess and set it aside to use for another cake roll or some cake pops.

Add Chocolate Ganache and Marshmallow Cream, and the Roll the Cake:

Add the chocolate ganache and marshmallow cream to two different piping bags. Pipe alternating lines of each filling on top of the cake dough.

Next, gently fold one side of the cake to start the rolling portion of the cake roll process. Use the parchment paper to continue to roll the cake until it is all tightly rolled together. Place this onto a sheet pan and pop that into the freezer for 15 minutes to let the cake and fillings slightly harden.

Top with Whipped Cream, Cinnamon, and Sprinkles:

• 

• 

• 

Remove the cake roll from the freezer and cut a thin strip off each end of the cake roll. Using a piping bag fitted with Wilton 1M tip and filled with stabilized whipped cream, pipe a pretty pattern with the whipped cream. Next, sift some cinnamon over the top of the cake roll. Lastly, sprinkle some Christmas sprinkles on top of the whipped cream. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow the cake roll to completely harden as it is much easier to cut neat slices.

Cut the Roll and Serve:

Remove the cake roll from the freezer and use a sharp knife to cut even slices. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can either leave the cake roll in the freezer until you are ready to cut before serve, or you may cut the cake rolls ahead of time and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to serve.
• I recommend that this cake roll be kept in the freezer or refrigerator until close to the time of service because the marshmallow cream is a bit soft, so the slices will be easier to transfer to a plate or serving vessel when it is slightly frozen.
• The cake roll comes to room temperature pretty quickly, so you will not have to wait long to serve it.

Thank you so much for checking out this post! I hope that you give this super easy hot chocolate dessert a try! Please leave a comment below to let me know if you made this and how you enjoyed it! Also, make sure to check back tomorrow for the final day of Hot Chocolate Week!