Almond Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake / Bolu gulung cokelat almond

For me making roll cake was very tricky. Sometimes end up with "cracking" in some part, other time end up 'shrinking' after comes out the oven. And after some bad experiences, finally I learn something for making this good looking cake.

Type of cake to make this roll cake is "airy" foam cake like sponge cake base recipe because it's flexible enough to being roll. So if you find "crack" on your roll cake it means your dough isn't moist and flexible enough when it being roll. Sprinkle your towel/napkin surface with icing sugar can help moist still during rolling process. And more important thing to make your dough moist is egg beating. The air 'trap' in the batter make cake flexible and moist. One more thing is baking condition. Do not bake it too dry but correct heat to make cake perfectly done. Tricky? NO, Just don't stop learning things d(^_^)b

My wish now, I can have very BIG steamer to make steamed roll cake .. *pray mode on  d(^_^)b

Ingredients:

- 6 eggs. Separate the yolks from whites.
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 100 gr dark cooking chocolate. Melt over double boiler.
- 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almond)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- a pinch of fine salt
- Enough icing Sugar for dusting over napkin/ towel.
For cream and garnishes:
- Enough whipped cream ( I use about 400 ml) whipped until stiff
- Canned Cherry
- Cocoa powder (optional)

Method:

1) preheat oven temperature on 180 deg C. Grease your baking pan (I use 30x25 cm rectangle pan) with butter or oil spray, Cover it with baking paper and grease again with butter / oil spray. Set aside.
2) Whisk egg whites with salt until stiff. Set aside. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy and pale.
3) Mix the melted chocolate with almond powder and fold into egg yolk mixture. Mix in 1/4 of stiff egg whites into yolk mixture and chocolate, mix until well blended.
4) Fold in remaining egg whites, fold until perfectly blend. Combine flour gradually,mix until completely blended.
5) Pour in baking pan and bake until done or bamboo skewer inserted comes out clean ( about 25 minutes).
::Note
Recognize your own oven condition, different size and condition may produce different result

Assembling:
Prepare a kitchen napkin or a thin kitchen towel and sprinkle it surface with icing sugar. Place hot cake from oven on napkin / towel (with down part on top), peel the baking paper. Carefully roll the cake (slightly press and compact it while rolling) and let it completely cold.
unfold the roll and brush cake surface with cherry water evenly, give whipped cream and arrange the cherries. Roll again carefully. Re-brush the outer surface with cherry water and garnish with whipping cream and cocoa powder as your own style.

*Sorry  I didn't put step by step picture to guide you easily because no one help me to shoot pictures while I'm doing this cake