Delia's Chocolate Roulade

Name: Delia's Chocolate Roulade
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200 g plain chocolate, broken into pieces; 2 tablespoon water; 2 eggs, separated (for filling); 6 eggs, separated (for cake); 150 g caster sugar; 50 g cocoa powder; 200 ml whipping cream; 10 g icing sugar (for dusting)

⏱️ 60 min 👥 Serves 8 📅 22 February 2026

A classic chocolate roulade from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course (1989). Rich chocolate sponge rolled around a light chocolate mousse and whipped cream filling — a guaranteed showstopper. Use regular plain chocolate, not dark.

👩‍🍳 Method

1
Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Oil and line with parchment paper a pan about 11.5"x7" and about 1" deep. Set aside.
2
Make the filling first: whip the 2 egg whites until stiff and set aside. Beat the 2 egg yolks together and set aside.
3
Break the chocolate into pieces in a heatproof bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Place over a pan of barely simmering water (double boiler) and wait for it to melt. Once melted, remove from heat and beat until smooth.
4
Beat the egg yolks into the melted chocolate mixture. Let cool a little.
5
Once cool, fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour (no longer or it will resolidify).
6
While the filling chills, make the cake: whip the 6 egg whites until stiff and set aside.
7
Beat the 6 egg yolks in a large bowl until they start to thicken. Add the caster sugar and continue beating until the mixture thickens slightly. Mix in the cocoa powder.
8
Gently and thoroughly fold the stiff egg whites into the cocoa mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.
9
Bake on the centre shelf for 15–20 minutes until springy and puffy. Remove from oven and leave in the pan to cool — it will shrink quite a bit, but that's normal.
10
When the cake is completely cold, turn it out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper dusted liberally with icing sugar. Peel away the lining paper.
11
Spread the chocolate filling over the cake. Whip the cream to soft peaks and spread it over the chocolate filling.
12
Gently roll up the cake into a log shape using the greaseproof paper to help. Don't worry if it cracks — that's normal and looks attractive.

From Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, c1989, p548.

Tips: Use regular plain chocolate — dark chocolate won’t go smooth after melting. Don’t chill the filling for more than an hour. A larger pan (11”x9”) works well and gives a slightly shallower sponge. Leftovers keep covered with an upside-down bowl in the fridge. As an alternative, 11oz sweetened chestnut purée (crème de marrons) can replace the chocolate mousse filling.