Chocolate Sponge Roll Cake
Instructions:
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan, then line it with parchment paper; butter the paper and the pan’s sides.
- Lay a large sheet of wax paper on the work surface. Sift the cocoa powder and fl our together through a fi ne-mesh sieve and onto the paper. Gather together what you’ve sifted and do so again. Set the paper with the sifted mixture aside.
- Place the egg whites and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form under the beaters when they are turned off and lifted quickly out of the mixture, about 3 minutes. Set aside as well.
- If you’re using a handheld mixer, clean and dry the beaters; if you’re using a stand mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. Beat the egg yolks and sugar at medium speed in a second large bowl until this mixture is so thick, it will run off the beaters or paddle in wide ribbons that do not immediately dissolve back into the mixture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla until smooth.
- Scrape down the beaters and remove them. Fold in the cocoa mixture with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Then fold in the beaten egg whites in three batches, taking care not to defl ate them, using long, even strokes.
- Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the corners. Rap it a couple of times against the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake until spongy to the touch and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. You’ll need to work with it the moment’s it’s out of the oven. See the instructions for how to roll it below.