Come to the Dark Side: We have Oreo Chocolate Swiss rolls! This decadent dessert features a fluffy chocolate cake, airy whipped cream filling with Oreo crumbs, and silky chocolate ganache topping that would make even Han Solo swoon.
In my line of work, we see celebrities about as often as you’d see signs of illicit inebriation in a college frat house.
I’ve chatted with Jeff Goldblum about running marathons in a unicorn onesie; run into Jon Favreau ordering a grande whatsit at Starbucks downstairs; watched Emilia Clarke recite quippy marketing one-liners that I’d written for her latest film promotion; been photobombed just last month by John Stamos while he rode circles around us on a bicycle. Heck, I’ve even given the nod to Keanu Reeves (whom I didn’t know was Keanu Reeves until the gawking man next to me choked, “Was that Keanu Reeves?!”) coming out of an elevator.
But man, guys…nothing freezes you up faster than carbonite than running into the man, the legend, Harrison Ford in a cycling store.
Last weekend, I took a road bike for a test spin at one of our local cycling shops (we’ll be doing a double century next month, and I’ve been in desperate need of an upgrade!). Melting slightly from the Southern Californian sun, I trundled back into the store and automatically shuffled out of the way as another customer started to squeeze past me on the register side. I looked up to give him a quick smile…and found myself staring at a very, very familiar face.
Of course, it also took me a full three seconds to realize exactly who was passing me, and by that point my eyebrows had shot so high that they’d disappeared into my hairline and orbited the Death Star five times before returning to Earth again. The best part of this brief encounter, though, was seeing Harrison’s eyebrows shoot up, too, as if to say, You know, sometimes I amaze even myself. Now can we both move on or what?
And that, my friends, is an awkwardly beautiful moment I’ll treasure forever.
After that, we milled around idly gawking for a bit (a few of the store employees even came over to join our surreptitious gawk-fest), and finally left–but when we went home later that afternoon, I made this heavenly Oreo Chocolate Swiss Roll with the half-hope that it’d irresistibly pull Harrison to our doorstep a la The Force.
Because this Oreo Chocolate Swiss Roll really is Dark Side levels of sinful and worth being frozen in carbonate for a year to experience. The light, fluffy chocolate cake is perfectly complemented by an airy whipped cream filling, complete with bits of crumbled Oreo for texture and a silky chocolate ganache topping that will knock even Jabba the Hutt off his tyrannical tail.
So next time you decide to ask me to do something before I’ve finished this incredible cake?
“Sorry, sweetheart. I haven’t got time for anything else.” Go forth, in full Force, and enjoy!
Which celebrity would you bake this heavenly Oreo Chocolate Swiss roll for?
Oreo Chocolate Swiss Roll
My cake rolls bring all the boys to the yard and they're like, it's better than yours! Take your traditional chocolate swiss roll to the next level with a fluffy whipped Oreo filling that keeps 'em coming back for more.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup white sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon brewed coffee
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 Oreos, crushed
For the chocolate ganache:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cookie sheet OR 12x17-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper surface. Set aside, then place a second piece of parchment paper on countertop and dust with a tablespoon of confectioners' sugar. (This is where you'll invert and roll your cake later!)
- Using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and 1/3 cup white sugar in a medium bowl for 5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. (If you gently and carefully invert your bowl, the egg whites should not slide around--that's how you know they're ready!)
- In a second medium bowl, beat egg yolks, remaining sugar, and vanilla until pale, about 2 minutes.
- In a third large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Beat in melted butter, coffee, and egg yolk mixture until completely combined. Gently fold in egg whites with a spatula, taking care not to deflate the whites.
- Spread batter gently and evenly into a very thin layer on prepared pan. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until top of cake gently springs back when touched with finger.
- Quickly and carefully run a knife around pan edges to loosen it from sheet, then invert the entire cake onto pre-sugared parchment paper on countertop. Peel away parchment paper that was originally used to bake cake.
- From here, work gently but quickly! Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll hot cake so that parchment paper is also rolled up inside the cake. Once you have a full spiral, allow cake to cool completely, then place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- Prepare your filling: Use a hand mixer to whip heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in crushed Oreos and refrigerate mixture until ready to use.
- Once you're ready to fill your cake, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Spread filling evenly across cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Gently re-roll cake, peeling away the parchment paper as you go. Set cake on wire rack on top of a cookie sheet.
- Prepare ganache topping: Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Lightly heat cream in pot until it just begins to simmer, then immediately turn off heat. Pour over chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Pour ganache evenly over cake roll, then spoon up any excess ganache that's dripped onto your cookie sheet and eat it! (Or pour it over your cake if you're feeling civilized, ha.) Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing, or store in airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
Long time lurker here, but I had to comment on this recipe. This Swiss roll looks absolutely divine, and I also really enjoyed reading your story about Harrison Ford and all of the clever Star Wars references you included. You have such an engaging writing style! Just curious, do you think it would work to replace the cocoa powder with black cocoa powder to get more of that classic Oreo flavor?
Hi Jo, apologies for the delayed reply but thank you so much for the kind comment–it’s always so nice to meet my readers! I personally haven’t used black cocoa powder, but I think swapping out half of it for black cocoa powder should work well. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!