Chocolate and hazelnut roulade Recipe

This Chocolate and hazelnut roulade is a firm favourite at Christmas time thanks to the Ferrero Rocher and Baileys flavours. 

A fantastic Christmas dessert idea for those looking for an alternative to classic festive puds, this roulade is a good crowd-pleaser, as chocolate and Baileys recipes always go down a treat.  However, the Baileys in this recipe is optional, so if you're making a dessert for kids as well as adults, you can leave it out of the filling. 

We recommend assembling the roulade several hours ahead of your guests arriving. Then just pop it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Ingredients

• 100g hazelnuts
• 4 large, free-range eggs (separated)
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 75g self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder for dusting (optional)
• 300ml double cream
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar (optional)
• 1 tbsp Baileys (optional)
• 15 Fererro Rocher (we used a selection or original, dark and white) 
• 8 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread

You will also need a 25cm x 32cm Swiss Roll tin, lightly greased and lined with baking paper so that it is slightly higher than the edges of the tin. 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C Fan/Gas 6. Toast the nuts in the oven while it warms up. Set the nuts aside to cool, then blitz 75g of the nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Chop the remaining nuts and then set aside. 
2. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together for 5-6 minutes until very thick and creamy. Gently sift in the finely ground nuts, flour, nutmeg and vanilla.
3.   In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Beat a spoonful of egg white into the cake mix to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest, being careful not to knock out too much air.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the reserved, chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the sponge is risen, golden and springy. Turn the hot sponge out onto a sheet of baking paper dusted with caster sugar, then roll up from the long side like a Swiss roll with the paper. Set aside to cool.
5. For the filling, whip the cream, icing sugar and Baileys (if using) into soft peaks, then set aside about ⅓ for finishing. Finely chop most of the Ferrero Rochers, reserving a few to decorate, and fold into the cream. 
6. Unroll the sponge and spread the inside with the hazelnut spread, then the cream mixture. Roll up again into a spiral. Transfer to a serving board or plate and dollop on the reserved cream. Roughly chop the reserved chocolates and use to decorate the roulade, then dust with cocoa powder and slice to serve.