Light and Tasty Chocolate Roulade

You are so in for much chocolate deliciousness ... just in time for Valentine's Day!
Or (since there is no flour) very early for Passover.   In any case, your guests will be in awe of your pastry skills.   For truly, out of 10, this cake has a WOW factor of 11!  

Don't let the cake name turn you off.  According to that blue ribbon expert in baking, wikipedia, a roulade is simply a fancy-chmancy name for jelly roll.  You know, that awesome flat yellow sponge cake slathered with jam then rolled up, sliced and served.   Except here it's a chocolate sponge cake slathered with a yogurt and fresh raspberry filling then rolled up, sliced and served.

This recipe is brought to you by this month's assigned blog, courtesy of The Secret Recipe Club.  The blog is Why I am Not Skinny, hosted by Maxine.   Maxine is a South African living in Brussels.  She is a new mom (by the way, congrats and mazel tov, Maxine!).  While most of her luscious recipes are a nod to the blog name, this confection is decidedly different.  Originally a Weight Watchers recipe, it is very low in fat (providing you don't eat the entire roulade in one sitting as I almost did), with not a drop of gluten carb cooties anywhere.

Front:  for the camera.  Rear: my serving.

Tip alerts!  1. Separate chilled eggs over a small cup or bowl, then tip into the mixing bowl.  That way, when you accidentally break the yolk (which seems to always happen on the last egg, you will only ruin one egg white instead of the entire batch.   2. And set aside egg whites to come to room temperature, about 1/2 hour depending upon the temperature of your kitchen.  You might be wondering, why not just leave the eggs out to lose their chill?  The answer, Dear Reader, is that it is far easier to separate cold eggs.  You might also be wondering, why bother waiting for the egg whites to lose their chill in the first place?  Because, Dear Reader, you  get more volume from room temp eggs.  And volume = more cake.

Light and Tasty Chocolate Roulade
Adapted from: Why I am Not Skinny
Yield: 6-8 servings
Note:  may be assembled a few hours in advance.   

1 cup granulated sugar, divided
8 egg whites, room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (6 oz.) container vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh raspberries, divided
confectioners' sugar, for garnish

 Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly spray a 9 x 12 shallow rimmed baking pan with cooking spray (be sure the sides are spritzed).
Line with baking parchment.  Dust evenly with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until mixture forms light peaks (tips fall over when beaters are stopped and lifted).

Set aside another 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar.  While mixer is running, slowly and carefully pour remaining sugar into bowl. Continue to beat egg white mixture until it is thick and glossy, and forms stiff peaks when beaters are stopped and lifted.

Too many streaks.  Keep up the folding.

Use a spatula to fold in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until no streaks remain.

 Eek ... batter barely fits!  Luckily the cake doesn't rise much when baked.

Scrape mixture into prepared pan.  Smooth surface with the same spatula.

May fall slightly as it cools.  Flavor not affected.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is set and springs back when lightly touched.  Place, still in pan, on heat-safe surface to cool completely.

While roulade is cooling, mix yogurt and  the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.  Use spatula to spread yogurt mixture evenly over completely cooled cake.

Scatter berries up, down or sideways ... doesn't matter.

Set aside 5 or 6 raspberries; scatter remaining berries evenly over the yogurt mixture.

Carefully roll up cake, lifting and peeling off parchment as you go to help with rolling.  Roll tightly, but not so tightly that the filling oozes out.

Optionally dust with confectioners' sugar and top with remaining raspberries.  Slice with a serrated knife and serve.  Any leftovers (Hah ... like there'd ever be any!) can be gently wrapped in plastic and kept up to a few days in the fridge, depending upon the freshness of the fresh raspberries.  Redust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

An InLinkz Link-up