Chocolate Sponge Cake
In this sophisticated Spanish take on Swiss roll, a tangy lemon sponge is rolled around a smooth filling of chocolate-rum ganache, forming a pretty spiral for slicing. Impressive as a dinner party dessert.
Prep time: 45 min
Cooking time: 8 min
Chilling time: 6 hours
Ingredients:
- Butter (for greasing
- 175ml double cream
- 150g caster sugar
- 125g dark or milk chocolate
- 5 eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 45g plain flour
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1½ tbsp dark rum (optional)
- 60g icing sugar
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7).
Line the base of the tin with a baking parchment sheet and grease. Mix 100g caster sugar with the egg yolks and lemon zest. With an electric whisk, beat for 3-5 minutes until thick. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the remaining sugar and whisk until glossy. Add salt to the yolk mix, then sift and fold in the flour, and the egg whites. - Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread it almost to the edges. Bake near the bottom of the oven for 7-9 minutes until firm and golden brown (check the cake has shrunk away slightly from the sides of the tin, this shows it is ready).
- Turn out onto another baking sheet, leave to cool for 5 minutes and remove the parchment.
- For the ganache, put the chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in a saucepan until almost boiling. Turn the heat off and add chopped chocolate or Melt’s buttons and stir until melted. Let cool and add the rum if desired. Whisk the ganache for 5-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
- Spread the ganache. Mix half the icing sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and evenly sieve over the ganache. Then carefully roll up and wrap with parchment (To help you out, make an indent with the back of a knife along one short side, 2cm from the edge and use the indent to start it off).
- Chill for 6 hours until firm. Unwrap the cake, trim each end and sift over the remaining icing sugar.


Why gift Melt Chocolates?

All our chocolates are beautifully handmade by our award-winning chocolatiers.

Fresh from Notting Hill using natural ingredients.

Our sublime chocolates stay delicious for weeks.

You can add a gift message for the lucky recipient at checkout - personalising your gift.

We beautifully package our orders with care, so they arrive safely in plastic free packaging.
WHY FRESH IS BETTER…
Melt’s chocolates are freshly made in our Notting Hill and Holland Park kitchens by our world-class chocolatiers.
Because our chocolates are fresh, handcrafted and we use the best natural ingredients we can reduce the sugar content, artificial flavours, stabilisers and other chemical preservatives.
This means our chocolates taste sensational-unlike chocolates you have ever tasted before. Fresh natural ingredients are best for taste and for your health.


A favourite in the West End, Melt is a charming and chic boutique that specialises in fresh handmade chocolates, carefully crafted by world-class chocolatiers.
- Evening Standard

From beautifully detailed truffles and chocolates to candied orange slices dipped in dark chocolate, the love, care and craftmanship of all their products is simply outstanding.
- woman&home

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY…
Melt gift boxes are completely plastic-free as we care about our environment and our oceans. Gift a pristine ocean to our children by reducing single-use plastic packaging – Melt has been at the vanguard of this movement for over 15 years. We deliver our online chocolates with an electric zero-emissions van.