Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan) mark 4. Lightly oil a 33x20.5cm (13x8in) Swiss roll tin, then line it with non-stick baking parchment.
Step 2
Put the egg yolks into a large bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla extract, then whisk until light and pale. Sift in the cocoa, then fold in with a large metal spoon.
Step 3
In a spotlessly clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold into the cocoa mixture. Spoon into the prepared tin, spread evenly and bake for 20-25min until just cooked - the top should be springy to the touch.
Step 4
Remove the roulade from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10-15min. Put a sheet of baking parchment on to the worksurface and dust with caster sugar. Carefully turn out the roulade on to the parchment, then leave to cool. When it's almost cold, carefully peel away the baking parchment away from the sponge.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the chocolate into a large bowl and melt over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Step 6
In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream with an electric hand whisk, then set aside. Take the bowl of melted chocolate off the heat, then use the electric whisk - there's no need to wash it - to beat the chestnut purée into the chocolate until smooth; the mixture will be quite thick. Whisk in the crème fraîche and icing sugar. Beat 1tbsp of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then use a metal spoon to fold in half the remainder.
Step 7
Spread the filling over the roulade, then spread the remaining cream over the top. Roll up the roulade, using the baking parch-ment to help you.
Step 8
Carefully lift roulade on to a serving plate and dust with caster sugar.
To freeze
Complete the recipe up to the end of step 7. Wrap the roulade in clingfilm and freeze for up to one month.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
