Moist hazelnut cake roll with mulled wine sour cherries: scented with cinnamon and cloves

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1. Simmer the spiced wine

   10 min

   Pour 200 ml of the wine into a saucepan and reserve the remaining 50 ml for the cornstarch. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the spices and zest and set aside 4 tablespoons of the wine in a cup for brushing the sponge.

2. Thicken the cherries

   35 min

   Add the sour cherries to the remaining wine and cook for 3 minutes. Stir the cornstarch into the reserved cold wine, then pour it into the cherries, stirring constantly. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens and turns glossy. Spread it on a plate and let cool completely for 30 minutes.

3. Make the sponge batter

   15 min

   While the cherries cool, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet measuring about 30 × 40 cm with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and vanilla sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Sift the flour with the baking powder and cinnamon, add the ground hazelnuts, and gently fold the mixture into the beaten eggs with a spatula.

4. Bake

   12 min

   Spread the batter evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 180°C (350°F), until the surface is golden and springs back when pressed with a finger.

5. Roll while warm

   35 min

   Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar and turn the hot sponge out onto it. Peel off the parchment and immediately roll up the sponge with the towel, starting at a short end. Let cool seam-side down for 30 minutes.

6. Whip the cream filling

   10 min

   While the sponge cools, briefly mix the cold mascarpone with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Pour in 150 ml of cold cream and beat for 2–3 minutes, until the filling thickens and holds its shape.

7. Fill and roll

   10 min

   Carefully unroll the sponge and brush it with the reserved spiced wine. Spread the cream filling over it, leaving a 2 cm border at the far edge, then spoon the cooled cherries over the cream. Roll up tightly without the towel, transfer to a serving platter seam-side down, and refrigerate.

8. Make the topping

   20 min

   Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet for 4 minutes, then chop coarsely. Heat 80 ml of cream until nearly boiling, remove from the heat, and add the chocolate, broken into pieces. Wait 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let the topping thicken for 15 minutes, until spreadable.

9. Chill until set

   3 hr

   Spread the thickened chocolate topping over the cake roll and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate for 3 hours to set. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water; the roll makes 12 slices.

Tip: Let both the cherries and the sponge cool completely before filling, or the cream will become runny. Cooking does not remove all the alcohol, so for children, cook the cherries in red grape juice and use half as much sugar.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Vláčna oriešková roláda s višňami vo varenom víne: vonia škoricou a klinčekmi ako vianočné trhy