This week was a hard one. My mom lost a dear friend suddenly and we’ve been deep in grief. I was going to write this post about Thanksgiving. Mourning. About being grateful. But this Friday I woke up feeling hopeful and in the Christmas spirit, fueled by leftover stuffing and good music. So, I decided to make my mom something special to cheer her up. She loves chocolate and mint. So, I whipped up a chocolate peppermint Swiss roll with a chocolate sponge, peppermint frosting, and crumbled candy canes.

The Start of the Holidays

We started the weekend by welcoming the holiday season. I slept in and watched Frosty the Snowman. My dad and I ran errands in our sleepy coastal town. He picked up a mountain of cardboard boxes of Christmas gifts at the post office. We drove to the drug store and picked out a new box of Christmas lights. Multi-colored 300 count. I bought a jumbo pack of candy canes. When I got home I dove head-first into the kitchen. I threw together a chocolate cake batter, lightened with whipped egg whites and sugar.

I started my chocolate peppermint Swiss roll by blooming cocoa powder and espresso powder with hot water. Then, I added oil, sour cream, and egg yolks to make a ganache-like slurry. I whipped the egg whites with sugar in a stand mixer and listened to the hum of the motor through my earbuds. Zoned out to the conversation of some podcast. Thinking about my mom at work trying not to cry. I folded the egg whites and my dry ingredients through the chocolate batter. I was thinking about how when someone dies the sun still sets at the same time. Kids still play pickup basketball at the YMCA after school. The seasons still change.

Baking the Chocolate Cake

By noon I popped my velvety chocolate peppermint swiss roll batter into a baking sheet and into the hot oven. I set a timer, counting up, and took it out after 13 minutes. I pressed on the top to make sure it was cooked, and it sprang back. The timer continued to count up for the rest of the day. Next, I began to work on my peppermint frosting. Before I left for our errands, I thawed two sticks of butter on the counter. They didn’t soften as much as I’d hoped, since it’s beginning to turn into winter here in Maine. But I popped 1 and a half into my cleaned stand mixer bowl and whipped them for a while.

I made my own powdered sugar with granulated white sugar and cornstarch in a blender. I found a box with the butt of a bag of powdered sugar from who knows when but it was only about 1/4 cup. A little cloud of white smoke puffed out when I turned my mixer on low. Once it incorporated, I turned it up and added peppermint extract and milk. I mentioned earlier this week to my parents that I wanted to bake something with chocolate and peppermint. So, my mom, in the middle of her grief, decided to buy me peppermint extract. That’s the kind of person she is.

Peppermint Candy Cane Frosting

When the frosting was done I added an extra splash of extract until it tasted perfect. I smoothed it out with my spatula and noticed it had started to split. Too cold, probably. So, I spent the next 10 minutes heating it up carefully with my kitchen torch while stirring. After a few minutes it smoothed out into a luscious white frosting. My cake was rolled in a kitchen towel for the Swiss roll, and I unraveled it carefully. It started to crack, but I didn’t mind. So, I spread my frosting over the top of it, leaving the edges clean. I tediously removed what felt like 100 candy canes from their plastic casings and smashed them with a mallet in a plastic bag. Then I sprinkled some on top.

I rolled my chocolate log carefully with my towel like I was making sushi. I really just went for it, as I didn’t have a back up plan, and I was scared to see the final result. When it was log-like, I removed the towel and cut off the ends. Then, I sliced it up and sighed in relief as I saw the swirl. The generous white peppermint buttercream filling. The spots of bright red candy canes. It was better than I expected. So, I popped them in the freezer to firm them up for a bit while I made lunch. A mixture of cheese and crackers from Thanksgiving, leftover pizza, and tortilla chips. Not the healthiest or most effortful lunch.

Decorating for Christmas

After lunch I helped my dad put up the Christmas tree. We got out the old white step ladder from the broom closet and I strung the lights around the top. I vacuumed the floor and listened to Christmas music. It felt for a while like the world was filled with hope and normalcy. I couldn’t help but think back to all the other years of Christmas traditions. Going to Christmas tree farms in the freezing cold and snow. The plastic-net machine that wrapped them. Meltdowns when one of us broke a Christmas ornament. Coming home from college and digging through boxes for our favorite glass giraffe, ceramic tweety bird, and sparkly mickey mouse ears from Disney World.

On Saturday I woke up in a good mood and made some breakfast. I caught up on TV. Then, I finished my chocolate peppermint Swiss roll. I popped my slices out of the fridge and let them rest for a few minutes on the counter. I moved them from the freezer to the fridge after they set, about 30 minutes, by the way. Then, I melted down some dark chocolate and crushed more candy canes while humming Silver Bells. I dunked the corners of the chocolate peppermint Swiss roll slices into the molten chocolate and then coated them in crushed peppermint candy canes. They turned from delicious-looking chocolate desserts into something special. Like edible, sparkly red white and brown ornaments.

A Great Festive Day

Later in the day we decorated the tree, reminiscing on all of our favorite ornaments from years past. We didn’t break any. My dad dug through boxes to find his Nolan Ryan figurine. His Red Sox balls with Santa hats and Patriots and Bruins figurines. My mom picked out her sparkly bedazzled hearts and silver decorations. Gold glittering orbs and mickey mouses. I have my own box of food-themed ornaments. A croquembouche tower. An artichoke. A glittery croissant. My college insignia. The Tweety Bird ornament we had to get remade when I was 12 because it broke. On one side it has the face, and on the other, it has the butt. We ordered Chinese takeout for dinner and watched a movie about grief. For a second it was comforting, like it was just someone else’s story.

It was a great few days. Like a layer of delicious chocolate on top of something really bad and hard to swallow. But as I told my mom, each day will get a little better. You’ll always miss them, but missing them will become easier and more familiar over time. One day it’ll turn into something kind and sweet. The memories will make you smile instead of cry. The Christmas ornaments will get put away and come out again and again. My own anxieties and problems are in perspective now. On Thanksgiving we didn’t have to say what we were grateful for, because we all knew.

Taste Test

Sometimes all you can do during a hard time is lose yourself in a baking project. Or decorating a Christmas tree. This particular project turned out fantastic, and I ate chocolate and peppermint until I felt sick. The chocolate cake itself is tender, full of chocolate flavor, and takes on some of the peppermint essence from the frosting. The frosting isn’t too sweet, and it radiates with a comforting minty essence. Not like toothpaste. Like a great after dinner mint at your favorite restaurant. Each bite is punctuated with pops of peppermint canes. The taste is pure Christmas. My mom couldn’t be more excited to eat them. At first I was worried it would take a while to see her smile again. But while her grief is still heavy, and very present, I hope the love and joy is a powerful counterweight.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out Etsy for 25% off art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING. I’m also doing customs for holiday gifts, so feel free to reach out. Happy December!

Print Pin

Peppermint Chocolate Swiss Roll

A tender chocolate cake filled with peppermint buttercream and candy canes

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cake, peppermint, swiss roll

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder + more for dusting
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs separated
• 2/3 cup flour + 1 tbsp
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 12 tbsp softened butter
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tsp peppermint extract
• 4 tsp whole milk
• 6 oz dark 70% chocolate
• 24-36 candy canes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp espresso powder, and 1/3 cup hot water. Whisk to combine.
• Add sour cream, vegetable oil, and 2 egg yolks. Mix until cohesive and set aside.
• In another bowl, sift together the 2/3 cup + 1 tbsp flour, the other 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup sugar.
• In a stand mixer, whip your 2 egg whites with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Alternate adding your whipped egg whites and flour mixture to your chocolate and egg yolk mixture, ending with your egg whites.
• Line a 16.25" x 12.25" jelly roll tray or baking sheet with parchment paper. Add your cake batter and cook until cake springs back, about 12-15 minutes.
• While the cake bakes, dust a kitchen towel with a light coating of cocoa powder.
• Cool cake for 1-2 minutes and place cake-side down onto the cocoa powder-dusted kitchen towel. Remove parchment paper. Roll your cake into a log with the kitchen towel. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the kitchen towel, then, unravel carefully.
• In a stand mixer, beat softened butter for 1-2 minutes. Add your powdered sugar and mix on low to combine.
• Add your peppermint extract, milk, and 1/2 tsp salt.
• Top your chocolate cake with your peppermint buttercream, leaving a 1-2 inch border around the top and bottom.
• In a large bowl or plastic bag, smash your candy canes with a mallet into large chunks.
• Sprinkle the top of your frosting layer with candy cane shards. Save the rest of your shards for later in a covered bowl. Then, roll your cake back into a log, removing the kitchen towel as you roll (like making sushi).
• Slice about 1/2" to 1" of cake off of each end of your log and set aside scraps. Then, slice your roll into 1" slices.
• Set slices on a plastic-wrap-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer, covered, for 5-10 minutes until firm. Then, transfer to fridge.
• In a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler, heat chocolate gently until fully melted. You may need to add 1-2 tbsp of butter to help it achieve a runny consistency. Remove from heat.
• One at a time, dip your chilled Swiss roll slices in chocolate, only covering the left edge. Then, dip into your reserved candy cane shards and press to stick.
• Place Swiss rolls back in the fridge to set the chocolate. Serve at room temperature.