5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll
Save RecipeA rich brownie rolled up with a whipped cream filling, my 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll has all the Ghirardelli chocolate taste you love in an impressive new dessert!
Hi Bold Bakers!
I am beyond proud to be partnering once again with Ghirardelli Chocolate to celebrate the Season of Spring! Whether you’re looking for a showstopping Easter brunch dessert or an impressive flourless treat to make for your Passover spread, this chocolate-centric recipe is for you!
My 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll features a double dose of chocolate and looks like it was made by a professional pastry chef. Only you and I will know it was made with just 5 staple ingredients and baked in 15 minutes flat!
How to Melt Chocolate
One of the most important ingredients in this 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll is obviously the chocolate! Since the flavor of chocolate really is the star of the show, I’m using Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. These chocolate chips deliver a great depth of flavor and a silky texture, especially once melted and mixed into the brownie roll.
To melt the chocolate chips properly, and add extra moisture to the brownie roll, I melt the chocolate down with a bit of water. I simply do this in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate has melted. Then I gently stir until the chocolate is shiny and smooth.
If you don’t have a microwave you can always do this over a bain marie.
How Do I Roll My Brownie Roll Without it Cracking?
The trick to my 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll is beating lots of air into the eggs before adding in the sugar or melted chocolate. This air not only helps the roll to puff up when baking (and become sponge-like), but it adds an almost elastic effect to the roll.
After baking for just a short time I allow the sheet of cake to cool slightly. Then, while still warm, I give the whole thing a careful roll up in the tin. Doing this while warm will ensure that after the roll cools it can be shaped into a perfect spiral shape without cracking. There will be some cracks across the surface of the brownie no matter what, but not to worry, it’s part of the charm of the dessert. Also, we are going to cover it with ganache!
Can You Substitute the Eggs?
Eggs are an integral part of my 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll. Since there are so few ingredients in the cake, each one has a very important purpose. There really is no replacement for the eggs as nothing else whips up or bakes exactly as the eggs do.
How much filling do I put in before rolling?
To fill my roll I’m using unsweetened whipped cream. I love the contrast in flavor and color this adds to the roll. The rich cream really allows the chocolate to shine and of course the deep brown chocolate against the bright white look so festive and polished, perfect for any Easter or Passover celebration! If you’d like to add other things to this filling like fresh fruit or even caramel that would be lovely as well!
Can You Make A 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll Ahead of Time?
If you’d like, you can make my 5 Ingredient Brownie Roll ahead of time and fill it the next day. This will ensure the roll has fully cooled and will make entertaining even easier as all you will have to do before serving up the roll is fill it with the whipped cream and roll it up. To store the pre-made Brownie roll, cover it with cling wrap and store at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble. P.S. Don’t forget to pre-roll it when it comes out for the oven (See video).
How Long Does the Brownie Roll Last? How Do I Store It?
This roll is lovely even the next day. The chocolate inside keeps the roll rich and fudgy, and of course, the cream ensures it will not dry out. To store the cake I suggest covering it tightly with cling wrap and storing in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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A rich brownie rolled up with a whipped cream filling, my 5-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Roll has all the Ghirardelli chocolate taste you love in an impressive new dessert!
- 1 cup (6oz//170g) Ghirardelli 60% Chocolate Chips
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2/3 cup (5oz/142g) sugar
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (3oz/85g) Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 1/2 cups (12floz/360ml) Heavy Whipping Cream, whipped
- 1/2 cup chocolate ganache
- 3 Ghirardelli Dark Sea Salt Eggs
- 3 Ghirardelli Milk and Caramel Bunnies
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Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and line a 15 x 10-inch baking tray with parchment paper, leaving some parchment hanging over the sides to assist in rolling the cake. Set aside.
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In a small bowl combine the water and Ghirardelli 60% Chocolate Chips chocolate. Melt the chocolate gently either in the microwave or over a Bain Marie. Take care when melting chocolate as you don't want it to get too hot or it can burn. Set the chocolate aside to cool while preparing the rest of the cake.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip the eggs on high for 2-3 minutes until they begin to thicken slightly.
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While the machine is going, slowly stream in the sugar and continue whipping. Whip the eggs on high until very thick and pale in color. The mix should hold a ribbon shape when done. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
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Next, pour in the cooled, melted chocolate and Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and whip until the chocolate is fully mixed in. Run a spatula underneath to make sure it's totally combined.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tray and sprinkles over an extra few Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
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Bake on the middle rack for 15-18 minutes. This roll bakes really fast, less is more as you want a slightly fudgy brownie.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, just until you can handle the roll. Important step: while still warm, gently roll up the roulade like you would if you had filled it. This will ensure fewer cracks once the cake is fulling cooled (see video).
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Once the cake has fully cooled, lay a clean towel over it followed by a cooling rack. In one swift motion flip over the cake where the baking tray is facing you (See video). Carefully remove the cooling rack from underneath so you are left with the cake laying on the towel. Gently peel away the parchment paper from the cake.
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On the side facing you, spread the whipped cream over the surface almost to the edge.
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Using the towel, carefully and slowly roll the cake up into a log. Roll up until you roll it on its seam. You will see cracks form but do not worry, this is part of the charm of the cake.
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Using the towel for leverage lift the rolled cake onto your serving platter.
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To garnish the roll, generously drizzle over the ganache and let it drip down the sides.
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Pipe some whipped cream down the center of the roll and place on some Ghirardelli Dark Sea Salt Eggs and Ghirardelli Milk and Caramel Bunnies.
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Serve as part of your Easter Brunch or Passover celebration. Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Watch the Recipe Video!
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My guests really enjoyed your 5-INGREDIENT FLOURLESS BROWNIE ROLL Ina took what was left to feed her guest at the lake to the lake along the Shaswap Lake; here in Salmon Arm BC. What i need to know when you baked the cake were you using a gas stove or a regular oven? As part of my cake was still unbaked! That happened twice to me ug………..The time was right; and when I did a test touch it seemed baked. When I baked it again I needed to bake it another 10-15 minutes,
Hi Lynette,
I am happy you liked this recipe and disappointed that the bake was a bit off. Times indicated in recipes are always just indications as oven vary so much from type to type, place to place, altitude to altitude too.
I use an electric convection oven, sometimes with the fan assistance, but as a professional baker, we always used a conventional electric oven for fine baking, no fan. This is especially true of this type of brownie bake.
The egg whites are the leavening here, they should set up quickly enough, at the right temperature.
You did not tell me about your oven, but there are a couple of important things, this is a sheet bake, there must be room for the heat to circulate in the cavity. I am not too sure what is happening for you Lynette, I am playing a guessing game here. The texture should be fudgy, but not wet.
Gemma 🙂
Sorry………I didn’t tell you what kind of oven I use……….I have a electric oven but have never used my convection oven……I bake my brownie in a sheet cake also…When I bake this cake again I will use my conventional oven. I try using my convention oven again. Once I used my convention oven and I did not have success with it;
Thanks for the tip
Lynnette
Hi Gemma
I’m making your lovely 5 ingredient Brownie Roll; but I have another problem; as my friend who is coming for lunch tomorrow can’t have dairy! I found a product in the store called SO Delicious Coco Whip. So nice for your Ice Cream; but when left out the SO Delicious Coco Whip melts really fast! Any suggestions
Yes, keep it in the fridge and serve it straight from there to your guests :).
It will still taste really good.
Best,
Gemma.
I made this for Passover (couldn’t stop thinking about it!), and made it with Erythritol and 90% bitter chocolate. I did add the chocolate chips, and I filled it with lightly sweetened whipped coconut cream because heavy cream doesn’t sit with me. It was seriously sooooo good. And it was insanely easy! Next time I wouldn’t add the chocolate chips as I don’t think they added anything to the taste or texture of the roll except sugar, so I’ll just increase the sweetness. The other thing I didn’t totally understand was why do you roll it one way and then roll it the opposite way after cooling? Wouldn’t it just make sense to keep it rolled in one direction? Otherwise, this was not only a good Passover recipe, but easy enough and super impressive to throw together for a dinner party or even a backyard cookout. It took like no time at all. The batter was very thin but only up until I added the melted dark chocolate. After adding it, it whipped up super thick and looked just like the video! One more thing is this was even more delicious 1-2 days later. A great make-in advance cake that took me no time at all. Thank you so much!
Hi there,
that was a great detailed review of this recipe and I appreciate your taking the trouble to write it. I agree that this cake is almost better after a day or so, and I love that you managed this with the erythritol, well done you, and thank you for letting us know that this worked so well.
I think I only rolled this one way, unrolled it, filled it, and rolled it again. This is what you would do with any swiss roll type cake. I need to take a look back to see how I confused you, not unusual for me, I get confused easily!
Love that you filled this with coconut cream too, I am so happy with this information, thank you,
Gemma 🙂
I made this yesterday for Easter. It was beautiful, light, tender crumbed perfection! I added a thin layer of strawberry jam before the whipped cream because I love chocolate and strawberries.
Everyone raved about it.
Thank you, Jemma!
YAY, i’m delighted to hear that! Happy Easter!
Once again congratulations!!!! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I will try it this week. I’ m a big fun of you. Greetings from Crete Greece.
It’s my pleasure! Enjoy!
Cannot have sugar – is there a sugar substitute that you would recommend for the Brownie Roll recipe?
Hi Teri,
you will need to use something to give the batter structure. Alcohol sugars like erythritol/xylitol, or commercial blends like Lakanto/Truvia/swerve wil lwork well for you. Erythritol will be less sweet, the addition of Stevia/Monk extract wil lmake this sweeter, and this is what the commercial brands have.
So, get to know these things, a little research will really help you.
These new age sweeteners are zero on the glycemic index, and have zero carbs in general, but please be sure for yourself by doing the research, particularly if your need is a health one.
I hope this will be of help to you,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma!
This was my first attempt at a “roll”. I hit a couple speed bumps along the way, but the final result tasted fabulous! It is even amazing chilled and leftover the next day.
Can I use a silicone mat instead of parchment?
Why did the recipe have me oil the pan before putting the layer of parchment paper down?
I’d love to include a photo, but I’m not sure how…
Hi Janet,
Yes! this type of thing actually does develop its’ flavor overnight, I am happy that you found this to be so.
I oil the tray just to keep the paper in place.
A silicone mat is a really great addition to your kitchen, reusable, and versatile. The issue for this type of thing is to get it to be flexible enough to assist with the rolling of the cake. These vary in type, some are finer than others. I think we will all be using these more and more in the future.
Submitting a photo is actually quite easy. You cannot get it wrong. You click on the (SUBMIT) button under the recipe. The step by step instructions will ask you to select the photo, usually this is on your camera roll. You find the photo and click on it. Edit the photo too before submitting it if you wish.
We check the photos too before they are uploaded to make sure that people are not submitting photos that are personal to them.
Thank you for being in touch, we look forward to seeing the pic!
Gemma 🙂
Do you have a recipe for Easter bread with hard boiled eggs?
I don’t Gloria unfortunately but I’ll keep an eye out for one. I haven’t had that before.
Best,
Gemma.
Gemma, my batter came out way too thin, any idea what went wrong?
Hi, this happens when there is not enough air beat into the egg or if you did not fold the ingredients gently. Good news is, it will still bake up very well.
Can you make this without Chocolate? Or do you have a recipe for one? I love making your Blondie Recipe. Would love making that as a Rollup.
Hi, yes the chocolate is super important in this recipe, we’ll have to work on the blondie roll, great idea!
It looks amazing! We are a chocolate-loving family. I just was given some fresh eggs, which always make my desserts more “puffy,” so these will be great to use for this recipe! One quick question…how much time do you wait to put on the swirls of whipped cream after putting on the ganache?
I always enjoy your videos, Gemma. You explain every step so well, and you make it look easy! 🙂 Plus, I do enjoy your accent. Thank you for sharing your talents with the world. You are an inspiration.
Thank you so much for the lovely message, i use the ganache when its been slightly cooled so you can pipe the cream on right after. Enjoy!
Hello, again! I have made this twice now….the first time, I forgot to stir in the extra chocolate chips so I put them all on top of the brownie. It baked well, but was extra chocolaty so it was a bit messy for the roulade. Overall, it was delicious but a bit ugly. Now, for the second time….I stirred in the chocolate chips; my batter was super thin this time (even though I whipped it well)….and it really tore apart for the roulade. (I did roll it after the 3 minute wait and wanted to roll it again but it stuck to the parchment paper.) I didn’t give up, though. I just made a trifle instead. 🙂 I am going to try this one more time! Perhaps, the third time will be the charm! (Any idea what I did wrong?)
Ah! Poor Sarah <3
First ting to strike me is the parchment paper. I suspect this is not a silicon coated paper, if it were then the mix cannot stick to it. A grease proof paper is a different thing. For this the pan will need to be oiled, the paper will stick to that, and then I would butter the top side too, to be sure!
I think you are deflating the egg mousse. This needs to be a swift mixing, nice light hand, using a large metal spoon if possible. Work around the sides of the bowl to the middle, often described as figure of 8. This is a good way to incorporate the dry ingredients into this type of sponge mix. Do not over work it, that will make all the difference.
No consolation I know, but experience is the best teacher, you have learned a lot,
Gemma 🙂
Can we use any other chocolate apart from the one you mentioned??
Hi, yes you can but Ghirardelli really is my favorite in terms of flavor and quality.