German Chocolate Roulage (Roll-Up)

I love to look thru cookbooks, I found this recipe in an old Southern Living cookbook. A roulage in French means rolling and this roll up looked like something my family would love, chocolate, coconut and more chocolate. It didn't disappoint, it was delicious! Next time I will have French Vanilla Ice Cream on hand to top it off. I have to admit this isn't a quick and easy recipe but it is worth the effort  for the Holidays.

Ingredients:
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 to 2 tablespoons cocoa
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, toasted (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons half and half
2/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 (4-ounce) sweet chocolate bars, finely chopped
Garnish: toasted flaked coconut

 First  toast the coconut and pecans. Spread coconut and pecans  on two separate cookie sheets and bake in  a 350 degree oven. Stir every 2-3 minutes for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown.  The pecans may toast sooner than the coconut. Watch carefully!

Grease bottom sides of a jellyroll pan: line bottom with wax paper. Grease and flour wax paper.
 Set aside.

Beat egg yolks at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until thick and pale.

Gradually add 1/4 cup cocoa, beating well. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
Beat egg whites at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold about 1/4 of beaten egg white into yolk mixture; gradually fold in remaining egg white. Sift cake flour over batter, and gently fold until combined.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Don't over bake, it will make the cake dry. Sift 1 to 2 tablespoons cocoa on to a 15"x10" rectangle on a cloth towel.  When cake is done, immediately loosen from sides of pan, and turn out onto towel.

Peel off wax paper. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; cool  seam side down.

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a medium size heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly, 20 minutes or until milk turns a light caramel color. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut,  pecans, 2 teaspoons vanilla and half and half.

Unroll cake, and remove towel. Spread cake with coconut filling. Carefully reroll cake. Place cake, seam side down, on a plate, place wax paper under edges of cake.

Stir together whipping cream and corn syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat, and add chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread chocolate mixture over cake, don't forget the ends, letting excess drip onto wax paper. I did this slowly to keep most of the frosting on the cake and not on the wax paper. Garnish with reserve of toasted coconut.

I will be posting this to Gold Star Wednesday