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I think that it might be a good sign that I am beginning to cook and bake old favorites.  I no longer always need the "wow factor" of new recipes, because I am starting to have things that I know that I love to eat and make - for example, the herbed focaccia, Irish soda bread, and bagels.  Okay so apparently my favorite things are all bread.  Anyway, today I made some oldies but goodies.

First, I finally got around to making Mom's beloved old mocha roll.  She has been asking for it since I started my resolution, and since I am not a huge chocolate lover, I put it off for a while, but it was time today.  She used to have Dad make it for her (this is an old recipe... it is from some magazin called McCall's in 1996!).  It was not that hard of a cake; it is very light and fluffy because you beat the egg whites before putting them in the batter.  I still have to work on my rolling techniques, because it was a little bit lopsided, but everyone who has eaten it has been quite happy with the result - especially Mom!

For dinner, I made my spinach and ricotta stuffed shells. They were just as delicious and easy as they were last time.  I do think that I probably should have made bread to sop up the extra sauce and cheese like I did last time, but I was ready for a break!

Recipes:
spinach and ricotta stuffed shells

Mocha Roll (what mom calls it... apparently its real name is a cocoa-coffee roulade)
adapted  from McCall's, January 1996

For cake:

cooking spray and butter for greasing pans
1 tablespoon + 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For filling:

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup  sour cream
1/3 cup confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon dark rum
1  1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 ounce semiweet chocolate, grated (I used probably half this amount and it was fine... I would say it's optional.  It's just for sprinkling on the filling)


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  With cooking spray, coat jelly-roll pan.  Line with waxed paper, and butter the paper.  Dust with the 1 tablespoon of flour. 

2.  In small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup remaining flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

3.  In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites 30 seconds or until foamy with mixer and medium-high speed.  Gradually beat in 1/2 cup granulated sugar.  At high speed, beat whites until stiff, but not dry. peaks form.

4.  In large bowl, beat yolks and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 minutes until thickened.  Add vanilla.  Beat in half the flour mixture.  Fold in half the egg whites.

5.  Fold in the remaining flour and whites.  Spread into pan and bake 12 minutes, until top springs back when pressed.

Cake with way too much sugar under it!

6.  Dust a clean towel with 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (I would not use this much again... I bet half this amount would be fine).  Invert cake onto towel.  Peel off paper.  Cool for 2 minutes.  Then, starting from a short end, roll up cake in towel.  Place seem-side down  on a cooling rack and cool completely.

All rolled up!

7.  Meanwhile, make filling.  Beat heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, run, and coffee granules until stiff.

8.  Unroll cake.  Spread evenly with filling, leaving 1 inch of plain cake at one short end.  Sprinkle with grated chocolate.  Starting with the filling-covered short end, roll up cake.  Place seam-side down on platter, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.   (The recipe here calls for dusting with more confectionary sugar, but since the towel was dusted with so much, my cake was already white!)