Tahini and chocolate arctic roll

A chocolate sponge rolled around tahini-swirled chocolate ice cream, coated in sugar and sliced to reveal a beautiful marbled centre. Each piece delivers a crisp sponge exterior giving way to creamy, frozen richness with a subtle nutty depth from the tahini cutting through the sweetness.

This tahini and chocolate arctic roll receives a Nutri-Score of E due to the very high sugar and saturated fat content from the double cream, condensed milk, chocolate, and sugar combined with minimal fibre. Per serving (approximate): 1200 kcal, 65g fat (of which 40g saturates), 115g carbohydrates, 92g sugars, 1g fibre, and 8g protein.

Method

Make the Tahini Chocolate Ice Cream (15 mins + overnight freezing — start the day before)

1. Whip the cream — Pour the double cream into a large bowl and whip it until it just holds soft peaks. Keep an eye on it because you want it thick enough to fold through the chocolate but not grainy or overworked.
2. Melt the dark chocolate — Put the broken dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and melt them gently, either in the microwave in short 20-second bursts or set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir it smooth, then mix in the condensed milk until you have a glossy, rich chocolate mixture.
3. Combine the mixtures — Fold the melted chocolate and condensed milk into the whipped cream in two or three additions, moving gently so you keep as much air in there as possible. The lighter the mix at this stage, the smoother the ice cream will be.
4. Swirl in the tahini — Drizzle the tahini paste over the top of the chocolate cream and ripple it through with a knife or spoon. You want lovely marbled streaks running through, not a fully blended mixture — those visual ribbons are what make the tahini and chocolate arctic roll so stunning when sliced.
5. Freeze until firm — Transfer the marbled ice cream into your empty cardboard cylindrical ice cream tub, pressing it in firmly to fill any gaps. Pop it into the freezer for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight, until completely solid. Freeze any leftover mixture separately for a quick treat later.

Bake the Chocolate Sponge (20 mins — can be done while the ice cream freezes)

6. Preheat and line — Get your oven up to 195C/175C Fan/Gas 5½ and line a baking tray with baking paper, making sure it comes slightly up the sides so the sponge mixture cannot escape.
7. Make the meringue — Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they reach stiff peaks, then gradually add 70g/2½oz of the caster sugar while you keep whisking. Keep going until the meringue looks thick and glossy — this is what gives the sponge its light, flexible texture so it rolls without cracking.
8. Whisk the yolks — In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 70g/2½oz caster sugar until the mixture turns pale, thick, and creamy. You want it to fall from the whisk in a slow ribbon.
9. Combine the egg mixtures — Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture gently in two additions. Use a large metal spoon and cut through the middle, scooping underneath and over, so you do not knock out the air you just worked so hard to put in.
10. Add the dry ingredients — Sift the cocoa powder and self-raising flour over the top and fold through very gently until just combined. A few small streaks of flour are fine — overmixing at this point will make the sponge tough and it will crack when you try to roll the arctic roll later.
11. Fold in the butter — Pour the slightly cooled melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold it through carefully until evenly distributed. The butter adds richness and helps keep the chocolate sponge flexible.
12. Spread and bake — Pour the sponge mixture onto your prepared baking tray and spread it evenly right into the corners. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the top feels springy to the touch and the sponge has shrunk slightly away from the edges of the paper.
13. Turn out and cool — Lay a clean tea towel flat on your work surface, top it with a fresh sheet of baking paper, then carefully invert the warm sponge onto it. Peel away the baking paper that was stuck to the bottom of the sponge, then flip it back over so the nice top surface is facing upwards. Leave it to cool completely — a warm sponge will melt the ice cream filling the moment it touches it.

Make the Caramel Ganache (10 mins — can be done while the sponge cools)

14. Melt the chocolate — Place the finely chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it aside while you heat the cream and sugar.
15. Heat the cream and sugar — Tip the double cream and dark muscovado sugar into a small saucepan and warm gently, stirring now and then, until the sugar has dissolved and the cream is just coming up to a simmer. Do not let it boil vigorously or the cream will split.
16. Create the ganache — Pour the hot cream and sugar mixture straight over the milk chocolate and let it sit for a minute to soften the chocolate. Then whisk gently from the centre outwards until you have a smooth, glossy caramel ganache. Set it aside to cool and thicken slightly — you want it spreadable but not runny.

Assemble the Arctic Roll (15 mins + 1 hour freezing)

17. Trim the sponge — Use your empty ice cream tub as a guide to mark the width of the sponge, then trim it with a knife leaving about 2.5cm/1in of extra width on each side. This extra gives you room to wrap the sponge tightly around the ice cream and trim it neatly afterwards.
18. Spread the ganache — Spread the cooled caramel ganache evenly over the surface of the chocolate sponge in a thin, even layer. Leave it to set for a few minutes so it is not sliding around when you roll.
19. Unmould the ice cream — Tear the cardboard tub away from the frozen ice cream cylinder and peel it off completely. Work quickly here because the ice cream will start to soften at room temperature.
20. Roll the arctic roll — Place the ice cream cylinder along one edge of the sponge, then use the baking paper underneath to help you lift and roll the sponge tightly around the ice cream. Keep going until the ice cream is fully enclosed in a neat log.
21. Coat in sugar — Sprinkle the remaining 50g/1¾oz caster sugar over your work surface and roll the arctic roll in it, turning it gently until the outside is evenly coated in a sweet, slightly sparkly layer.
22. Freeze again — Return the rolled arctic roll to the freezer for 1 hour to firm back up after all that handling.
23. Trim and slice — Trim away any excess sponge from the ends so both sides are neat, then use a hot knife — dip it in a jug of boiling water and wipe dry between each cut — to slice the arctic roll into thick rounds. Let the slices stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving so the ice cream softens just enough to be creamy but still holds its beautiful marbled shape.

Additional Notes

You will need an empty cardboard cylindrical ice cream tub to shape the ice cream filling. If you do not have one, a tall cylindrical container lined with cling film works just as well — simply peel the cling film away to unmould the frozen cylinder. The tahini and chocolate arctic roll can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, wrapped tightly in cling film, making it a brilliant make-ahead dessert for entertaining.