What's an evening like with a bunch of food bloggers in the national capital's art centre in a kitchen that serves hundreds of people many nights of the week with a chef who loves to talk about his life and work? Memorable.

Between the camera clicks and lip smacking, it was a night full of animated talk of all things food. I often ask people about their most memorable meal, and this was one of them for me. It wasn't just the food, but the people I was sharing it with along with the ambiance of being in a working kitchen.

Rolled up. Protected. Sweet inside. Will it crack and break apart? The word Roulade (roo-LAHD) originates from the French word "rouler" meaning "to roll”.

On the savoury side, roulade can be a thin slice of meat rolled around a filling of bread crumbs, mushrooms, and cheese, or a mixture of vegetables and cheese or even sushi.

On the sweet side, roulade refers to a soufflé type mixture that is spread on a jelly roll pan, baked until firm but still moist, and then spread with a sweet filling, rolled up while warm in jelly roll fashion, and served in circular slices. This type of cake is sometimes called a jelly roll or a “Swiss” roll although it is thought to have originated in Central Europe and not Switzerland.

I've made this Chocolate Layer Cake for each of my girls' birthdays (who are now 12, 11, and 8), which over time has added up to more than 30 birthdays. And every time, this cake has been a hit.

Although it's meant to be a traditional three-layer cake, I've rarely made it that way. It's been Po, a number one, a clown, an elephant, a gingerbread man, humpty dumpty, a Barbie, a fairy toadstool, a carousel, a castle, a dinosaur, a butterfly, a guitar, an apron, Blue from Blue's Clues, Dora and even Barney (to name just a few)!