chocolate yule log

Festive Christmas Yule Log

Equipment needed

Stand mixer

Pastry brush

half-sheet pan (18 by 13 inches)

Parchment paper

tea-towel (slightly bigger than the pan)

Spatula, offset spatula

fine-mesh sieve

Fork/tooth pick

For the sponge

eggs

sugar

g cocoa powder

g all purpose flour

salt

vanilla

coffee /1 tsp expresso powder

butter

For the ganache

semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

whipping cream

sea salt

For the filling

g Cream cheese

Sugar syrup

water

liquor

To decorate

cranberries

cocoa powder

fresh rosemary/pine/holly leaves

orange

chocolate shards

Find Mary Berry's yule log recipe for a classic chocolate log, the ultimate festive dessert thanks to the layers of cream, apricot jam and dark chocolate. 

Mary Berry's Christmas chocolate log recipe

g caster sugar

65 g self-raising flour

450 mL double cream

apricot jam

icing sugar

chocolate,

Preheat the oven to 200ºC / gas mark 6. Lightly grease a 33 × 23 centimetre Swiss roll tin, and line with non-stick paper or baking parchment, pushing it into the corners.

For the sponge, whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric hand whisk in a large bowl until the mixture is pale in colour, light and frothy. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and carefully cut and fold together, using a metal spoon, until all the cocoa and flour are incorporated into the egg mixture. (Be careful not to beat any of the air out of the mixture.)

Pour into the lined tin and spread evenly out into the corners. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for eight to 10 minutes until pale golden and the sides are shrinking away from the edge of the tin.

Place a piece of baking parchment bigger than the Swiss roll on the work surface. Invert the cake on to the paper and remove the bottom lining piece of paper.

Trim the edges of the cake with a sharp knife and make a score mark 2.5 centimetre in along the longer edge. Roll up (from the longer edge) using the paper, rolling with the paper inside. Set aside to cool.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing.&nbsp;

For the sponge: 

Melt the chocolate and 300ml of the cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until completely melted (be careful not to overheat; the bowl must not touch the water). Put into the fridge to cool and firm up (this icing needs to be very thick for piping). Whip the remaining cream.

Uncurl the cold Swiss roll and remove the paper. Spread a third of the icing over the surface, then spread the whipped cream on top, and re-roll tightly. Cut a quarter of the cake off from one end on the diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end to the side of the large cake to make a branch. Cover the surface of the cake with the melted apricot jam.

Put the remaining chocolate icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe long thick lines along the cake, covering the cake completely so it looks like the bark of a tree. Cover each end with icing or, if you wish to see the cream, leave uniced.

For the icing:

Tender and moist vegan yule log filled with a delicious chocolate praline filling! With notes of caramelized nuts and vanilla, this plant-based dessert is perfect for Christmas!

Vegan Chocolate Praline Yule Log

tbsp sugar

aquafaba (liquid from a can of cooked chickpeas)

all-purpose flour

cornstarch

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

almond milk

applesauce

tbsp oil

tsp vanilla extract

dark chocolate chunks (finely chopped)

praline paste

chocolate

almond milk (or other plant-based milk)

Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes or until it has slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and let cool, the syrup will thicken a bit as it cools down. Set aside.

Syrup

Place the chopped dark chocolate in a medium mixing bowl.

Heat the almond milk over medium heat and bring it to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from heat and pour it over the chopped dark chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate.

Once the chocolate has fully melted, add the praline paste and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until it has thickened. It should have the consistency of a thick ganache (a bit thicker than Nutella). Remove from the refrigerator once it has thickened, as you don&#39;t want it to harden too much.

Chocolate Praline Filling

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly grease the parchment paper.

Add the aquafaba to a stand-mixer and whip until it reaches stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour in the almond milk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla, and stir using a wooden spoon until you get a smooth dough. The batter will be very thick, that is normal.

Add 1/4 of the whipped aquafaba to the batter and stir using a spatula. Once combined, fold in another 1/4 of the aquafaba into the batter. Fold in the remaining aquafaba and stop as soon as it is fully combined and no white aquafaba part remains.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and carefully spread it into a rectangle of about 13x9-inch (33x23cm). Try to make the thickness as even as possible.

Bake the cake for about 9 minutes. You do not want to over-bake it otherwise it will break while rolling and will not be moist. Remove from the oven and transfer the cake (still on the parchment paper, do not flip it) on a clean wet kitchen towel. Dust with powdered sugar and cover with another slightly wet towel. This must be done while the cake is still warm, it will allow the cake to stay moist and rollable. Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes.

Cut off the edges of the cake to get a nice rectangle. Brush the cake with the syrup using a pastry brush. Wait for 1 minute to let the cake absorb it.

Filling: Spread the praline chocolate filling all over the cake. Carefully roll the filled cake, using the bottom sheet of parchment paper to help rolling it up. Keep it wrapped in the parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, in the meantime prepare the chocolate frosting.

Once the chocolate frosting is ready, cut about 2.5 inches of the cake roll from one end and place it on the side to create a branch. At this point, you can brush the cake with more syrup, this is optional.

Frosting: Using a knife or spatula, cover the whole roll with a thin layer of chocolate frosting. Use a knife or fork to create a bark texture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Top with shaved chocolate or sprinkles before serving!

Cake Roll

Add the chopped dark chocolate to a mixing bowl. Bring the almond milk to a boil and immediately pour it over the dark chocolate. Whisk until the dark chocolate has fully melted. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, or until it has thickened.

Chocolate Frosting

I have loved Bûche de Noël since my childhood. This one was amazing, all of the family loved it, including the kids. Thanks!

This is the recipe I need for Christmas. The yule log looks yummy. Many thanks!!!

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Festive Christmas Yule Log

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Top 3 chocolate yule log recipes from across the web

The most viewed chocolate yule log recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Festive Christmas Yule Log

Mary Berry's Christmas chocolate lo...

Vegan Chocolate Praline Yule Log

The most viewed chocolate yule log recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine