Continuing with the seasonal Cakes & Bakes recipes, this week I made a Christmas Yule log. It’s the perfect sweet course alternative for people that don’t like dried fruit-filled Christmas pudding, Christmas cake or mince pies.
This cake is basically a chocolate Swiss roll with chocolate filling and chocolate icing on the outside. Apparently, a Yule log can trace its history back to the time of the Druids. It was later taken up by Christians: “As the fire grew brighter and burned hotter, and as the log turned into ashes, it symbolized Christ’s final and ultimate triumph over sin.”
I still don’t have a proper Swiss roll tin, so I used a rectangular, loose-bottomed tart tin. So that the sponge didn’t turn out too thin and biscuity, I didn’t allow the batter to spread all the way into the corners.
The trickiest part of the process was rolling up the still warm sponge with a clean, damp tea towel. It helps stop the sponge from cracking when rolling it up after filling. Don’t worry if it does though – it will be getting covered up with buttercream… which can hide a multitude of mistakes!
Serve it sliced with whipped or brandy cream. Save the recipe to Pinterest here.
- 3 eggs
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 50g plain flour
- 50g butter, softened
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- 75g butter, softened
- 75g icing sugar
- 75g dark chocolate
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C (fan), 400°F, Gas mark 6
- Line a 23x32cm/9x13" Swiss roll tin with parchment
- Separate the eggs into two bowls and beat the whites until stiff
- Add the sugar to the yolks and beat until thickened
- Sieve the cocoa powder over the yolks and beat again
- Gently fold the egg whites into the yolks with a metal spoon, using a cutting and turning action
- Sieve the flour into the bowl and gently combine by cutting and folding with the spoon
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it out to the edges
- Bake for 10-12 minutes
- Slightly dampen a clean tea towel
- Slide the hot cake, still on its parchment, onto the tea towel
- Roll up the sponge, on the parchment, in the tea towel and leave to cool
- Put the filling butter into a bowl and beat it until it is light and fluffy
- Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder into the bowl and beat until combined and soft
- Gently unroll the cold sponge and loosen it from the parchment paper
- Spread the filling evenly over the inside of the sponge
- Roll up the filled sponge
- Put the topping butter into a bowl and beat it until it is light and fluffy
- Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl and beat until combined
- Gently melt the chocolate and mix this into the bowl
- Spread the topping over the rolled up sponge
- Drag a fork or skewer through the icing to create a log texture effect