A true Christmas tradition; you can’t really celebrate the festive season without a chocolate yule log! The best part is – they are a lot easier to make than you think, and are a great alternative to a Christmas pudding. Covered in a fudgy chocolate frosting, and rolled to perfection; why not give this a go and serve it to your friends and family?
MAKES 1 // TIME: 1 HOUR // EASY
Dark Chocolate Christmas Log Ingredients:
For the sponge:
- 3 Eggs
- 100g Caster Sugar
- 75g Plain Flour
- 25g Cocoa Powder
- 15ml Hot Water
For the frosting:
- 425g Icing sugar
- 110g Butter
- 90g Classic Dark Chocolate
- 1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 175ml Milk
Dark Chocolate Christmas Log Method:
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
- Add the eggs and sugar into a mixing bowl, and use an electric whisk to combine. Whisk until the mixture is light, fluffy, and forms stiff peaks (a little like meringue).
- Sift the cocoa powder and flour together, then add half to the egg mixture. Fold in until combined, and the fold in the remaining cocoa powder and flour.
- Stir in the hot water, and when fully combined, pour into a fairly deep, lined baking tray. You can purchase baking trays that as specifically for swiss rolls if you are feeling fancy!
- Bake in the oven for around 8 minutes. As it bakes, cut a large piece of greaseproof paper and have it flat on a clean surface. Then, remove from the sponge oven, and empty it onto the greaseproof paper.
- Whilst still hot, remove the baking paper from the bottom of the sponge, and then roll (with the baking paper underneath). Allow to cool whilst still rolled up.
- In the meantime, you can make your frosting. Add the butter and chocolate into a bowl, and microwave until melted. Stir until a glossy chocolate mixture is formed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sieved icing sugar, milk and vanilla bean paste. Then, add the chocolate mixture and stir until fully combined. This may look quite runny; but all you need to do is pop it into the fridge for around 1-2 hours, until it is the thick consistency that you would want to spread onto your cake.
- Once the frosting and cake are ready, unroll the cake, and spread your frosting in the middle. Roll back up, and then frost the outside of your swiss roll. You can then use a fork to create the bark-like texture on the outside.
- Decorate as you wish, with holly leaves, icing sugar, or Christmas sprinkles; then, allow your guests to admire your masterpiece (before chomping it down of course)!