The yule log (or Bûche de Noël) is such a staple around Christmas time, and there are plenty of variations. It can be quite a technical recipe, but once you get over a want for perfection and lean into it, it's great fun, and the result is definitely tasty and worth the time. The biggest tip ahead of time is to allow yourself plenty of time to bake this - take it slow, and plan the steps accordingly. This way there's no disappointment!
Ingredients
Cake
6 large eggs
65gr plain flour
30gr cocoa powder
150gr caster sugar (separated into 100gr and 50gr)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Filling
240ml double cream
65gr icing sugar
1/2tspn vanilla paste (or 1tspn vanilla essence)
Chocolate ganache
100gr dark chocolate
200gr double cream
Method
1. Making the cake. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees celsius, fan. Separate all the eggs into yolks and whites in large bowls. Set the egg whites aside.
2. Whip the egg yolks until light in colour and around doubled in size. Add the 100gr batch of caster sugar and whip further until the egg yolk mixture is pale. Slowly start adding in the flour and cocoa powder and keep mixing until well incorporated. The mixture will be quite thick.
3. Start whipping the egg whites until soft peaks form. (Make sure to clean the whisk in between, otherwise the egg whites won't form peaks!) Add the last 50gr of caster sugar and whisk until nice and glossy.
4. Start folding in the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in batches. Add a small spoonful at first to loosen up the mixture. Then fold in the remainder of the egg whites in 4 batches.
5. Grease your swiss roll baking tin and line with baking paper. Pour in the mixture and smoothen the top out. Place in the oven for 12-18 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. It's extremely important not to overcook the mixture, otherwise it'll be extremely difficult to roll the cake.
6. Whilst the cake is baking, grab a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle around a tablespoon of two of icing sugar on top.
7. As soon as the cake is done, demould onto the kitchen towel and peel off the baking paper. Do not wait for it to cool! Starting from the shorter side, start rolling the cake in the kitchen towel tightly. Allow to cool completely in the kitchen towel.
8. Making the filling. In a large bowl add the double cream, icing sugar, and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
9. Making the ganache. Warm up the double cream until just about to boil. Chop up the dark chocolate and add into the double cream. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir. Place in the fridge to firm up slightly.
10. Assembly. Once the cake has cooled completely, unroll the cake. DON'T PANIC IF THERE'S CRACKS IN THE CAKE. Spread the filling evenly, and roll back up without the kitchen towel (of course). Set the roll seam side down.
11. Cover the roll completely in the ganache (covering up any cracks). Don't miss out on the sides! Run your fork across the tops and sides, to create some texture. If your ganache has hardened too much in the fridge, microwave a small portion and mix into the rest to loosen it up slightly. Once covered, allow the yule log to set in the fridge.
Thank you for following along for another Christmas on the blog! I'll be taking a small break from the blog until February. In the meantime, please do follow along on @juliawgr on Instagram! Recreating this recipe? Tag me on instagram @juliawgr!
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