Italian meringue (where the egg whites are ‘cooked’ by whisking with a hot sugar syrup) creates the perfect snow-covered bark effect in this twist-on-a-classic yule log. Underneath the soft peaks you’ll find a subtly spiced sponge filled with boozy chestnut purée and white chocolate cream
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
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Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
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Ingredients
6 medium eggs
150g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp to dust
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
For the filling
100g white chocolate, chopped
200g chestnut purée
4 tbsp cream liqueur (we used Disaronno Velvet Liqueur)
1 tbsp icing sugar
200ml double cream
For the toasted meringue
200g caster sugar
4 medium egg whites
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Assemble to the end of step 4 up to 6 hours ahead. Cover with meringue and blowtorch up to 2 hours before serving. Best eaten on the same day.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6 and grease and line a large Swiss roll tin (about 26cm x 38cm) with baking paper. Put the eggs and 150g golden caster sugar in a free-standing mixer or large bowl and whisk for 6-8 minutes, or until tripled in size. The mixture should leave a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk out. Sift the flour and mixed spice together and slowly fold this through the mixture, taking care not to knock too much air out. Pour into the prepared tray, smoothing to ensure it reaches all the corners and is level. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sponge feels springy to the touch.
Lay another sheet of baking paper on your work surface and sprinkle with the extra tablespoon of caster sugar. When the sponge is cooked, turn it out on the sugar-dusted paper. Carefully peel the lining paper off the base of the sponge, then gently roll up the sponge with the baking paper inside and leave to cool completely.
To make the filling, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, then remove and leave to cool. Loosen the chestnut purée with 2 tablespoons of the liqueur and add the icing sugar. Whip the double cream to soft peaks. Fold a couple of tablespoons of the whipped cream through the white chocolate to loosen it and then fold the remaining white chocolate through the cream.
Unroll the sponge and spread the surface with the chestnut purée, then drizzle over the remaining liqueur. Top with the white chocolate cream and spread out, leaving a slight border all around as the cream will squidge to the edges as it is rolled up. Carefully roll up the filled sponge and place on a serving plate, with the seam on the underside. Chill while you make the meringue.
For the meringue, put the sugar in a pan with 75ml of water and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar reaches 117°C, at which point start whisking the egg whites in a large bowl or stand mixer. When the syrup reaches 120°C, remove from the heat and slowly pour it into the whisking egg whites, avoiding the whisk. Continue to beat for around 5-6 minutes as it cools, until you have a stiff, smooth, glossy meringue.
Cover the log all over with the meringue, peaking it to look like bark using a palette knife, or for a more finely grained appearance use a closed-tip star nozzle and piping bag. Using a cook’s blowtorch, toast the peaks of the meringue all over to give a snow-covered log effect.
Santa's elves may be able to work all day and night to get Christmas ready, but that doesn't mean you need to do the same. The beauty of festive layer cakes, chocolate-coated yule logs, and yes, even the traditional fruit cake, is that they can all be made ahead and decorated or wrapped up whenever you're ready.
The chocolate can be melted in the microwave in paragraph 4 of the instructions. Break into squares and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat on medium for 1 minute, then stir gently and heat for a further 30-60 seconds until melted. The yule log will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge, loosely covered with foil.
Spread some of the icing thinly over the sponge, going right out to the edges. Start rolling from the long side facing you, taking care to get a tight roll from the beginning, and roll up to the other side. Pressing against the parchment, rather than the tender cake, makes this easier.
Butter and line a 23 x 32cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Beat the eggs and golden caster sugar together with an electric whisk for about 8 mins until thick and creamy. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together, then sift onto the egg mixture. Fold in very carefully, then pour into the tin.
You could easily pass this off as your own. It was traditional, creamy with a rich milk chocolate flavour. Aldi has perfected the ratio of cream, sponge and ganache - and it's great value too at just £1.03 per 100g.
While both desserts feature a thin layer of cake and fluffy filling rolled into a log, the difference between a yule log and a Swiss roll is how the two are decorated. Swiss rolls are typically kept plain while yule logs are cut, frosted, and adorned to look like, well, logs!
Celts believed that as the sun seemingly stood still during the twelve days at the end of December, keeping the Yule log aflame would persuade the sun to move again, lengthening the days and heralding the return of spring.
Luckily there's a hack for that. The colder and more brittle the cake gets, the greater the chances of it breaking when you roll it up. The key, therefore, is to roll the cake into a roulade shape while it's still hot.
If you choose to burn candles in your log, consider using beeswax candles. Beeswax candles have a natural honey scent and are free from harmful chemicals. You can also choose candles in colors that represent the elements, such as green for earth, red for fire, blue for water, and yellow for air.
Among the different options available, try the log with Muscat-Beaume-de-Venise, white Banyuls, Sauternes, Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume or sweet wine from Alsace, such as Vendange Tardive or Sélection de Grais Nobles. These sweet wines match the richness of the composition of the traditional Yule log!
Just be careful with it - don't over mix the chocolate if its melting over a double boiler, but if you're doing it in the microwave and then adding the water after, beat like crazy so that its smooth! This cake will last for 3 days in an airtight container, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months!
noun. 1. a large log of wood traditionally used as the foundation of a fire in the hearth at Christmas. 2. a chocolate-coated cylindrical sponge cake, eaten at Christmas.
The Yule log cake is a rolled Genoise sponge cake, filled with buttercream and decorated with chocolate frosting or ganache, which is combed with a fork to create a bark-like texture.
Take care not to knock out the air from your sponge mixture as you fold in the flour – once the sponge is baked, the tiny pockets of air keep the sponge pliable enough to roll without cracking, while retaining a light and fluffy texture.
Cover the frosted Yule log loosely in storage wrap and store it in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months (thaw in the fridge overnight).
Answers. We would recommend keeping this in the fridge and taking it out 30 minutes before serving, just to make sure the yule log stays as fresh as possible!
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