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Yule Log | Bûche de Noël

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Yule log is one of the prettiest holiday desserts for sure! It is so beautiful to look at, an amalgamation of various elements that have come together to form this decadent combination. Many people think this is too difficult to make due to its resultant beauty, which is no less than a showstopper. However, it is quite the contrary because even though the yule log requires a number of different elements, it is still super easy to make and even assemble.

This is what you need:

  • One chocolate Swiss Roll
  • Some chocolate cream filling or chocolate buttercream
  • Dark chocolate ganache
  • Powdered sugar and some sugar decorations

The Swiss Roll

What you need:

  • 5 eggs (separated)
  • 170 gm of castor sugar
  • 50 ml of vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
  • 50 ml of milk
  • 50 gm of flour
  • ¼ tsp of salt
  • 20 gm of cornflour
  • 2 tsp of vanilla
  • ¼ tsp of cream of tartar (optional)
How to make it:
  • The first step is to prepare the swiss roll. Even though I have explained the steps here, I have also written a very detailed article on Swiss Rolls (click to read)
  • Preheat the oven to 170º C.
  • Grease a 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cms) baking tray and line it with baking paper.
  • Beat the egg yolks and 50 gms of sugar till the mixture becomes light and creamy.
  • Sift half of the flour and cocoa powder in this yolk-sugar mixture and fold it gently.
  • Mix the oil and milk. Add half of this mixture and mix gently.
  • Now add the rest of the flour and oil-milk mixture to get a smooth batter.
  • Cover and keep this aside and now on to the meringue. For the meringue, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar for two minutes so till the eggs get foamy.
  • Start adding the sugar a little at a time and beat well after each addition till the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • And then keep beating. In a few minutes, you will have stiff peaks and that’s your glossy, shiny, stiff meringue ready!
  • Begin by adding a third of the meringue to the yolk mixture and mixing it all through to get a homogeneous mix.
  • Now it will be easier to mix the rest of the meringue (in two additions) very gently without deflating it.
  • Pour this batter in your prepared baking tray and bake it at 170º C for 12 minutes or till the top is light golden.
  • As soon as the cake is out, Dust sifted icing sugar evenly all over a sheet of baking paper or clean towel. Now invert the tray over this. Place it on a countertop.
  • After inverting the baking tray on the sugar-sprinkled paper, gently remove the sheet you used to line the baking tray and dust icing sugar all over this surface of the cake as well.
  • Now, roll up the cake. Refrigerate it for at least half an hour.
  • Cover the rolled cake in cling film so that it is all closed up from all sides. If you let it get exposed to air, the cake will dry out and lose the whole magic.

The filling:

What you need:

  • 1 cup of whipping cream
  • ½ cup of cocoa powder

How to make it:

  • While the swiss roll rests in the fridge, you can prepare the filling. I have used my 2 ingredient chocolate cream frosting. You can use any filling you want.
  • To make the 2 ingredient chocolate cream frosting, you just need to take the whipping cream and cocoa powder and whip them together. I have written a full article explaining the various steps on my website. You can click here to read it.

The ganache:

What you need:

  • 500 gm of chopped chocolate (semisweet or dark)
  • 250 ml of cream (heavy, whipping, or double)
  • 3 tbsp of butter (optional)
  • 1 to 2 tsp of vanilla extract or another flavor (optional)
  • Pinch of salt (optional)

How to make it:

  • Another element that is needed to complete the yule log is the chocolate ganache. For which, the common method is to place finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl and pour on it the boiling cream.
  • Let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes after which you need to stir the two together until they combine well into a smooth, glossy mixture.
  • However, there are different variations to this method and also certain precautions and tricks, which I have explained in my Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe (click to read).

Assembling:

  • Once all of the three elements are prepared, it is time to take out the sponge roll from the fridge.
  • Unroll it and spread the chocolate cream filling all over this roll generously.
  • Roll it up gently and then slice off the sides from both ends of the swiss roll.
  • Now cut this roll at a 45º angle at about ¾th of its length.
  • Place the small piece next to the longer one in such a way that it looks like a log with a Y shape (as shown in the pictures below).
  • Frost this whole log with the ganache and then use a fork or a skewer or a toothpick to make indentations to resemble a tree bark.
  • Finally, you can drizzle powdered sugar all over this log to make it look like fresh snow.
  • I also used a few greens from my garden and a few red sugar sprinkles for berries.

So go ahead and make your own yule log!

So what are you waiting for? Grab your prettiest apron and a whisk, put on your favorite song and start creating the magic! Do share your experience of this post and recipe and your views and opinions! I would love to hear them!

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Shop on Amazon: Here are some products that can help you in the kitchen while making this recipe
  1. Castor sugar: https://amzn.to/2Tvx05n
  2. Cocoa powder: https://amzn.to/3kgWYFw
  3. Cornflour: https://amzn.to/383Aepp
  4. Cream of tartar: https://amzn.to/3oxMUue
  5. Whipping cream: https://amzn.to/2HHa9Bc
  6. Dark chocolate: https://amzn.to/2KdplY1
  7. Cream: https://amzn.to/3481mRE
  8. Butter: https://amzn.to/36uGe82

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Yule Log

Recipe by Anjali Giri

Ingredients

  • For the swiss roll
  • 5 eggs (separated)

  • 170 gm of castor sugar

  • 50 ml of vegetable oil

  • 2 tbsp of cocoa powder

  • 50 ml of milk

  • 50 gm of flour

  • ¼ tsp of salt

  • 20 gm of cornflour

  • 2 tsp of vanilla

  • ¼ tsp of cream of tartar (optional)

  • For the filling
  • 1 cup of whipping cream

  • ½ cup of cocoa powder

  • For the ganache
  • 500 gm of chopped chocolate (semisweet or dark)

  • 250 ml of cream (heavy, whipping, or double)

  • 3 tbsp of butter (optional)

  • 1 to 2 tsp of vanilla extract or another flavor (optional)

  • Pinch of salt (optional)

Directions

  • The Swiss Roll:
  • The first step is to prepare the swiss roll. Even though I have explained the steps here, I have also written a very detailed article on Swiss Rolls (find it on www.anjalisbakeaffair.com)
  • Preheat the oven to 170º C.
  • Grease a 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cms) baking tray and line it with baking paper.
  • Beat the egg yolks and 50 gms of sugar till the mixture becomes light and creamy.
  • Sift half of the flour in this yolk-sugar mixture and fold it gently.
  • Mix the oil and milk. Add half of this mixture and mix gently.
  • Now add the rest of the flour and oil-milk mixture to get a smooth batter.
  • Cover and keep this aside and now on to the meringue. For the meringue, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar for two minutes so till the eggs get foamy.
  • Start adding the sugar a little at a time and beat well after each addition till the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • And then keep beating. In a few minutes, you will have stiff peaks and that’s your glossy, shiny, stiff meringue ready!
  • Begin by adding a third of the meringue to the yolk mixture and mixing it all through to get a homogeneous mix.
  • Now it will be easier to mix the rest of the meringue (in two additions) very gently without deflating it.
  • Pour this batter in your prepared baking tray and bake it at 170º C for 12 minutes or till the top is light golden.
  • As soon as the cake is out, Dust sifted icing sugar evenly all over a sheet of baking paper or clean towel. Now invert the tray over this. Place it on a countertop. I kept it on my wire rack here.
  • After inverting the baking tray on the sugar-sprinkled paper, gently remove the sheet you used to line the baking tray and dust icing sugar all over this surface of the cake as well.
  • Now, roll up the cake. Refrigerate it for at least half an hour.
  • Cover the rolled cake in cling film so that it is all closed up from all sides. If you let it get exposed to air, the cake will dry out and lose the whole magic.
  • The Filling:
  • In the meanwhile, you can prepare the filling. You can use any filling you want.
  • I have used my 2 ingredient chocolate cream frosting. To make it, you just need to take the whipping cream and cocoa powder and whip them together. For the full article, go to www.anjalisbakeaffair.com
  • The Ganache
  • Another element that is needed to complete the yule log is the chocolate ganache. For which, the common method is to place finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl and pour on it the boiling cream.
  • Let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes after which you need to stir the two together until they combine well into a smooth, glossy mixture.
  • However, there are different variations to this method and also certain precautions and tricks, which I have explained in my Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe (available on www.anjalisbakeaffair.com).
  • Assembling & Decoration
  • Once all of the three elements are prepared, it is time to take out the sponge roll from the fridge.
  • Unroll it and spread the chocolate cream filling all over this roll generously.
  • Roll it up gently and then slice off the sides from both ends of the swiss roll.
  • Now cut this roll at a 45º angle at about ¾th of its length.
  • Place the small piece next to the longer one in such a way that it looks like a log with a Y shape.
  • Frost this whole log with the ganache and then use a fork or a skewer or a toothpick to make indentations to resemble a tree bark.
  • Finally, you can drizzle powdered sugar all over this log to make it look like fresh snow.I also used a few greens from my garden and a few red sugar sprinkles for berries.
  • So go ahead and make your own yule log!

Recipe Video

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