Alaskan Yule Log Recipes

MAKE THIS YULE LOG RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter a 12-by-17- inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Butter the parchment.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the egg yolks, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla. Beat on high speed until thick and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the melted butter and coffee until combined.
• Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and beat on low speed until well combined. Fold a spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, gently nudging the batter so it fills the corners. Give the pan a little shimmy to even it out. Bake until the top just starts to spring back when gently pressed, 10 to 12 minutes (the top might still feel a little tacky). Do not overbake or the cake will crack.
• Place a clean dish towel on a large wire rack. Dust with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. While the cake is still hot, loosen the edges from the pan, then turn out the cake onto the towel; carefully remove the parchment. Dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
• Starting at one of the long sides, use the towel to tightly roll up the cake with the towel inside. Position the cake seam-side down and let cool about 1 hour.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until just smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the heavy cream 1/4 cup at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth before adding more cream. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for a few more seconds, just to combine.
• Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border on all sides. Re-roll the cake, using the towel to help you. Cover the cake roll with parchment paper and then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, for the frosting: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a saucepan, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let thicken at room temperature until spreadable, about 2 hours.
• Unwrap the cake on a cutting board. Cut off one-fourth of the cake on a sharp diagonal for the branch. Position the branch against the remaining cake roll on a platter. Cover the cake with the frosting using an offset spatula, then drag a fork through the frosting to create a bark-like texture. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds.

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG

Steps:

• Place egg whites in large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. , Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup sugar. Sift flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt together twice; gradually add to yolk mixture and mix well (batter will be very thick). , With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Spread evenly into prepared pan. , Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with cocoa powder. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in towel, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; cool completely on a wire rack., Meanwhile, for the filling, beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and almond extract, beating until stiff peaks form. Unroll cake; spread filling to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up again. , In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost the cake, using a metal spatula to create a bark-like effect.

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG

Steps:

• Whip powdered sugar, butter, cocoa powder, salt, and coffee liqueur together in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed. Transfer buttercream into a separate bowl and add mascarpone cheese. Mix until combined; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush a little melted butter over a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan. Line pan with parchment paper and brush remaining melted butter on top.
• Combine cocoa powder, salt, and flour together in a bowl; whisk or sift to break up clumps.
• Place eggs in the clean bowl of your stand mixer. Add sugar and whip until fluffy, thick, and very light in color. Add 1/2 of the cocoa powder mixture and vanilla extract; mix on low speed for a few seconds. Beat in remaining cocoa mixture on low for a few seconds. Switch to high speed; stop once mixture is moistened but not fully blended. Pull off the whisk attachment and whisk batter with it until evenly blended.
• Pour batter onto the prepared sheet pan and spread out with a spatula, leaving some room around the edges. Tap pan on the counter to knock out the large bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is dry and edges start to pull away from the sides, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Dust a clean kitchen towel with enough powdered sugar to cover an area slightly larger than the sponge cake. Remove cake from the oven. Run a knife around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top. Run a spatula under the parchment paper to make sure it's not stuck to the pan.
• Quickly flip pan on top of the sugared area to invert the cake. Remove parchment paper and dust cake with more powdered sugar. Gently roll cake up inside the towel; allow to cool for 15 minutes.
• Unroll cake and dollop buttercream on top, reserving some for later. Spread frosting to the edges. Roll cake up over the frosting, using the towel to lift it if needed. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on top. Wrap log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Combine chocolate chips and hot cream in a bowl. Let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate melts.
• Make an angled cut 3 inches from one end of the log. Place log on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Apply some buttercream to the angled slice and attach it to one side. Spread a layer of ganache all over the cake, except for the swirls. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up ganache.
• Carve lines into the ganache using the tip of a knife to create the appearance of tree bark. Refrigerate until completely chilled before serving. Dust with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

CLASSIC YULE LOG

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Line with waxed paper. Grease paper.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat together sugar and egg yolks at high speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, alternately beat milk and flour mixture into egg mixture.
• Using clean beaters, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Fold one third of beaten whites into batter. Fold in remaining whites. Spread batter in prepared pan; smooth top.
• Bake cake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until set, 12 minutes.
• Dust a clean cloth with confectioners' sugar. Turn cake out onto prepared cloth. Remove waxed paper. Trim cake edges. Starting with a long side, roll up cake, jelly-roll style. Transfer, seam-side down, to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
• Unroll cake; remove cloth. Spread whipped cream over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Re-roll cake. Place, seam-side down, on serving plate.
• To prepare frosting, in a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, melted chocolate, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring vigorously until blended. Remove from heat. Let stand until set. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.
• To prepare garnish, dust work surface with confectioners' sugar. Knead food coloring into marzipan until blended. Using a rolling pin dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll marzipan to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a small knife, cut out leaves. Arrange leaves, cinnamon candies, and snowmen on top of cake and around plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Enjoy!

YULE LOG

Steps:

• Butter a jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and sprinkle with flour, tapping to remove excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the machine up to high, and beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, continue to beat until shiny but not stiff. Add the flour to the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add l/4 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, whisking to lighten the mixture. Then return the yolk mixture to the egg whites, and fold gently. Scrape into the prepared pan and even the top by running a long offset spatula across the surface. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, l2 to l5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Set aside.
• Place cooled hazelnuts on a kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for l minute. Add the hazelnut oil through the feeder tube and process until a paste forms.
• Melt chocolate in a medium bowl placed over simmering water, or melt in a microwave oven. Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut paste and set aside.
• Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the hazelnut/chocolate mixture. Keep covered in the refrigerator until needed.
• To assemble the cake roll:
• Trim the edges of the sponge cake. Place the Hazelnut mousse on the cake layer. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a l inch space along the long side. Using the parchment paper to aid you, carefully roll up the cake into a thick log, enclosing the mousse. Leave the wrapped, rolled-up cake on the sheet pan and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours.
• Melt the chocolate. In a small pot, heat the coffee and cocoa. Add the sour cream. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and combine completely. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until of spreading consistency.;
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line l or 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a #4 or #5 plain tip and set aside.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Turn speed to high, slowly pour in half the sugar, add vanilla and continue to beat for l minute. Slowly pour in the remaining sugar and beat until the whites are very thick and shiny, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Immediately spoon half the mixture into the prepared pastry bag. (Meringue will begin to break down if not used soon after it is ready.) Hold the pastry bag upright over the prepared baking trays, squeeze out 26 to 30 mushroom caps, making different sizes, placed about l inch apart. The caps can be different sizes, since real mushroom caps are never identical.
• Again, holding the bag upright over the other tray, lifting the bag as you squeeze out the meringue, form 26 to 30 stems, each l/2 inch to l inch high, placed about l inch apart.
• Place the trays in the oven and bake until the meringues are firm to the touch and can be lifted easily from the trays, about l l/2 hours. The meringues should be dry, but should not take on any color. Remove the trays to a cool dry spot. When cool, with a small knife, trim any pointed tips on the caps and stems, if desired.
• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl, and holding the caps upside down, spread a little chocolate on each one. Attach a stem and leave them upside down until the chocolate hardens. When ready, turn mushroom cap side up, and dust lightly with sifted cocoa.
• Set aside until ready to use for decoration.
• To decorate and serve:
• Remove pan with cake from refrigerator and place wrapped cake on a firm surface. Carefully unwrap cake. Using a serrated knife, from one end cut a 2-inch piece of cake on the diagonal. Set the cut piece aside.
• Cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the cake. Cover the cardboard with foil and place the cake on it. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the small cut piece and set on top of the cake roll. Using a small spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake as well as the small piece atop the cake. With a wooden skewer or the point of a small knife, make furrows to simulate bark along the sides and top of the cake.
• Arrange Christmas greens, plastic holly, and Meringue Mushrooms around the Yule Log. Sift powdered sugar over the whole thing to simulate snow. Fresh cranberries can be scattered around for added color.

FLAMING YULE LOG CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 11-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pans with nonstick spray. Line each with parchment, then spray the parchment.
• In a large heatproof glass bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs. Place the bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat until tripled in volume, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the chocolate and butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Add the flour and 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder to a sifter or fine-mesh sieve and sift into the egg mixture, then fold to combine. Pour the chocolate mixture into the batter and fold until it is completely combined, being careful not to overmix.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans (about 5 1/2 cups per pan). Use an offset or rubber spatula to smooth the tops. Bake until the cakes are set and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.
• While the cakes are baking, sift the confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa powder onto 2 clean kitchen towels that are as least as large as the cake pans.
• For the filling: To make the ganache, add the chocolate to a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir together until completely smooth.
• Transfer the ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Whip on medium-high until lighter in color and slightly aerated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons to a small bowl and reserve.
• When the cakes are done, immediately run a butter knife around the edges to loosen them from the pans. Invert each cake onto a prepared towel. Remove the pans and peel off the parchment. Roll up each cake starting with one long side and using the towel as an aid. Transfer the cakes in the towels to a wire rack until mostly cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When cool, unroll one of the cakes. Spread half of the ganache over the cake. Reroll the cake, using the towel to help. Remove the towel, place the cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Repeat with the remaining cake and ganache, adding it to the same baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• For the topping: Stir together the gelatin and 1/3 cup cold water in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. (If any granules of sugar stick to the side of the pan, brush them back into the sugar-water mixture with a wet pastry brush.) Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the softened gelatin. Once all the syrup is added, increase the speed to high and whisk until the mixture is very thick and holds stiff peaks, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
• Remove the cakes from the freezer. Cut a 2- to 3-inch diagonal piece from the top end of one of the logs and place it on top of the log at an angle, using the reserved ganache to attach it; this will be a branch.
• Transfer the topping to a piping bag with a long flat tip and pipe the topping onto each cake in lengthwise lines, covering the entire cake. Smooth out the lines with a small offset spatula. (You can also spread the icing straight on the cake instead of piping.) Use the back side of a fork to make small patches of lines and swirls across the length of each log, mimicking the pattern of bark. Return to the freezer for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
• For the decorations: Meanwhile, prepare your fireplace. Place a roasting rack on a cast-iron griddle or large metal serving platter. Sprinkle the chocolate graham cracker crumbs underneath the rack and add a little confectioners' sugar to make the crumbs look like ash. Arrange the candy coal in the ash and add the gummies to resemble hot coals.
• When ready to serve: Remove the logs from the freezer and trim the ends to reveal the swirls. Place one frozen log in the roasting rack with the un-frosted bottom hidden. Use a kitchen blowtorch to char the marshmallow topping until it is deep brown. Place the second log on top of the first at an angle to look like logs in a fireplace and char with the kitchen blowtorch.
• Heat the brandy in a small saucepan over high heat until warm, about 30 seconds. Carefully carry the saucepan over to the Yule logs and light the brandy on fire using a long stick lighter. Pour the flaming brandy over the Yule logs and watch them burn. Slice and serve immediately.

MAPLE YULE LOG RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Directions: Line 17-x 11-inch (45 x 29 cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Spray with no-stick vegetable spray. Set aside. In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt to blend well. In large bowl and using electric mixer, beat eggs and maple syrup until slightly thickened. Gradually add brown sugar, beating until thick. Sift flour mixture over egg mixture in 3 additions, folding in gently after each addition. Spread evenly in pan. Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown and firm to touch. Sift about 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) icing sugar onto clean tea towel in even layer. Invert cake and pan onto towel. Remove pan; carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together (begin at short or long edge, depending on whether you want a longer thin or shorter thick Yule log). Cool completely on rack. Filling: In chilled medium bowl, whip cream with maple syrup until firm peaks form. Unroll cake and spread filling evenly over cake. Roll up, using towel to help. (Cake can be wrapped and frozen at this point if desired, or frozen after adding whipped cream topping.) Topping and Garnishes: In chilled medium bowl, whip cream with maple syrup until firm peaks form. Completely cover top, sides and both ends of rolled cake with cream. With fork, make tree bark marks on surface. Dust with cocoa if using. Cover and refrigerate or wrap well and freeze until serving time. Transfer from freezer to refrigerator 1/2 hour before serving. Serve with your choice of garnishes.