Christmas Log Recipes

YULE LOG

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in chocolate and water until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. , In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in a greased and floured 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. , Meanwhile, sprinkle a kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto the towel. Starting from a short end, roll up cake in the towel. Place seam side down on a wire rack to cool completely. , Unroll cake; spread coconut-pecan frosting to within 1 in. of edges; roll up cake without the towel. Cut and reserve a narrow diagonal slice from each end of the cake. Attach diagonal cake slices with a little of the chocolate frosting to opposite sides of cake. With remaining chocolate frosting, frost the top and side of the cake. With the tines of a fork, make strokes in the frosting to resemble bark on a tree trunk. , For the mushrooms, half large marshmallows widthwise for mushroom caps. Attach cut side of caps to mini marshmallows for stems. Dust tops of mushrooms and log with cocoa; place mushrooms around the log.

MOCHA YULE LOG

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom of a greased 15x10x1-in. pan with parchment; grease parchment. Sift flour, cocoa and salt together twice. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Fold in flour mixture., Add cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form. Fold a fourth of the whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer to prepared pan, spreading evenly., Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 12-15 minutes (do not overbake). Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto a tea towel dusted lightly with cocoa. Gently peel off parchment. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack. , For filling, in a bowl, dissolve coffee granules in cream; beat until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Unroll cake; spread filling over cake to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again, without towel; trim ends. Transfer to a platter, seam side down. Refrigerate, covered, until cold., For frosting, beat all ingredients until smooth. Spread over cake. Using a fork, make lines in frosting to resemble tree bark. Refrigerate until serving.

YULE LOGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make the cakes: Line two 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, and lightly coat with spray. Beat egg yolks with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Beat egg whites in a clean mixer bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Raise speed to medium-high; slowly add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
• Fold yolks into egg-white mixture using a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate whites. Sift cocoa and flour over top; gently fold to combine. Pour into prepared sheets, and gently smooth tops using an offset spatula.
• Bake until cakes spring back when touched, 9 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line 2 wire racks with parchment paper, and lightly coat with spray. Remove cakes from oven, and immediately turn out each onto a prepared rack. Peel parchment from cakes. Let stand until cooled completely.
• Assemble the cakes: Place 2 clean kitchen towels on work surface, and transfer each cake (with parchment) to a towel. Divide caramel cream evenly between cakes. Spread, using an offset spatula, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges.
• Tightly roll 1 cake into a log, starting with a short end, removing parchment as you work. Tightly wrap log in kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining cake. Transfer wrapped logs, seam side down, to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Unwrap each log. Lightly dust work surface with cornstarch or confectioners' sugar. Roll out half the fondant to 1/4-inch thickness. Place an 8-by-12-inch food-safe wood-grain texture mat on fondant, and press hard, using a rolling pin, to make an indentation. Gently remove mat, and generously rub fondant with cocoa. Brush off excess cocoa.
• Drape 1 cake log with fondant sheet. Shape fondant to fit log using your hands, and trim ends and cut away excess with a paring knife or a pizza cutter. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with remaining fondant, cocoa, and cake log. Serve with sugared white pine needles and milk-chocolate pinecones if desired.

YULE LOG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a jelly roll pan. Line it with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
• Beat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons flour, butter, lukewarm water, and baking powder; beat until well combined.
• Beat egg whites and salt in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff. Transfer 1/3 of the whites to the cake batter and gently fold in. Repeat with remaining whites. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven until it springs back when pressed gently in the middle, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 3 minutes, before carefully turning the cake out onto a large piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment and cake from one short end to the other and let cool.
• While the cake is cooling, place chocolate for buttercream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Beat softened butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Add powdered sugar in small increments, beating between each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat until well combined.
• Carefully unroll the cooled sponge cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream across the top to the edges. Firmly roll back up, using parchment to help you, into a tight roll.
• At one end of the roll, cut off a diagonal slice to represent a branch, about 2 inches in length at the longest side. Frost the entire roll with buttercream. Use a palette knife to create uneven ridges to represent tree bark. Position the branch somewhere near the center of the log and cover with buttercream.
• Drag the tines of a fork lengthwise across the buttercream to create an extra bark effect. Dust the entire log with cocoa powder.

CHRISTMAS MARSHMALLOW LOG

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips and butter over low heat in a large saucepan.
• Add a small amount of the warmed chocolate mixture to the beaten egg, combining quickly.
• Add the egg mixture back to the saucepan of chocolate, combining well.
• Turn off heat, and add the marshmallows and nuts, combining well.
• Pour out onto waxed paper, forming into logs approximately 2 inches in diameter.
• Refrigerate, and slice to serve.

CHRISTMAS LOG

Steps:

• Crumble the Swiss roll into the bowl and add the biscuit crumbs, jam, orange juice and dried fruit and mix together with your hands.
• Place the mixture on a board and shape into a roll about the size of the original Swiss roll, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge.
• Using a potato peeler, scrape about 15g chocolate into shreds on to a plate.
• Break the remaining chocolate pieces and put in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted, or melt in the microwave.
• Beat the butter, then beat in the coated but still melted chocolate
• Unwrap the log, and using a knife, spread with the icing, use a fork to make it look like tree bark and dust with icing sugar to resemble snow.
• Put on a plate and sprinkle with chocolate shreds.
• If liked, make fondant icing mushrooms and dip the heads into cocoa powder, then colour some fondant icing green and cut out leaves.

CHRISTMAS LOG

Steps:

• Heat oven 180c/fan. Line the non-stick baking paper into about 30x30 square Swiss roll tin.
• To make the sponge, beat the eggs in the large bowl, add the sugar and whisk with hand mixer until it becomes almost white, fluffy and contains a lot of small babbles.
• Add the flour gradually into the egg mixture and each time mix well together with a spatula. The mixture now becomes smooth but runny and quantity will be reduced by about half.
• Pour the mixture into the tin evenly and drop the tin onto the table from a few inches few times to get rid of air babbles before put in the oven. Bake for 10-12minutes. Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes out of the tin then cover the surface with new baking paper to avoid drying the sponge out.
• Meanwhile, whisk the filling and decoration ingredients altogether in a bowl until it becomes stiff.
• Up side down the sponge, and peel the lining paper gently. Make sure the sponge is completely cool, then spread half of the cream over the sponge evenly. (If you put too much cream, it won't be whirling pattern as the picture)
• Roll the sponge gently but as tight as you can by using a rolling pin under the baking paper to help you.
• If the filling overflows, remove with a small knife. Put in the fridge at least 1 hour to settle.
• Once it settles, spread the remaining cream over the surface evenly, and by using a fork make some lines to make it look like a log.Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the roll, then decorate with blue berries and icing sugar or any other fruits and sweets as you like. Enjoy!