Chocolate, Hazelnut & Caramel Yule Log

• servings: 10 servings
• active time: 40 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

6 medium Eggs (separated into yolks and whites)

200 g (1 cup) Caster sugar (regular sugar)

50 g (1/2 cup) Cocoa powder (plus a little extra for dusting)

250 ml Double cream (use cold from the fridge) (heavy whipping cream)

4 tbsp Salted caramel

50 g Chopped hazelnuts (I didn’t do bc Lola doesn’t like but it sounds really good)

100 g 70% Dark chocolate

100 ml Double cream (heavy whipping cream)

25 g (~2 tbsp) Unsalted butter

Any of these are optional for decorations:

Icing sugar for dusting

Frosted cranberries

Frosted rosemary sprigs

Edible fondant decoration

Gold stars, edible glitter or sprinkles

Meringue mushrooms

Directions

Start by making the chocolate sponge

Preheat the oven to 170°C (338 F) (fan). Grease and line the base of a rectangular 15x10 inch baking tray.

Whisk the egg yolks and half of the caster sugar (100g - 1/2cup) for roughly 5 minutes until thick and pale. You can do this by hand, but it's easier to use an electric whisk. Now sift in the cocoa powder and mix again until combined.

In a separate bowl, use an electric handheld whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites on high speed for 3-4 minutes until they're white, thick and pillowy. With the mixer still on, slowly pour in the remaining 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar and keep whisking for another 2 minutes to make a stiff, glossy meringue. You can test if the meringue is the correct consistency by holding the bowl upside down; if it stays put, it's ready. Do this at your own risk!

Spoon roughly a quarter of the meringue into the chocolate mixture, then use a spatular or large metal spoon to gently fold in a figure-of-eight motion until combined. Now add the rest of the meringue and keep folding until everything is thoroughly combined. Do this slowly and be careful not to over-mix, as you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Pour into the baking tray and spread the mixture into an even layer. Bake for 12 minutes until risen and puffy. While the cake is in the oven, lay a clean tea towel or piece of greaseproof paper on a worktop and generously dust with cocoa powder.

When the cake is out of the oven, immediately run a knife around the edges to peel the cake away from the sides. Then quickly flip the baking tray upside down over the tea towel. The cake should fall out onto the cocoa powder.

Peel off the greaseproof paper. Starting from one of the short edges, roll the sponge up using the tea towel. Leave to cool completely inside the tea towel for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache

Very finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl, with the cream and butter.

Microwave for 60 seconds then give the bowl a swirl. Microwave for another 30 seconds until the chocolate is melting and the cream is piping hot. Once you reach this stage, stir the mixture until all the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth and glossy. Set aside and leave to cool and thicken for 30-40 minutes.

Beat the ganache with an electric whisk to make it light and fluffy.

Once the cake is cool, make the filling

Use an electric whisk to whisk the cream on high speed for 2-3 minutes until it reaches soft, pillowy peaks.

Add the salted caramel sauce and continue to whisk for another 20-30 seconds to combine. Be careful not to over-whisk as the cream will split and turn grainy.

Fill, roll and decorate

Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread the whipped cream on top. Scatter over the chopped hazelnuts, and roll the sponge back up from the short edge.

Slice off one-quarter of the roll on an angle and use a bit of cream to stick it to the side of the big roll.

Spread the whipped ganache all over the cake and use the tip of a palette knife or a fork to drag lines through the ganache to make it look like a log.

Add your festive decorations, then slice and enjoy!

Notes

It’s all in metric so I’ll convert for ease of use sake

Make sure to bake the cake long enough and to take it off the parchment paper and roll as soon as you get it out of the oven (if you don’t it’s a mess)

Even if it turns into a mess you can salvage it with frosting on top :)