Festive Yule Log

This is a lovely festive bake and easier than it looks. I think it nice to offer something other than Christmas Cake not being a lover myself although the traditional Christmas Cake is much improved by adding a slice of Wensleydale cheese (it's a Yorkshire thing ;-) That said with Christmas becoming less and less likely this chocolate log will last up to five days so give it a go, you could always donate it to someone else, that's precisely what I am doing with this one 😊

I think the key is to get the sugar and eggs whisked to within an inch of their lives introducing a significant amount of air and you should get a good roll! 

Required Kit

• Scales
• Mixing bowl
• Heat proof bowl
• Small pan
• Electric whisk
• Tray 23 x 32cm (buttered and lined with parchment)
• Sieve
• Spatular
• Fork

Instructions

• Heat oven to 200C / 180C with fan / gas 6. Get you tray ready with the parchment paper. Beat the eggs and sugar together with the electric whisk for 8 minutes - introducing a pile of air, the mixture should treble in size.
• Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder together then through a sieve add to the egg and sugar mixture, folding it carefully so as not to lose any air. Once incorporated pour into your tin, tip the tin from side to side to evenly spread the mixture. Bake for 10 mins.
• Turn baked sponge out onto a sheet of parchment paper, peel off the lining paper and then roll the sponge along the long edge leaving the paper inside and leave to cool.
• Whilst cooling melt the butter and chocolate together over a hot pan of water (keep the bowl out of the water) Once melted take off the heat and stir in 5tbsp double cream them sift in the icing sugar - beat this mixture until smooth.
• Whisk up the remaining double cream until it forms soft peaks and would spread nicely. Unroll the cooled sponge and slather on the cream, I like to pack in as much cream as possible, once this is done re-roll the sponge into a log.
• Cut off a reasonable size diagonal slice from the end and put the diagonal side against the main log to make it look vaguely like a branch.
• Now spread the chocolate icing on top, I use a fork here to make the icing look like bark, well to a degree !!!
• Finally decorate, a bit a icing sugar gives you a snowy finish and a bit of holly adds to the festive feel - now you can eat it 😊