Yule Log

A chocolate yule log is a popular christmas dessert.

It is traditionally eaten in France and Belgium.
It is a chocolate sponge roll layered with cream.
The outside is covered with chocolate and decorated to look like a bark covered log!

Ingredients:sponge
Cake flour or all purpose flour-1/4 cup,
Cornflour-2 tbsp,
Cocoa pwd-2 tbsp,
White sugar-1/2 cup -divided-use 1 tbsp for the whipping cream,
Egg-2,
Egg yolk-3,
Egg white-2,
Vanilla essence-1 tsp,
Lemon jiuce -1/4 tsp.
Icing sugar for dusting the sponge cake.

Ganache frosting:
Chocolate-180 gms-coarsely chopped,
Milk chocolate-60 gms-coarsely chopped,
Whipping cream-3/4 cup,
Butter-2 tbsp.

Chocolate whipping cream:
Heavy whipping cream-1 cup,
White sugar-14 cup,
Cocoa pwd-2 tbsp,
Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp.

Method:
Separate the eggs white from yolk while the egg is still cold.
Cover  and leave it for half hour to come to room temperature.

Grease 10X14  baking sheet tray and layer the bottom with  butter paper.
Grease the butter paper and then dust the whole sheet with flour.
Remove the extra flour.

Pre heat oven to 230 C

Whisk flour,cocoa pwd  and cornflour in a bowl.

To beat egg whites,the blade of the beater and bowl should be fat free to get stiff peaks.

Take a bowl and pour the egg whites and beat for few seconds then add 1/4 tsp of lemon juice.
Beat until soft peaks form.

Increase the speed to high and gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaksform.

Keep aisde.
In another bowl,add 2 egg and 3 egg yolk along with the remaining sugar and vanilla essence.

Beat on high speed until pale yellow -5 minutes.

Sift the flour in three stages into the egg yolk batter.

Gently fold in the egg whites into the flour egg yolk batter in three stages.

Pour the batter into the sheet pan and even it with a spoon.

Bake for 10 minutes or until set.

Tooth pick inserted will come out clean and when you touch the surface it will not stick to your finger.
Keep a kitchen towel and some icing powder in a bowl.



Once the sponge is baked,take out and keep on the counter.
Loosen the sides with knife.
Using a sieve,dust the sponge cake with icing sugar.

Cover with a kitchen towel and place a wire rack and invert the sponge.

Remove the butter paper and again dust with icing sugar.

Gently roll the cake with towel and place it on wire rack to cool.

Chocolate ganache or frosting:
Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl.

Heat cream in microwave for 1 minute.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave it for 5 minute.
Gently mix with a spatula until smooth.

If there are still some chocolate which have not melted,then put the bowl in microwave for another 10 seconds.
Once the chocolate is smooth, leave it for an hour to thicken. It can take less time depending on the room temperature.The chocolate has to spread on the sponge.

Chocolate whipping cream:
Place whipping cream,vanilla essence,cocoa pwd in a bowl and whisk till combined.

Beat with beater on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Assemble:
Once the sponge has cooled,then gently unroll it.

Spread the chocolate whipped cream.

Start to roll again without using your finger on the cake but roll it by unwrapping the kitchen towel from the sponge.

Transfer the log onto your serving plate.

Cut 1 and 1/2 inch diagonal slice from the side and using a little frosting attach it to the top of the log.
If you like you can cut another slice from the other end and keep it side of the log.

Using a offset spatulla cover the whole log with chocolate ganache.

Run a fork  to make bark marks on the log.
Keep the log in the fridge for few hours to set.
Decorate with meringue mushrooms and before serving dust with icing sugar.