Traditional Yule Log Cake Recipe

5 from 13 votes

Traditional Yule Log Cake Recipe

Delicious and chocolatey Yule Log cake recipe to celebrate the holidays. This classic European Christmas dessert is a shallow cake that you spread with cream and then roll up and decorate like a Yule log. The recipe also features a rich chocolate ganache instead of icing, and can be made the day before serving.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British, French

Keyword Chocolate, Christmas

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 10

Cooling time 1

Total Time 2 10

Servings people

Calories 214kcal

Author Tanya Anderson

Cost $20

Equipment

9X13 jelly roll pan You can use a larger pan, but the sponge will be thinner
stand mixer or whisk
silicone spatula
fine mesh sieve for sifting

Ingredients

for the Sponge

1 Tbsp unsalted butter to grease the pan
⅓ cup plain flour (multi purpose) 60 g
⅓ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened) 40 g
¼ tsp fine sea salt
4 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¾ cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) 110 g

for the Filling

3 Tbsp confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) 25 g
1 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened) optional
1 cup double cream (whipping cream) 240 ml / 235 g
1 Tbsp sour cream or cream cheese / 15 ml / 15 g

for the Chocolate Ganache

1 cup double cream (whipping cream) 240 ml / 235 g
8 oz high-quality dark chocolate 226 g / as chocolate chips or bars broken into small pieces

Instructions

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C or 160°C if you have a convection oven.
Melt the butter and use a brush to coat the pan well, including the corners and sides. Next, line the pan with baking paper and brush the top of the paper with the remaining butter. Ensure that every part of the paper and the inside of the pan is well greased.

Make the cake sponge mixture

Crack the eggs and separate the yolks and whites into different bowls.
Using the sieve, sift the flour, salt, and cocoa powder for the sponge together in a large mixing bowl.
Sift the icing sugar with the sieve into another bowl.
Pour the egg yolks into the electric mixer's bowl. Add the vanilla and ¼ cup of the sugar and mix on medium speed for two to three minutes or until well-mixed and frothy on top. Since there's such a small amount of egg in the bowl, I use the spatula to help direct the egg into the mixer's beaters.
Take the mixer's beaters off and rinse thoroughly. If you have a second bowl that will fit your mixer, get that out now and set the one with the egg yolk mixture aside. If not, pour the egg yolk mixture into another bowl and set aside. Clean and dry the mixer bowl thoroughly.
Add the egg whites to the empty mixer bowl and begin beating at medium-high speed. When they begin forming soft peaks, add the remaining ½ cup of sugar a spoonful at a time. The peaks will look glossier after, and the entire step only takes a few minutes.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Folding simply means working from the edges of the bowl and turning the outside ingredients into the center of the bowl. Do not stir, or you'll lose the fluffiness of the mixture.
Next, sprinkle over the sifted cocoa powder and flour and gently fold it in too.
The cake batter will be fluffy yet fully incorporated when it's finished. Don't be tempted to over-mix it since stirring too much can flatten the airiness of the batter.

Bake the Yule Log Cake Sponge

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with your spatula. If the baking paper sticks out beyond the pan's edges, trim it off now to ensure it doesn't fall back into the sponge while baking.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cake springs back a little when touched. Using a 9x12" pan will take closer to ten minutes. Larger pans like the 11x16" in the photos needs less time.
As soon as you take the cake sponge out of the oven, gently pull the sponge out of the pan and onto a damp and clean kitchen towel. It should come out fairly easily thanks to the butter used to grease the pan.
Once the cake is on the kitchen towel, sprinkle it with sifted icing sugar.
Lay another piece of baking or parchment paper on top of the cake, then roll it up while it is still warm. Doing this helps mold the sponge into a rolled shape and can reduce the chances of it splitting later on.

Make the Filling

Wait until the cake cools to room temperature before moving on to the next step.
Whip the cream, sour cream, and three tablespoons of sifted icing sugar in the mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Although optional, you could also sift 1-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder into the mix. This will give the filling a light brown color and a hint of chocolate flavor.
Gently unroll the cake and remove the top layer of baking paper. Spread the whipped cream filling evenly over the top of the cake sponge, except for a one-inch strip on one of the shorter ends.

Roll the Yule Log Cake

Roll the cake, beginning from the short end that is covered with cream. Lift up the edge of the sponge and pull it away from the lower layer of baking paper. Roll the sponge onto itself as gently but as tightly as you can. Peel the paper away as you go and use it to help push the sponge as you roll.
If the cake cracks a little as you roll, don't worry. The roll should hold it in place, and the last steps can cover all manner of imperfections.
Roll all the way to the uncreamed side. The result is a rolled-up cake, and most of the hard work is over! If the cream filling was spread a bit thin on the sides, the ends of the cake might look thinner than the middle. This is completely fine but if you are aiming for a more uniform shape, you can trim up to an inch of cake from the ends using a sharp knife. It's a great way to sample the cake before you decorate it too.
When you've finished, lift the cake and place seam side down on a serving platter. Tuck baking paper under the edges of the cake (not too far under, though) in preparation for the next step. You surround the cake with paper to protect the plate from too much chocolate mess.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

Place the cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate and let it sit together for up to five minutes. Stay with it and stir every thirty seconds or so. The result will be a gorgeous and even chocolate mixture.
Once the chocolate ganache is fully mixed, allow it to cool for five to ten minutes before the next step. This allows it to set up a bit so that it isn't too liquidy.
Next, slowly pour the chocolate ganache over the yule log cake to cover it. If the ganache runs down from the cake, the paper will protect the plate from mess and you can use a silicone spatula to pull it back up on the cake.
Wait another ten minutes for the ganache to fully set before gently pulling the paper out from under the edge of the cake. If the paper feels stuck under, you hold a spatula against the cake while you pull, and that helps to keep the ganache in place while you pull the paper out.
To create tree bark texture, use a fork and gently run it along the chocolate ganache. If you wish, lightly sift icing sugar on top for a dusting of snow.
Lastly, decorate the cake with optional decorations and garnishes. Creating a woodland theme is popular, but simple pine or rosemary sprigs are perfect, too. Store the finished Yule log cake in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

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