Chocolate Yule Log Cake
This light spongy cake layered and covered in yummy chocolate fudge frosting is the best Chocolate Yule Log cake for this holiday.
Servings: 1 cake
Equipment
- Half sheet pan lined with parchment paper
- Icing spatula, for frosting
- Offset icing spatula, for frosting
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Cake stand or big platter
- Regular spatula, for scraping the sides of mixing bowl
- Heavy bottomed sauce pan
Ingredients
Sponge cake
- 8 oz AP flour sifted
- 8 medium eggs yolks and whites separated
- 6 oz sugar
- 1 dash Kosher salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 7 oz warm water 120F - 130F
- 0.5 oz vegetable oil
- 1 medium lime juiced
Chocolate fudge frosting
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chip
- 2.5 oz cocoa powder preferred Hershey
- 4 oz sugar
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 c heavy cream
Decorating
- powdered sugar
- strawberry
- marshmallow
- white chocolate truffles
- raspberry
Instructions
For sponge cake
- Preheat oven at 350F.
- Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and half amount of sugar in a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment on a stand mixer.
- Combine egg yolks, oil and water. Add the yolk mixture gradually to the dry ingredients on medium mixing speed. After a paste has formed, use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Continue adding the yolk mixture until everything is incorporated. Set aside (or transfer to another bowl if you only have one mixing bowl for your mixer, remember to wash mixing bowl and whip attachment before using for egg whites).
- Combine egg whites and lime juice and whip on medium speed with a clean whisk until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to whip. Stop when medium peaks has formed.
- Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg whites. The more quickly the two egg mixtures are incorporated, the less the amount of volume lost.
- Quickly pour the batter in a lined half sheet pan. Use an offset spatula to even out the surface. Then put it in the oven and bake until the cake springs back when touched, 20 to 30 minutes.
- When the cake is done cooking. Take it out of the oven. Wait for 2 minutes then carefully transfer it (with parchment paper) to another half sheet pan or big cutting board.
- Wait for another 3 minutes, then carefully roll the cake into a log using parchment paper. Do not remove parchment paper. At this step, the cake is supposed to rolled with parchment paper inside it to help keep a rolling shape.
- Let the rolled cake cool completely to room temperature.
Chocolate fudge frosting
- Combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine sugar and heavy cream, gradually and gently stir while bringing the mixture to boil over medium high heat. When the mixture reaches boiling point, carefully pour it into the chocolate bowl above. Slowly stir then let the mixture sit for 1 minute.
- Continue to let the mixture cool down to room temperature completely. Then transfer it to a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. whisk on medium high speed for 2 to 4 minutes. The mixture should be silky smooth and double in volume.
- Use the frosting right away or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Do not freeze the frosting.
Assemble
- Unroll the cake, remove parchment paper. Use icing spatula to spread a 1 inch layer of chocolate fudge frosting on the cake. Then carefully roll it into a log again.
- Move the rolled cake layered with chocolate frosting to a cake stand or any decoration platter you intend to use.
- Use offset spatula to cover the surface of rolled cake with the rest of chocolate frosting. Create few strokes on top to resemble wood log shape. It does not have to be perfect. Just do as you wish. The point is to make it look real with imperfect patterns.
- Cover the log with powdered sugar (to resemble the snow). Then continue using white chocolate truffles, marshmallows to make a pile of snow. Use strawberry and raspberry to create contrast color.
- You can also use whatever props you want to decor your yule log. Be wild. Have fun.
- Yule log should be kept in the fridge or in a room with A/C on. The cake will be good for 2 days in the fridge and should be eaten in a day if left at room temperature (with A/C support).