Enrich your Christmas table with a chocolate-sweet Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)!

Yule Log is a log-shaped cake traditionally eaten during Christmas after Midnight Mass, for example, in France. Its base consists of buttercream and sponge cake, which are used to form the roll. In this post, we will slightly modify the traditional recipe for this festive cake – we will add a tea accent to it! Thanks to this, the roll will gain a subtle, fruity flavor.

 

What ingredients are needed to prepare the Christmas roll?

 

Chocolate sponge cake:

• 2 large eggs
• 20 g sugar
• 38 g flour
• 10 g cocoa
• 50 g fruit infusion, e.g., Basilur Strawberry & Raspberry from the Fruit Infusions collection

Caffeine-free fruit tea with added papaya, apple, cherry, strawberry, goji berries, hibiscus, and strawberry and raspberry flavor.

 

Filling and decorations:

• 500 g Nutella
• 260 g dark chocolate glaze
• 240 g green ganache (a cream made of heavy cream, white chocolate, and food coloring)
• 20 g tempered chocolate

 

How to prepare the festive chocolate roll?

 

Sponge cake preparation

 

1. Preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Then line a springform pan or baking tray with parchment paper.

 

2. Prepare the batter.

In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs with sugar – the mixture should become fluffy and triple in volume. This process usually takes 8 to 10 minutes.

 

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the batter.

Sieve the flour and cocoa. Then add both these ingredients and the dried Strawberry & Raspberry fruit infusion to the beaten eggs. Gently mix everything to create a uniform batter.

 

4. Time to bake!

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and place it in the oven for exactly 7 minutes. Remember that the oven temperature should be 170°C.

 

5. Cool the cake.

Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool slightly. In the meantime, spread a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle it with cocoa. Remove the baked sponge cake from the mold along with the parchment paper, place it on the towel (face down), peel off the parchment paper, and then roll the cake with the towel – start rolling from the shorter side. Set the cake aside and leave to cool completely.

 

Preparation of filling and glaze

 

1. Prepare the Nutella.

The cream should be at room temperature – this makes it easiest to spread.

 

2. Unroll and re-roll the cake.

Unroll the sponge cake and soak the top of the cake with sweetened tea or coffee. Then evenly spread a layer of Nutella cream. Re-roll the sponge cake using the kitchen towel and wrap it tightly in cling film to help the cake maintain its shape. Finally, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 

3. Time for glazing and decorating!

• Prepare the ganache and dark chocolate glaze.

Chop the white chocolate into small pieces. Heat the heavy cream (until hot). Then pour the hot cream over the chocolate, mix lightly, and wait 1-2 minutes. Then mix the chocolate mass thoroughly and set aside at room temperature to thicken. To make it easier to whip the ganache into a cream, add a portion of cold cream to the liquid mass. In addition, to obtain a green color, add a small amount of food coloring suitable for fatty masses or for working with chocolate.

The preparation of the glaze is quite similar. Take the same amount of heavy cream and dark chocolate. Heat the cream, add the crumbled chocolate, and wait a moment (until the chocolate melts). Mix the ingredients together and it's done!

• Pour the cooled sponge cake with glaze in such a way as to cover it evenly.

Important! Before the glaze hardens:

• sprinkle the cake with crumbled chocolate.
• add chocolate pieces to the sides of the cake.
• place pieces of tempered chocolate and green ganache on top.

 

Tips:

• Before preparing the cake, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
• Do not keep the sponge cake in the oven for too long, as it will crack when rolling.
• Roll the sponge cake while it is still slightly warm – this will prevent the cake from cracking.
• Create a wooden bark texture on the glaze using a fork.

 

Create your own version of the festive Yule Log roll!

• Before applying Nutella, you can add a layer of raspberry jam.
• Use meringue mushrooms as a decorative element!
• You don't have to limit yourself to one fruit infusion. You can create a combination of several dry blends, which will give the cake a unique flavor profile.
• Add crushed nuts.
• Sprinkle the top of the cake with coconut flakes, which will create a snowy effect.

 

Note: To make baking the cake more pleasant and efficient, prepare all ingredients in advance.