Christmas Chocolate Yule Log Recipes

Steps:

• Place egg whites in large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. , Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup sugar. Sift flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt together twice; gradually add to yolk mixture and mix well (batter will be very thick). , With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Spread evenly into prepared pan. , Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with cocoa powder. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in towel, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; cool completely on a wire rack., Meanwhile, for the filling, beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and almond extract, beating until stiff peaks form. Unroll cake; spread filling to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up again. , In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost the cake, using a metal spatula to create a bark-like effect.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan and line with parchment paper. Sift flour with baking powder and salt and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs on high for several minutes until they are very pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the sugar, beating 1 to 2 minutes more or until very thick. Gently, but thoroughly, fold in the flour mixture.
• Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of water with the 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the baking soda, then gradually stir into the melted chocolate until smooth. Quickly, but thoroughly, fold chocolate mixture into batter.
• Pour batter into prepared 10x15 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Lightly sift an even layer of confectioners sugar over a cloth napkin or tea towel (do not use Terry-cloth). Flip the cake out of its pan onto the prepared cloth as soon as it comes from the oven. Carefully peel away parchment paper. Lightly dust top of cake with confectioners sugar, then trim away crisp edges. Starting with one of the short sides of the cake, immediately roll the cake up in the cloth, jellyroll style, and cool thoroughly on a rack.
• For the Filling and Frosting: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the confectioners sugar until smooth, then blend in the vanilla extract and coffee liqueur. Blend in the melted chocolate. Unroll the cake and spread about 1/3 of the filling evenly over the surface. Roll the cake back up.
• Arrange cake roll on serving tray, then frost generously, swiping with an icing spatula to form the long 'bark line' design. Swipe ends of cake in a circular motion to simulate the tree-rings of a cut log. Decorate log as desired with holly leaves and berries, mushrooms and snow.

Steps:

• Put lemonade into a bowl.
• Get a serving plate ready.
• Take a biscuit and dip it fully into the lemonade (don't do it too long as you don't want the biscuit to fall apart).
• Then spread one side of bikky with cream. repeat the steps with all the biscuits and join them together as you go to make a log.
• (I sometimes make them into a circle and make a cake).
• After you have used up all the bikkys (remembering that kids just have to have one or two themselves lol) spread remaining cream onto the top and sides of log.
• Sprinkle grated chocolate over the log and then give the rest of chocie to kids to eat.
• Put the log in the fridge for at least 45 minutes to set. Enjoy.
• The time to make this log depends on how many kids you have helping you.
• For variations:.
• Adults could add Tia Maria to cream.
• Kids could add strawberry flavouring to cream.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter and line a 23 x 32cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Beat the eggs and golden caster sugar together with an electric whisk for about 8 mins until thick and creamy.
• Mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together, then sift onto the egg mixture. Fold in very carefully, then pour into the tin. Tip the tin from side to side to spread the mixture into the corners. Bake for 10 mins.
• Lay a sheet of baking parchment on a work surface. When the cake is ready, tip it onto the parchment, peel off the lining paper, then roll the cake up from its longest edge with the paper inside. Leave to cool.
• To make the icing, melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Take from the heat and stir in the golden syrup and 5 tbsp double cream. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.
• Whisk the remaining double cream until it holds its shape. Unravel the cake, spread the cream over the top, scatter over the crushed extra strong mints, if using, then carefully roll up again into a log.
• Cut a thick diagonal slice from one end of the log. Lift the log on to a plate, then arrange the slice on the side with the diagonal cut against the cake to make a branch. Spread the icing over the log and branch (don't cover the ends), then use a fork to mark the icing to give the effect of tree bark. Scatter with unsifted icing sugar to resemble snow, and decorate with holly.

Steps:

• Separate the 5 yolks from whites, obviously into two separate bowls. Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl and let the whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or more.
• Grease a baking pan, then line the pan with parchment paper. Finally, grease the parchment paper. I use Crisco (a vegetable shortening) as the grease, but you could use butter, margarine or even (yuck) animal lard. This recipe presumes a 15 inch by 10 inch by 1/2 inch deep pan, but you can use a pan that is larger in any dimension(s), and just crimp the parchment paper at the proper dimensions.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks on high until they are light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating for a few minutes, until thick and lemon-colored.
• In a dry bowl, combine the 1/2 cup cake flour, 1/4 cup baking cocoa (powdered cocoa) & 1/4 teaspoon salt with a whisk.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and blend on medium, until well mixed.
• Beat egg whites (in a separate clean bowl) on medium until foamy. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. then, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form.
• Slowly and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate flour mixture, until no streaks remain.
• Gently spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 350° for about 12 minutes or until cake springs back (do not over bake; certainly not more than 15 minutes. It is better to under bake rather than over bake!).
• Cool the cake for 5 minutes, then invert onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar (or another piece of parchment paper, dusted with the powdered sugar). Peel off parchment paper.
• Roll the cake up in the towel or paper, starting with a short side. Then let it cool on a wire rack. The cake portion is now done! If you need to take a break, put the cake in a sealed container or plastic bag.
• MAKING THE FILLING. Alternatives: [1] If you are in a hurry or want a white filling, you could instead just use a topping like "Cool Whip"; but it would need to be served within hours, before the Cool Whip melted and went flat. [2] Another white filling can be made by whipping 1 cup of whipping cream until it is light and fluffy, then beating in 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Obviously, this requires the cake to be kept refrigerated, except when serving it. [3] For a white, vanilla buttercream filling, see the "white buttercream filling recipe" at the bottom of this page; [4] For a chocolate buttercream filling, see the "chocolate buttercream filling recipe" at the bottom of this page; [5] For a mocha (coffee) filling, add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules to any of these above.
• Whip 4 egg whites in a clean dry mixing bowl until fluffy peaks form.
• Add the 1 and a half cups of powdered (icing or confectioner's sugar) to the mixer. Then add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 cup powdered baking cocoa. Whip briefly, but to a uniform color.
• Unroll the cake! If you want to make two shorter cakes, simply cut the cake in half before unrolling it. The advantage of this is, you can make one with chocolate filling, the other with a white filling, or mocha, etc.
• Spread it about at least 1/4 inch thick, up to a maximum of 1/2 inch thick.
• Gently and loosely roll the cake, not squeezing! You don't want to squeeze out the filling. Again, the chocolate filling is on the left, the white buttercream (or whipped cream) is on the right. Now, while the white icing looks better, the chocolate tastes much better -- in my opinion.
• MAKING THE ICING / FROSTING: Alternatives: If you are in a hurry, you can use a pre-made, store-bought can of chocolate frosting / icing, instead.
• In a mixing bowl add 1.5 cups confectioners' sugar (also called powdered sugar and in the UK, icing sugar) , 2 egg whites, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice & 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, then whip it up in your electric mixer.
• Add the cocoa, and mix with the mixer until uniform.
• Gently slurp the icing on the cake (top and ends). Note: the log in the photo appears short because I cut the roll in half to make two short logs, rather than one long log.
• I use a pastry blending knife to make the lines in the icing to look like a log! I just drag the front of it across the log. Of course, you can buy special decorating tools for this, also.
• You can also dust it with powdered sugar, to simulate snow!