Chocolate Yule Log

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

What about making your own chocolate yule log? Christmas comes in a few days.  It will be a time of gifts, beautiful tables, shared small pleasures… and great dinners! You may certainly want to make your own homemade yule log.  What a delight for all the guests!

As it will be tastier, I propose you make the yule log by changing the cake part and adding almond powder.  The result is called a Dacquoise, a smooth and soft almond cake that we can use in many pastry combinations.  We’ll add some cocoa too.

You are free to boost the taste a bit with an alcoholic syrup.  You can make the buttercream and set up the log only with chocolate ganache by increasing proportions. You can try it; it’s really good too!

Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients you will need for Chocolate Yule Log

Specific ingredients

You can find these high quality products online via Amazon:

• Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao Powder
• Honeyville blanched Almond Meal FlourPhoto credit: © Eatwell101.com

For 6 to 8 people

For the chocolate Dacquoise

• 1 1/2  cup ( 140 g) Almond flour
• 1 cup  ( 130 g) Sugar
• 5 Egg whites
• 1 1/2 tbsp ( 10 g)Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp (20 g) Sugar

For the buttercream

• 6 tbsp (50 g) Sugar
• 2 tbsp Water
• 4  1/2 ounces (125 g) Butter cream
• 1 Egg
• 2 Egg yolks

For the chocolate ganache

• 3  1/2 ounces ( 100 g ) dark chocolate
• 2  3/4 ounces ( 80 g ) Butter
• 1/2 cup (10 g )  heavy Cream

Cooking instructions

The chocolate Dacquoise

Preheat your oven to 360° F (180°c).
Sift the icing sugar, cocoa, and almonds flour in a bowl.
Beat the egg whites in a blender with a dash of salt, gently at first, then faster.  When they are foaming well, add the sugar and turn the mixer to fast mode.
Pour the sugar / almond / cocoa blend on the egg whites and gently fold the whites with a spatula.  Pour the mixture into the baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Return the plate on a damp cloth and remove the parchment paper.
Roll the Daquoise with the cloth on.

For the buttercream

Heat the sugar and water in a pan at about 250° F (120°c)  (a good boil).
Mount the egg yolks with an electric whisk until they become frothy.
Pour the syrup while beating slowly.  When the mixture is cool, stir in the softened butter gradually while beating until the mixture is smooth.

For the chocolate ganache

Grate the chocolate; pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir in the butter with a spatula, then allow it to freeze slightly.

The final mock-up

Unroll the Dacquoise cake and spread on a layer of butter cream with a spatula, then roll the Dacquoise back with the help of the parchment paper.
Cover the Christmas yule log with the ganache by using a spatula; you can make decorations with a fork.

So what do you think of this chocolate yule log recipe?

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com