Simple Yule Log Cake
I love a good Bûche de Noël or as some people know it, a yule log. It's a cake that looks like a log and I have done a post on it a few years ago, but I have updated my recipe and I have made it a lot more simple because buying one from the store is easy, but gross and dry AF. This cake is moist, decadent and doesn't leave you feeling like you should brush your teeth from fear of tooth decay.
The cake is made in three steps: the cake, the filling, and the outer frosting. YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE IN TWO DAYS. On day one, make the cake and mousse. On day two, you should make the ganache and assemble. I use the Allrecipe Jelly Roll cake and Chrissy Teigens Chocolate mouse for the filling. For the outside frosting, I use a simple whipped ganache recipe.
Ingredients For the cake:
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup of white sugar
3 tablespoons of powdered cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup four
For the chocolate mousse:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup 3.25% milk
3/4 cups whipping cream
For the whipped ganache:
1 full cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of whipping cream
How to make it Cake: 1) Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Beat in 1/2 cup of sugar gradually into the egg white mixture.
2) Whisk together flour, remaining sugar, and cocoa together. This is the flour mixture.
3) Beat yolks together until they are thick and beat in the flour mixture and then add vanilla.
4) Fold the egg yolk mixture carefully into the egg whites.
5) Place into greased/parchment paper lined jelly roll pan and then into a pre-heated oven. I typically go with a 350 degree oven. Let it bake for 12 minutes and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
6) Turn the cake out onto a clean tea towel. Remove parchment paper and roll lengthwise. Let the cake cool completely in another tea towel in the fridge overnight.
Mousse: 1) Melt chocolate chips and 3% milk in a microwave safe bowl. Let cool for 15 minutes.
2) Whip the cream to form stiff peaks.
3) Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate until uniform. Let it chill in the bowl and fridge overnight.
Ganache: 1) Place chocolate chips into a bowl and bring cream to a boil
2) Pour cream over chocolate chips and stir until blended together. Let cool, but it should still be liquid.
3) Whip the mixture until it is stiff, lightened and is the consistency of frosting.
How to assemble: 1) Take the cake out of the fridge and unroll it out of it's towels.
2) Take out mousse and spread over unrolled cake.
3) Roll cake back up and cut edges to make them flush with mousse. Place on serving instrument. I like using a flat white plate.
4) Cover cake in ganache frosting.
5) With a fork, create wood lines along the cake.
6) Sprinkle powdered sugar on top for a snow effect.
7) Optional. Find some evergreen branches to garnish the cake.
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Samantha