Chocolate Yule Log (with step by step instructions)

Hello everyone! In case you're wondering where I've been, I've not gone anywhere just a little tied up lately...but,

I do occasionally crawl out of my cocoon for one thing and one thing only....

CHOCOLATE.

And CHRISTMAS.

And when it's a Chocolate Christmas then I'm there with (jingle) bells on :)

Are you excited about Christmas? I am!! I've been to three Christmas markets (Christmas market in Blenheim Palace, Oxford, Southbank market in London and the Taste of Christmas food festival in London - posts about these to come soon!) and when I'm not doing that I'm waking up my housemates at 9am on a Sunday morning with Shakin' Stevens (NOT my own rendition, thank god) and I've got Michael Buble's Christmas album on repeat, again.

Do you like Christmas? I like Christmas too. Let's be friends :)

Do you see those meringue snowmen above? I think they're pretty happy about Christmas. Even that bad-ass mafia looking one. The one of the bottom right just looks a bit dopey and confused (well, I guess Christmas is a bit too much for some of us).

Oh, yeah, that's my shiny new beast of a mixer. Christmas came early! 

I was so excited, I even instagrammed it. 

It's the Kenwood KM330 mixer which, as I learned after reading the instruction manual (it's surprising what you learn when you, like, read stuff) it can have a blender attached to it and a pasta maker attached to it and it can make ice cream too! 

That's quite cool. I really love having a gigantic mixer, I totally feel like Nigella (but well, clean). My only qualm is that it can be really loud, especially on the high speed setting. I mean, this sound, on top of my singing (loose term) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is probably a little too much on a Sunday morning.

The rest of this post if is the step by step instructions...enjoy! If you do decide to try it, please let me know how you get on :)

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Full instructions and an ingredient list are at the bottom of the post. I strongly recommend that if you're making it to you see photos below with the full instructions, other wise it won't make sense.

Start off making the meringue. Whisk egg whites.

Pipe into snowmen looking shapes.

I had meringue left over, so I added some matcha powder and made meringue trees =D

I hope you like egg white.

Mixer comes to the rescue again for the cake.



Spread the mixture about 1cm thick over a baking tray (there are special swiss roll baking trays, but I don't have one).

Once baked, turn the swiss roll upside down onto parchment paper sprinked with icing sugar. Whilst still hot, roll from the long side, keeping the paper inside. Let it rest with the flap on the bottom, you may need to hold it down with a book or something to keep it form unfolding.

Making ganache for the topping.

Spreading whipped cream.

Creeeeeaaaaamm!

When the chocolate ganache is cool, spread over the filled cake.

Use a fork to scrape down and make a log like texture.

Roll out some green icing and stamp out to make holly leaves!

Ta da! Have a great week, with Christmassy songs and happiness and mulled wine and mince pies and hugs in the snow and that oh-my-god-I-hate-Christmas-shopping-but-thank-god-for-Amazon feeling.

Lots of love,

(This post is in conjunction with Argos.)

Chocolate Yule Log Adapted from the BBC recipes Serves 8-10 Takes a really long time… (2 hours if not making meringue, 4-5 hours over overnight if you are) For the chocolate sponge 4 large free-range eggs 100g/3½oz caster sugar 65g/2½oz self-raising flour 40g/1½oz cocoa powder For the chocolate ganache topping 300ml/½ pint double cream 300g/10½oz dark chocolate, broken into small pieces For the cream filling 300ml/½ pint double cream, whipped To decorate icing sugar, for dusting,  meringue snowmen and coloured icing paste to make holly. Meringue snowmen 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 60g /1¾ oz  caster sugar 60g1¾ oz  icing sugar How to make the meringue Make the meringue snowmen first, as these can be stored in an airtight container for up to  two weeks For the meringue, preheat the oven to fan 100C/ conventional 110C/gas 1⁄4. Line one baking sheet with non-stick liner or parchment paper. Pour the egg whites into a CLEAN bowl (a bowl with any grease in it means the egg won’t whip), and whisk with an electric whisk on high setting for about 10 mins, gradually pouring in the sugar. It should be shiny and stiff so that you can test it by holding the bowl over your head (and your head remaining dry!). Use a metal spoon and scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle. Make a blob on the parchment paper, slowly raising up the nozzle to make a ball. Let go of the nozzle, and pipe another smaller ball on top for the head. Once you’ve made enough (make a few extra just in case!), bake for 1 ½ -1 ¾ hours until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour. Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. To decorate, use ready made ready to roll icing to make the scarves and hats, and black piping to make the eyes, mouth, and buttons. How to make the cake Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin, and line with non-stick paper or baking parchment, pushing it into the corners. For the sponge, in a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar using until the mixture is pale in colour, light and frothy. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and carefully cut and fold together, using a spatula, until all the cocoa and flour are incorporated into the egg mixture. (Be careful not to beat any of the air out of the mixture). Pour the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly out into the corners. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until well risen and firm to the touch and the sides are shrinking away from the edge of the tin. Place a piece of baking parchment bigger than the Swiss roll tin on the work surface. Dust with icing sugar generously. Carefully invert the cake onto the paper and remove the bottom lining piece of paper. Cut a score mark 2.5cm/1in in along one of the longer edges. Starting with this edge, begin to tightly roll up the sponge using the paper. Roll with the paper inside and sit the roll on top of its outside edge to cool completely. While the cake is cooling, make the ganache topping. Heat the cream in a pan, just so as you can keep your finger in it. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it is melted. Cool to room temperature, then put into the fridge to firm up (this icing needs to be very thick for piping). Uncurl the cold Swiss roll and remove the paper. Spread the whipped cream on top, and re-roll tightly. Cut a quarter of the cake off from the end on the diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end in to the middle of the large cake to make a branch. Use a palette knife to spread on the icing and create rough bark texture with a fork. Dust with icing sugar and garnish with holly stamped from green icing, and the meringue snowmen.