Merry Christmas eve everyone! 🎄 are you excited about tomorrow? I know I am, I’m also very tired as I’ve been helping my mum get everything prepared ready for tomorrow so we can just enjoy the day without having much to do! As I’ve said before my dad has been working every day for the past month until quite late, so I’ve been trying to take on more responsibility and push myself so it doesn’t all fall onto my mum to do everything, it’s not been easy (my condition affects me a great deal, and I still can’t use my left foot) but I’ve been doing my best. Unfortunately, as I’ve pushed myself a bit too much, I’ve damaged my foot even more, come down with a cold and been suffering from my headaches that are more painful than usual 😟 and my mum, bless her is suffering from a bad back as well as a cold (as is my dad), but we’re pushing through it.
I know it’s a day earlier than when I usually post, but as it’s Christmas day tomorrow, I wanted to focus on spending it with my family and enjoying the day itself rather than be on my computer, and as one of my favorite desserts to enjoy at Christmas is a Chocolate Yule Log, I thought it would be nice to share my favorite recipe to use!
Yule Log
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing
- 5 Eggs
- 140g Light Muscovado Sugar
- 100g Self-Raising Flour
- 25g good quality Cocoa Powder
- Caster Sugar, for dusting
For the Icing and Filling
- 285ml/9½fl oz carton Double Cream
- 450g fondant Chocolate, such as Lindt Lindor
- Icing Sugar, for dusting
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Method
1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter and line the base and sides of a 30 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. 
2. Separate the eggs, putting them into two large mixing bowls. Add the sugar and 2 tbsp water to the egg yolks. Using an electric whisk or tabletop mixer, whisk the sugar and yolks for about 5 mins until the mixture is light in color and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk blades are lifted. Sift in the flour and cocoa, then fold in lightly, using the whisk blades or a large metal spoon. 
3. Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, then fold into the cake mixture in three batches, again using the blades to preserve as much air as possible. 
4. Pour the mixture evenly over the prepared tin, then carefully spread to the edges. Bake for 10-12 mins, or until the cake feels firm to the touch. Put a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar. Turn the cake out onto the parchment and peel off the lining paper. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim a little cake from all the edges, then score along the edge of one of the long sides of the cake and roll up from there, using the paper to help you, rolling the paper inside the cake. 
5. To make the icing and filling, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan, remove from the heat, then break in 400g of the chocolate. Stir until it is melted and smooth. Leave to cool, then chill until it is spreadable, about 1 hr. Chop the remaining chocolate, spoon a third of the icing into a bowl, then stir them together to make the filling.
6. Carefully unroll the cake, then spread all the filling over to within 2cm of the edges. Roll up the cake again using the paper to help you, then set on a board. 
7. Cut a thick diagonal slice off one end of the cake. Transfer the larger piece of cake to a board or flat serving plate. Spread a little icing over cut side of the small piece of cake and fix it to the large roll to make a stump. Spread remaining icing over the cake, then dust with icing sugar to serve.
Enjoy the Yule Log if you decide to make one.
Peytons View 