Chocolate Yule Log
This Chocolate Yule Log recipe brings a little snowy woodland charm to a sunny South African Christmas table. Under the chocolate bark is a light cocoa sponge wrapped around vanilla cream, with just enough dark chocolate on the outside to balance the sweet filling.
The trick is to roll the sponge while it is still warm, then let it cool in that shape before adding the cream. A few small cracks are nothing to worry about: the ganache covers them, and a fork makes wonderfully simple bark marks.
For a hot Christmas lunch, make the log ahead and keep it in the fridge until serving. Cut modest slices with a warm, dry knife, and offer fresh cherries alongside if you have them.
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge
Vanilla cream filling
Chocolate ganache
Instructions
Bake and roll the sponge
- 1Heat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan. Lightly grease a shallow 25 × 35 cm Swiss roll tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Lay a clean, lint-free tea towel on the worktop and sift 10 g of the rolling icing sugar over an area slightly larger than the tin.
- 2Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and caster sugar for 6–8 minutes until very pale, thick and roughly tripled in volume. The mixture should leave a ribbon on the surface for a few seconds when the whisk is lifted. Briefly whisk in the vanilla.
- 3Sift the cake flour, cocoa and salt together. Fold into the egg mixture in two additions with a large metal spoon or spatula, reaching right down to the bottom without knocking out too much air. Spread gently and evenly in the prepared tin.
- 4Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the sponge springs back lightly when touched and a skewer comes out clean. Do not overbake. Immediately loosen the edges and turn the sponge onto the sugared towel. Carefully peel away the baking paper.
- 5Starting at a short end, roll the warm sponge up with the towel inside it, keeping the roll gentle rather than tight. Place seam-side down on a wire rack and leave to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
Fill and decorate
- 1While the sponge cools, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the 150 ml cream in a small saucepan until steaming and just beginning to bubble at the edges. Pour over the chocolate, leave for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth. Cool until thick enough to spread; if necessary, refrigerate in 5-minute intervals, stirring each time.
- 2Whip the chilled 250 ml cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form, stopping before it becomes grainy. Carefully unroll the cooled sponge; do not force the curled inner edge flat. Spread with the filling, leaving a 2 cm border at the far short end.
- 3Roll up again from the same short end, using the towel to help but leaving it outside the cake this time. Transfer seam-side down to a serving platter and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- 4Cut a 4 cm piece diagonally from one end. Use a little ganache to attach it to the side of the log as a branch. Spread the remaining ganache over the outside, leaving the spiral ends exposed. Drag a fork lightly through the coating to make bark lines.
- 5Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the filling and coating are firm. Just before serving, dust lightly with the remaining 5 g icing sugar. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 335 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Protein
- 5.5 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Saturated fat
- 14 g
- Sugar
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 62 mg
- Cholesterol
- 124 mg
Estimated values based on the ingredients used.
Notes
Christmas tips
- Allow about 3 hours from starting to serving. The 40-minute prep time is hands-on time; cooling and chilling are extra.
- Make the finished log up to a day ahead. Once the ganache is firm, cover loosely without touching the surface and refrigerate.
- On a hot South African Christmas Day, keep the log chilled until dessert is served. Do not leave it on a sunny buffet; limit time out of the fridge to 1 hour if the temperature is above 32°C.
- Add the icing sugar just before serving, as it gradually dissolves on chilled ganache. Fresh cherries make a simple optional accompaniment.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my sponge crack?
Overbaking or waiting until the sponge is cold before its first roll can cause cracking. Roll it straight from the oven and avoid pulling it completely flat when filling. Small cracks can be covered with ganache.
Can I use milk chocolate for the coating?
Yes, but milk chocolate makes a softer, sweeter ganache. Use 150 g milk chocolate with 100 ml cream instead, and cool it until spreadable before coating the log.
How long will leftovers keep?
Store covered in the fridge at 4°C or below and eat within 2 days of making the log. Refrigerate leftover slices promptly, provided they have not exceeded the safe time out of the fridge.
