Cocoa Frosting Yule Log Food

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG

Steps:

• Whip powdered sugar, butter, cocoa powder, salt, and coffee liqueur together in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed. Transfer buttercream into a separate bowl and add mascarpone cheese. Mix until combined; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush a little melted butter over a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan. Line pan with parchment paper and brush remaining melted butter on top.
• Combine cocoa powder, salt, and flour together in a bowl; whisk or sift to break up clumps.
• Place eggs in the clean bowl of your stand mixer. Add sugar and whip until fluffy, thick, and very light in color. Add 1/2 of the cocoa powder mixture and vanilla extract; mix on low speed for a few seconds. Beat in remaining cocoa mixture on low for a few seconds. Switch to high speed; stop once mixture is moistened but not fully blended. Pull off the whisk attachment and whisk batter with it until evenly blended.
• Pour batter onto the prepared sheet pan and spread out with a spatula, leaving some room around the edges. Tap pan on the counter to knock out the large bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is dry and edges start to pull away from the sides, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Dust a clean kitchen towel with enough powdered sugar to cover an area slightly larger than the sponge cake. Remove cake from the oven. Run a knife around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top. Run a spatula under the parchment paper to make sure it's not stuck to the pan.
• Quickly flip pan on top of the sugared area to invert the cake. Remove parchment paper and dust cake with more powdered sugar. Gently roll cake up inside the towel; allow to cool for 15 minutes.
• Unroll cake and dollop buttercream on top, reserving some for later. Spread frosting to the edges. Roll cake up over the frosting, using the towel to lift it if needed. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on top. Wrap log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Combine chocolate chips and hot cream in a bowl. Let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate melts.
• Make an angled cut 3 inches from one end of the log. Place log on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Apply some buttercream to the angled slice and attach it to one side. Spread a layer of ganache all over the cake, except for the swirls. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up ganache.
• Carve lines into the ganache using the tip of a knife to create the appearance of tree bark. Refrigerate until completely chilled before serving. Dust with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE MOCHA YULE LOG

Steps:

• Whip together 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream, the confectioners' sugar and espresso powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spread a heaping tablespoon of the whipped cream onto one side of 39 chocolate wafer cookies (wipe the spoon clean with a rubber spatula between dollops). Spread the whipped cream out on the cookies with a small offset spatula. Stack 5 cookies on top of each other. Repeat with the remaining cookies (including the one without whipped cream) so that you have 8 stacks total. One of the stacks will have a cookie on top with no whipped cream; this stack will be the top stack.
• To build the log: Lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 20 inches long on the countertop. Working across the entire length of the plastic wrap, lay one of the cookie stacks on its side. Gently press the remaining 7 cookies stacks together, end to end, finishing with the top stack, to make one long cookie log that's about 15 to 18 inches long. Wrap the log up in the plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• While your stack is chilling, make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 10 minutes, then stir until completely melt. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes. Just before frosting, whip the ganache until it just begins to loosen up, turns lighter in color and is spreadable, 30 to 45 seconds. It's important not to overwhip or it will become grainy.
• Cut a 2- to 3- inch diagonal piece from the top end of the log and place it on top of the log at an angle; this will be the branch. Spread the ganache over the log to cover it completely. Heat a metal fork. Use the tines and the back of a the fork to draw a bark pattern in the ganache, running it along the surface in short strokes.
• To make the mushrooms: Shave the tops of 6 of the meringues with a rasp grater until they are smooth and round and resemble mushroom caps. Smooth the tops with a wet finger. Mix together 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar with 1/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl to make a glue. Smear a little of the sugar glue on the bottom of each meringue and stick a marshmallow to it to make a stem. To make a shorter stem, simply cut the marshmallow in half with kitchen shears. Let the mushrooms sit for 30 minutes until the sugar water has hardened. Dust the tops with cocoa powder.
• Decorate the cake with the mushrooms, rosemary, mint and cranberries. Shave the remaining meringue over top of the cake to make snow. Slice the cake on a diagonal for serving.

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG

Steps:

• Place egg whites in large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. , Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup sugar. Sift flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt together twice; gradually add to yolk mixture and mix well (batter will be very thick). , With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Spread evenly into prepared pan. , Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with cocoa powder. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in towel, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; cool completely on a wire rack., Meanwhile, for the filling, beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and almond extract, beating until stiff peaks form. Unroll cake; spread filling to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up again. , In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost the cake, using a metal spatula to create a bark-like effect.

YULE LOG

Steps:

• Place the chocolate and butter in a medium sized bowl and place the bowl over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Stir gently as the chocolate begins to melt and continue stirring until very smooth.
• Meanwhile heat the cream in a small pan or in the microwave then add it to the chocolate again stirring until very smooth.
• Stir in the sugar and cocoa until very smooth. Use immediately or let rest briefly at room temperature until ready to use. If the frosting seems too stiff you may rest it over the simmering water bath, stirring until it smooths out.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a standard 11 by 17 baking pan by first buttering it, then lining it with wax or parchment paper then buttering the paper. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the pan and shake to evenly coat then knock out the excess.
• Place the egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, the vanilla and rum in a mixing bowl. Beat vigorously with a hand whisk until the mixture is thick and ribbony with a pale yellow colour. This will take several minutes. You may do this in your stand mixer, if you do at this point remove the mixture from the mixer bowl and thoroughly clean and dry the bowl before proceeding to the next step.
• Beat the egg whites separately in a clean bowl until the form soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.
• Fold the two mixtures together. Begin by quickly stirring one third or so of the whites into the yolks. Then gently add half of the remaining whites and half of the flour, fold gently with a rubber spatula and try not to overmix or you will knock the air out of the batter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and when the mix is almost blended add the butter and finish mixing.
• Immediately pour the batter into the ready baking pan and smooth it gently into an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for about ten minutes or so, just long enough for the top to feel springy to the touch and for the batter to congeal. Don't overbake or you wont be able to roll it up.
• Remove from the oven and trim off the dried out edges on the ends of the cake. Turn the cake onto a slightly damp tea towel that has been thoroughly dusted with powdered sugar. Sift an even level of powdered sugar over the top of the cake then gently roll it up into a log-like cylinder. You may freeze the cake for several days at this point, if you do let it thaw for several hours before proceeding.
• Unroll the cake and leave on the towel. Sprinkle it with a bit more rum (or a lot more rum!) Spread your filling evenly over the cakes surface then roll up again using the towel to help. Slice off about one third of the cake at a 45 degree angle. Place the roulade, seam side down on a serving platter and position the smaller piece next to the larger one so that it resembles a branch. Frost with the chocolate icing. Draw a fork through the icing to help it resemble bark. Decorate and serve.

YULE LOG

Steps:

• Butter a jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and sprinkle with flour, tapping to remove excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the machine up to high, and beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, continue to beat until shiny but not stiff. Add the flour to the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add l/4 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, whisking to lighten the mixture. Then return the yolk mixture to the egg whites, and fold gently. Scrape into the prepared pan and even the top by running a long offset spatula across the surface. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, l2 to l5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Set aside.
• Place cooled hazelnuts on a kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for l minute. Add the hazelnut oil through the feeder tube and process until a paste forms.
• Melt chocolate in a medium bowl placed over simmering water, or melt in a microwave oven. Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut paste and set aside.
• Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the hazelnut/chocolate mixture. Keep covered in the refrigerator until needed.
• To assemble the cake roll:
• Trim the edges of the sponge cake. Place the Hazelnut mousse on the cake layer. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a l inch space along the long side. Using the parchment paper to aid you, carefully roll up the cake into a thick log, enclosing the mousse. Leave the wrapped, rolled-up cake on the sheet pan and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours.
• Melt the chocolate. In a small pot, heat the coffee and cocoa. Add the sour cream. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and combine completely. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until of spreading consistency.;
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line l or 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a #4 or #5 plain tip and set aside.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Turn speed to high, slowly pour in half the sugar, add vanilla and continue to beat for l minute. Slowly pour in the remaining sugar and beat until the whites are very thick and shiny, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Immediately spoon half the mixture into the prepared pastry bag. (Meringue will begin to break down if not used soon after it is ready.) Hold the pastry bag upright over the prepared baking trays, squeeze out 26 to 30 mushroom caps, making different sizes, placed about l inch apart. The caps can be different sizes, since real mushroom caps are never identical.
• Again, holding the bag upright over the other tray, lifting the bag as you squeeze out the meringue, form 26 to 30 stems, each l/2 inch to l inch high, placed about l inch apart.
• Place the trays in the oven and bake until the meringues are firm to the touch and can be lifted easily from the trays, about l l/2 hours. The meringues should be dry, but should not take on any color. Remove the trays to a cool dry spot. When cool, with a small knife, trim any pointed tips on the caps and stems, if desired.
• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl, and holding the caps upside down, spread a little chocolate on each one. Attach a stem and leave them upside down until the chocolate hardens. When ready, turn mushroom cap side up, and dust lightly with sifted cocoa.
• Set aside until ready to use for decoration.
• To decorate and serve:
• Remove pan with cake from refrigerator and place wrapped cake on a firm surface. Carefully unwrap cake. Using a serrated knife, from one end cut a 2-inch piece of cake on the diagonal. Set the cut piece aside.
• Cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the cake. Cover the cardboard with foil and place the cake on it. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the small cut piece and set on top of the cake roll. Using a small spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake as well as the small piece atop the cake. With a wooden skewer or the point of a small knife, make furrows to simulate bark along the sides and top of the cake.
• Arrange Christmas greens, plastic holly, and Meringue Mushrooms around the Yule Log. Sift powdered sugar over the whole thing to simulate snow. Fresh cranberries can be scattered around for added color.

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG

Steps:

• Lay cake on a clean work surface. Mix the whipped topping and vanilla extract together until combined. Spread white frosting over the top of the cake to coat completely. Roll up the cake, jelly-roll style, and then cover the outside of the cake with the frosting. Drag a fork along the length of the cake to form a bark design. Dust with cocoa powder and refrigerate.
• For the forest mushrooms, insert 1 toothpick through each marshmallow and then into the flat side of the chocolate kiss to form "mushroom." Group chocolate mushrooms along cake by inserting toothpicks into surface of cake, at intervals to resemble growths of forest mushrooms. Dust chocolate kiss candies with confectioners' sugar. Slice and serve.

YUMMY CHOCOLATE LOG

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter and line a 23 x 32cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Beat the eggs and golden caster sugar together with an electric whisk for about 8 mins until thick and creamy.
• Mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together, then sift onto the egg mixture. Fold in very carefully, then pour into the tin. Tip the tin from side to side to spread the mixture into the corners. Bake for 10 mins.
• Lay a sheet of baking parchment on a work surface. When the cake is ready, tip it onto the parchment, peel off the lining paper, then roll the cake up from its longest edge with the paper inside. Leave to cool.
• To make the icing, melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Take from the heat and stir in the golden syrup and 5 tbsp double cream. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.
• Whisk the remaining double cream until it holds its shape. Unravel the cake, spread the cream over the top, scatter over the crushed extra strong mints, if using, then carefully roll up again into a log.
• Cut a thick diagonal slice from one end of the log. Lift the log on to a plate, then arrange the slice on the side with the diagonal cut against the cake to make a branch. Spread the icing over the log and branch (don't cover the ends), then use a fork to mark the icing to give the effect of tree bark. Scatter with unsifted icing sugar to resemble snow, and decorate with holly.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING I

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat margarine and cocoa together until combined. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust with more milk or confectioners' sugar if necessary.

YULE LOG

Steps:

• Separate the 5 yolks from whites, obviously into two separate bowls. Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl and let the whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or more.
• Grease a baking pan, then line the pan with parchment paper. Finally, grease the parchment paper. I use Crisco (a vegetable shortening) as the grease, but you could use butter, margarine or even (yuck) animal lard. This recipe presumes a 15 inch by 10 inch by 1/2 inch deep pan, but you can use a pan that is larger in any dimension(s), and just crimp the parchment paper at the proper dimensions.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks on high until they are light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating for a few minutes, until thick and lemon-colored.
• In a dry bowl, combine the 1/2 cup cake flour, 1/4 cup baking cocoa (powdered cocoa) & 1/4 teaspoon salt with a whisk.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and blend on medium, until well mixed.
• Beat egg whites (in a separate clean bowl) on medium until foamy. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. then, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form.
• Slowly and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate flour mixture, until no streaks remain.
• Gently spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 350° for about 12 minutes or until cake springs back (do not over bake; certainly not more than 15 minutes. It is better to under bake rather than over bake!).
• Cool the cake for 5 minutes, then invert onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar (or another piece of parchment paper, dusted with the powdered sugar). Peel off parchment paper.
• Roll the cake up in the towel or paper, starting with a short side. Then let it cool on a wire rack. The cake portion is now done! If you need to take a break, put the cake in a sealed container or plastic bag.
• MAKING THE FILLING. Alternatives: [1] If you are in a hurry or want a white filling, you could instead just use a topping like "Cool Whip"; but it would need to be served within hours, before the Cool Whip melted and went flat. [2] Another white filling can be made by whipping 1 cup of whipping cream until it is light and fluffy, then beating in 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Obviously, this requires the cake to be kept refrigerated, except when serving it. [3] For a white, vanilla buttercream filling, see the "white buttercream filling recipe" at the bottom of this page; [4] For a chocolate buttercream filling, see the "chocolate buttercream filling recipe" at the bottom of this page; [5] For a mocha (coffee) filling, add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules to any of these above.
• Whip 4 egg whites in a clean dry mixing bowl until fluffy peaks form.
• Add the 1 and a half cups of powdered (icing or confectioner's sugar) to the mixer. Then add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 cup powdered baking cocoa. Whip briefly, but to a uniform color.
• Unroll the cake! If you want to make two shorter cakes, simply cut the cake in half before unrolling it. The advantage of this is, you can make one with chocolate filling, the other with a white filling, or mocha, etc.
• Spread it about at least 1/4 inch thick, up to a maximum of 1/2 inch thick.
• Gently and loosely roll the cake, not squeezing! You don't want to squeeze out the filling. Again, the chocolate filling is on the left, the white buttercream (or whipped cream) is on the right. Now, while the white icing looks better, the chocolate tastes much better -- in my opinion.
• MAKING THE ICING / FROSTING: Alternatives: If you are in a hurry, you can use a pre-made, store-bought can of chocolate frosting / icing, instead.
• In a mixing bowl add 1.5 cups confectioners' sugar (also called powdered sugar and in the UK, icing sugar) , 2 egg whites, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice & 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, then whip it up in your electric mixer.
• Add the cocoa, and mix with the mixer until uniform.
• Gently slurp the icing on the cake (top and ends). Note: the log in the photo appears short because I cut the roll in half to make two short logs, rather than one long log.
• I use a pastry blending knife to make the lines in the icing to look like a log! I just drag the front of it across the log. Of course, you can buy special decorating tools for this, also.
• You can also dust it with powdered sugar, to simulate snow!

NEXT LEVEL YULE LOG

Steps:

• Line a 35 x 25cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until just holding peaks, then add half the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the peaks hold. Set aside. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy in a clean bowl. Sift in the cocoa, spices and a pinch of salt and gently fold them through. Beat in a third of the egg whites, then gently fold through the rest until you have an airy mousse. Pour into the tin and spread evenly. Bake for 12-15 mins until springy.
• Sprinkle caster sugar over a large sheet of baking parchment. Turn the cake out onto the sugared parchment, then peel off the sheet you used to line the tin. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim the edges, then score along the inside edge of one of the short sides and roll it up from there, using the parchment to help.
• To make the filling, beat the butter, icing sugar, brandy and vanilla together with an electric whisk for 10 mins until light and fluffy. Unroll the sponge, then turn it so that one long edge is facing you. Spread the buttercream over the sponge using a palette knife, keeping the end furthest from you clean. Using the parchment, roll the sponge up again into a roulade.
• For the frosting, tip the chocolate into a large bowl. Put the cream and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts and the cream reaches simmering point, then pour over the chocolate. Stir to create a smooth mixture, then leave to cool, stirring occasionally, until you can spread it over the sponge. Make bark lines using a fork, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
• To decorate with chocolate leaves, melt the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and paint the underside of the bay leaves with it. Put in the fridge to set for 30 mins, then gently peel away the bay leaves. Arrange over the log, then lightly dust with the icing sugar and lustre.