Dark Chocolate Log Roll Food

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.

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.

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 ROLL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a 9 1/2 by 13 1/2 by 3/4-inch pan. Cut waxed paper width of pan plus 5 inches in length. Line the pan so there is at least 2 inches of waxed paper extending over both ends of the pan. Grease the paper.
• Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with the sugar, until they are light, creamy and thickened.
• Break chocolate into pieces and place in medium saucepan with the water. Melt over hot (not boiling) and let cool.
• Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir the chocolate into the yolks and fold in the beaten egg whites. Gently combine. To facilitate this, put a small amount of whites into the yolk and chocolate mixture and then add all this back into the whites.
• Spread the chocolate mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Shut off the oven and bake 5 minutes more. Practice will tell you if the timing is right.
• Remove from the oven and cover top with a dishtowel wrung out in cold water. Stretch the cloth tight and tuck under the pan. Cool, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Remove the cloth carefully and loosen edges with knife. Dust top heavily and completely with cocoa. Lay 2 pieces of waxed paper longer than the pan side by side overlapping with the top over the bottom. Turn out cake on bottom end of paper and carefully pull off the waxed paper.
• Whip the cream over a bowl of ice, and add the sugar and vanilla when it begins to thicken. Beat until stiff.
• Spread the cake with the whipped cream, with less towards the top. Roll the cake from bottom, the long side forward, using the waxed paper to roll it. When rolled, the paper should be all around it so you can mold it with your hands as you finish. Put on a long wooden board to chill for a few hours.
• When ready to serve, open the paper and cut off along side with the tip of a knife. If there are cracks along the side, dust all over with the cocoa in a shaker or use a small sieve or sifter to distribute it where needed.

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.

CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a 22 x 32cm swiss roll tin (if it's 20 x 30cm that's still fine) with baking parchment. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl and set aside.
• Crack the eggs into another bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and tip in the sugar. Use an electric whisk or the whisk attachment to beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 mins until pale and very thick. Use a spoon or spatula to gently fold in the flour mixture until completely incorporated and everything's the same colour with no streaks.
• Gently scrape the mix into the tin and spread to the corners. Bake for 9-10 mins until puffed up and springy to touch. While the cake is baking, get another piece of parchment a little larger than the tin and scatter it with sugar. When the sponge is cooked, use oven gloves to carefully invert it onto the sugar-coated paper. Lift off the tin and peel away the top layer of parchment. Score a line 2cm from one of the shorter edges, then use the parchment to roll the sponge into a spiral with the parchment running through it. Leave the rolled sponge to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the filling by whisking all the ingredients together until the cream stiffens. Unroll the sponge and spread over the filling, leaving the scored edge clear. Starting from the scored edge, use the parchment to roll the sponge up around the filling. Lift onto a board or serving platter and dust with icing sugar. Can be served straight away or chilled for up to 24 hrs. Serve in slices.