Traditional Yule Log Food

CLASSIC YULE LOG

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Line with waxed paper. Grease paper.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat together sugar and egg yolks at high speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, alternately beat milk and flour mixture into egg mixture.
• Using clean beaters, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Fold one third of beaten whites into batter. Fold in remaining whites. Spread batter in prepared pan; smooth top.
• Bake cake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until set, 12 minutes.
• Dust a clean cloth with confectioners' sugar. Turn cake out onto prepared cloth. Remove waxed paper. Trim cake edges. Starting with a long side, roll up cake, jelly-roll style. Transfer, seam-side down, to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
• Unroll cake; remove cloth. Spread whipped cream over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Re-roll cake. Place, seam-side down, on serving plate.
• To prepare frosting, in a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, melted chocolate, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring vigorously until blended. Remove from heat. Let stand until set. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.
• To prepare garnish, dust work surface with confectioners' sugar. Knead food coloring into marzipan until blended. Using a rolling pin dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll marzipan to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a small knife, cut out leaves. Arrange leaves, cinnamon candies, and snowmen on top of cake and around plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Enjoy!

YULE LOG

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in chocolate and water until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. , In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in a greased and floured 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. , Meanwhile, sprinkle a kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto the towel. Starting from a short end, roll up cake in the towel. Place seam side down on a wire rack to cool completely. , Unroll cake; spread coconut-pecan frosting to within 1 in. of edges; roll up cake without the towel. Cut and reserve a narrow diagonal slice from each end of the cake. Attach diagonal cake slices with a little of the chocolate frosting to opposite sides of cake. With remaining chocolate frosting, frost the top and side of the cake. With the tines of a fork, make strokes in the frosting to resemble bark on a tree trunk. , For the mushrooms, half large marshmallows widthwise for mushroom caps. Attach cut side of caps to mini marshmallows for stems. Dust tops of mushrooms and log with cocoa; place mushrooms around the log.

CLASSIC YULE LOG

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a 12-x 17-inch sheet pan with non-stick vegetable oil spray and place a sheet of parchment paper on top.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour and cocoa powder.
• Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until frothy.
• Slowly add the sugar to incorporate, then turn the speed to high and continue whisking until you get medium-stiff peaks.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl, Using a rubber spatula, fold the yolks into the whipped egg whites until almost fully incorporated.
• Add half of the dry ingredients into the eggs and fold in using large strokes to prevent deflating the batter.
• While the mixture is still streaky, add the remainder of the dry ingredients and fold until everything is fully incorporated. Do not over mix.
• Spread the batter onto the prepared sheet pan using a large offset spatula, making it as even as possible.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the cake springs back to the touch.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the chocolate chunks in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 45-second increments until it is almost completely melted. Stir the chocolate and allow the residual heat to finish melting any remaining chunks. Set aside.
• In a small pot place 1 1/4 cups sugar and the water and stir to combine. Wet your fingers to wipe any sugar crystals off the sides of the pot.
• Place over medium-high heat and let cook until the sugar syrup reaches 238 F. Do not stir the syrup while it is cooking, this will cause the sugar to crystalize.
• In the meantime, place the egg whites and salt into a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until the whites become frothy.
• Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar until fully combined. Turn the speed up to high and continue to whisk until medium-stiff peaks form. Turn off the mixer and wait for the sugar syrup to reach temperature.
• When the sugar syrup reaches 238 F, remove the pot from heat and turn the mixer back on low speed. Slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl until fully incorporated.
• Turn the speed to medium-high and continue to whisk until it has doubled in size and the bowl is no longer warm.
• Turn the speed back down to medium and slowly add in the butter chunks until smooth.
• Lower the speed and slowly pour in the melted chocolate and mix until everything comes together into a beautiful silky smooth buttercream.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Make a simple syrup. Heat the water and sugar together in a small pot over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange liqueur if using. Set aside.
• Use a small paring knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan. Flip the pan over onto a cutting board to release the cake.
• Peel the parchment paper off the bottom of the cake and place a new piece of parchment on top. Make sure the parchment paper is larger than the cake itself-this will make it easier to roll.
• Pick up the cutting board and flip the cake onto a clean work surface. The large parchment should now be on the bottom with the cake on top.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the simple syrup all over the top of the cake. This will keep the cake moist.
• Using a large offset spatula, spread 1/2-inch of chocolate buttercream over the cake in a smooth even layer.
• With the short side of the cake facing you, start rolling the cake away from you, pulling it tight with each turn. When you get to the end, leave the seam on the bottom.
• Cut 2 inches off one end of the rolled-up roulade and slice a little off the other side to make the end even. The 2-inch piece will be used for a log stump.
• Place the roll on a serving platter and use the offset spatula to spread the remaining buttercream all over to cover the log. Make sure to reserve some to cover the stump.
• Place the stump on top of the cake and cover with the remaining buttercream. (You can use the buttercream as glue to help the stump "stick" to the log or use toothpicks to help keep the stump in place.) Let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Remove from the fridge and use a fork to scrape wood grain designs all over the log. Use a chopstick or something pointy to carve a spiral on the ends of the log. If desired, decorate with meringue mushrooms , marzipan or fondant holly leaves, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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.