This festive chocolate and cream yule log cake roll is the perfect Christmas Eve dessert to bake for your family. Stunning and elegant, you'll be surprised at just how easy it is to make ahead the day before.
PREP TIME 30 minutesminutes
CHILL TIME 1 hourhour
COOK TIME 12 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour42 minutesminutes
YIELD 10servings
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Sponge Cake
3/4cupflour
1/3cupunsweetened cocoa powderLike Hershey's
1tspbaking powder
1/2tspsalt
4eggsyolks and whites separated
3/4cupsugar
5tbspsour cream
4tablespoonsbuttermelted
1tspvanilla
For the Whipped Cream Filling
1 1/4cupheavy whipping cream
3/4cuppowdered sugar
1tspvanilla
1/8tspsalt
1(8 oz) container of mascarpone cheeseslightly softened, or full fat cream cheese + 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
1cupsugarfor final coating of the berries and rosemary
Instructions
Bake and Roll the Chocolate Sponge Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a jelly roll pan (17 x 12-inch pan with a 1-inch deep rim) with parchment paper that drapes 1-inch over each side of the pan for easy lifting and rolling of the cake.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Crack and separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two separate bowls and set aside. You can place the egg whites directly into the stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add the sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla and whisk them together until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl and gently whisk them together. Set aside.
Whisk the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate batter. This will help loosen the mixture before adding the remaining 2/3 of egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites and then spread the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and smooth it out evenly.
Bake the cake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the top springs back when gently touched. A toothpick should come out clean.
Immediately lift the cake out of the pan by the parchment paper ends and transfer it to the counter to cool for at least 10 minutes.
While the cake is still very warm, use the parchment paper to roll the cake up starting at the shorter end. The paper will be rolled up inside the cake and will help prevent the cake layers from sticking to each other. Set the cake aside to cool completely.
Prepare the Cream Filling
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on high speed until soft peaks form.
Add the mascarpone cheese to the mixer and whisk it in until stiff peaks form, 1 - 2 minutes. If using the cream cheese, you may want to add up to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to soften the mixture.
Fill the Cake
Slowly and carefully unroll the completely cooled cake. You may find that it sticks in some places, simply pause and run a spatula between the cake and parchment paper as needed to help it unroll smoothly.
Spread the whipped marscapone cream filling evenly over the entire surface of the cake but leave just 1 inch border on one short end of the cake. As you roll the cake back up, the filling will spread and fill this space in.
Starting at the short end of the cake away from the empty border, use the parchment paper as a tool to roll the cake over onto the filling, pulling the paper away as you roll the cake back up. This time, no paper should be rolled inside the cake.
Wrap the rolled cake in plastic wrap with the seam side down and chill for one hour or up to 24 hours so the whole cake roll can firm up.
Make the Sugared Cranberries and Frosted Rosemary
Up to 24 hours in advance, you can prepare the sugared decorations. Rinse the cranberries and rosemary and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Do not bring it to a boil.
Dip the tips of the rosemary in the sugar water and lay them in an even layer on a wire rack to dry. Add the cranberries to the sugar water and stir them. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the rack to dry for one hour.
Toss the dried rosemary and cranberries in a bowl of sugar and place on the wire rack to dry for one hour up to 24 hours.
Make the Chocolate Frosting
Add the chocolate chips to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
Add the heavy cream to a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave on high for 2 - 3 minutes or until it just begins to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 - 3 minutes.
Whisk the softened chocolate and cream together until smooth. Let cool until room temperature.
Transfer the chocolate to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until it has lightened in color and becomes thick enough to spread.
Assemble the Yule Log
Set out a cake plate to build your yule log on. Unwrap the chilled cake and place it on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut a 3-inch piece off one end on the diagonal.
Place the larger portion of the cake on the cake platter. Arrange the flat side of the cut piece against the side of the main log. This will form the short "branch" that comes from the log.
To keep your platter neat, tuck strips of waxed paper underneath the edges of the yule log to prevent the frosting from smearing your platter.
Spread the chocolate frosting evenly over the tops and sides of the yule log, leaving only the cut rolled ends open to view.
Chill the cake for 20 minutes, then use a fork to drag long wavy lines down the log to form the "bark." This is much easier to do with chilled frosting than room temperature frosting and will keep your pattern neat.
Decorate with sprinkles of sugared cranberries and rosemary as desired.
Keep the yule log refrigerated until you're ready to serve. It should only be displayed at room temperature for an hour or less before being placed back in the fridge for keeping.
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead Tips:The yule log cake can be made, rolled, and frosted a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Alternatively, you may prefer to bake the cake and roll it with the cream filling the day before. Frost it and assemble it with the chocolate ganache the morning before your evening celebration. This helps save space in the fridge since the plastic-wrapped log takes up less space than the fully decorated yule log.