Chocolate Buttercream For Yule Log Recipes

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.

RECIPES

Steps:

• Step 1:Preheat the oven to 180˚C (fan 160°C, gas mark 6). Grease and line a swiss roll tin with baking paper.Step 2:Whisk the caster sugar and eggs in a large bowl until pale and light.Step 3:Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold into the egg mixture using a metal spoon. Pour into the prepared tin, tilting it so that it covers the whole surface.Step 4:Bake for 8-10 minutes until firm yet springy to the touch. Dust a large sheet of paper with caster sugar and then turn the sponge onto it. Trim off the edges. Make a dent 1cm from the edge and tightly roll up the sponge and leave to cool.Step 5:For the buttercream icing: Mix together the icing sugar and butter, then add the melted chocolate and milk. Beat until smooth.Step 6:Unroll the sponge, spread over a generous layer of buttercream and roll up tightly again.This useful video shows you how to roll a swiss roll.How to roll a swiss rollStep 7:Cover with the remaining buttercream, using a fork to create a log effect. For a finishing touch, dust with icing sugar.Step 8:For an extra festive touch, simply melt down some dark chocolate, and leave to set as a large chocolate button. Decorate using Smarties and icing to make a reindeer face - the perfect treat for the kids this Christmas.

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.

COCOA FROSTING YULE LOG

Steps:

• Line 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans with parchment. Grease parchment and set aside. In a bowl, combine the walnuts, flour and cocoa; set aside., In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar, beating until mixture is thick and light yellow, about 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add cocoa mixture; stir until combined. , In another large bowl, beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into cocoa mixture until thoroughly incorporated; fold in remaining meringue in 2 additions., Spread batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes. Turn each onto a kitchen towel dusted with additional cocoa. Gently peel off parchment. Working quickly, roll up each cake in a towel, starting with the short side. Cool completely on a wire rack., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Unroll cakes and spread evenly with cream mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up each cake again., Place 1 cake roll seam side down on a serving plate. Use the second cake roll for the branches. To make branches, measure 3 in. from top right corner of the second cake roll; cut at an angle from that point to the bottom right corner. Measure 3 in. from the top left corner; cut at an angle from that point to the bottom left corner. Save end pieces for another use. Measure 3 in. from the top right and 3 in. from bottom right; cut between the marks. Place cut cake sections along sides of cake for branches., For frosting, sift confectioners' sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In a another large bowl, beat butter and vanilla until blended. Beat in confectioners' sugar mixture alternately with enough milk to reach desired consistency. Frost top and sides of cake with cocoa frosting. Using an offset spatula, make short strokes in frosting to create bark pattern. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries.

MOCHA BUTTER CREAM YULE LOG

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is thick and light-colored. Add flour and cocoa, beating on low speed. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter. mix until no streaks of white remaining. , Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; line with waxed paper, and grease and flour paper. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. Cover with waxed paper and cool completely on wire rack., Remove paper; invert cake onto an 18-in. long piece of waxed paper dusted with confectioners' sugar. Trim edges from all four sides of cake. , For filling, combine flour and milk in a saucepan. Cook over low heat; stirring until thick. Cool. In a bowl, cream sugar, butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat until fluffy. Fold in walnuts if desired. Spread over cake; roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from one short end. , For frosting, beat butter until fluffy in a small bowl. Beat in sugar, cocoa and coffee. Spread over cake, using a fork to create a bark-like effect. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and nuts if desired.

YULE LOG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a jelly roll pan. Line it with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
• Beat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons flour, butter, lukewarm water, and baking powder; beat until well combined.
• Beat egg whites and salt in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff. Transfer 1/3 of the whites to the cake batter and gently fold in. Repeat with remaining whites. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven until it springs back when pressed gently in the middle, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 3 minutes, before carefully turning the cake out onto a large piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment and cake from one short end to the other and let cool.
• While the cake is cooling, place chocolate for buttercream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Beat softened butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Add powdered sugar in small increments, beating between each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat until well combined.
• Carefully unroll the cooled sponge cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream across the top to the edges. Firmly roll back up, using parchment to help you, into a tight roll.
• At one end of the roll, cut off a diagonal slice to represent a branch, about 2 inches in length at the longest side. Frost the entire roll with buttercream. Use a palette knife to create uneven ridges to represent tree bark. Position the branch somewhere near the center of the log and cover with buttercream.
• Drag the tines of a fork lengthwise across the buttercream to create an extra bark effect. Dust the entire log with cocoa powder.