Yule Log Cake For Christmas

                                 

Bring extra merriness to your Christmas table with this beautiful festive Chocolate Swiss Roll Yule Log cake

The interesting history behind the Yule Log

I would like to write a bit about the fascinating history of the Yule Log cake here, before writing down the recipe of it.

The interesting story is that many years ago, the custom was, that a large tree would be cut down and bring the bark to the house by the head of the family before Christmas.  One side of it would be placed in the fireplace and lit up while the rest of the log would be lying across the living space. The log would be slowly fed into the fire which gave warmth and a cozy atmosphere for all the 12 days of celebrating Christmas. 

Enjoy making this cake and spread joy among family and friends during this festive time! Step by step recipe is given and nothing could possibly go wrong in the process. I particularly loved decorating it, giving it a real Christmassy appearance; The height of the joy of decorating this cake is, fixing a few Holly leaves with red berries on the top, and dusting it with icing sugar to make it look like snowflakes! And do not forget to sing Jingle Bells while you are at it!

So, let’s gather the following ingredients and get on with making this delicious cake before Christmas day dawns.

Ingredients you'll need for the cake

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar	120 g
Eggs	3
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Salt	2 pinches
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

For the butter icing

Icing Sugar	300 g
Margarine	150 g
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Fresh Milk	2 tbsp
Lemon juice	2 drops

Let’s make the cake;

Set the Oven to 180 C

Cream the batter

• Separate the egg whites and yolks being very careful not to mix even a bit of yolk in the whites for the best results
• Beat egg whites at high speed for 1-2 mins. When you lift the mixer, the pins should hold stiff peaks of egg whites
• Add sugar three times while beating again at high speed for 1 min (Do not drop all the sugar at once)
• Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins
• Add cocoa powder, baking powder, cornflour, and plain flour together and sieve onto the batter
• Add salt and vanilla
• Fold the flour using a spatula until the batter becomes creamy Do not use the electric mixer at this point

Prepare the tin

• 12″ x 10″ size Swiss cake tin is the right size for the sponge
• Line up with a parchment paper
• Spread the batter on the tray and flatten it properly. Lift the tray and drop it on the pantry top twice for the batter to settle evenly
  

 Bake 

Bake in the middle of the oven for exactly 15 mins under 180C ( Do not exceed this time as the cake can end up a crusty biscuit)

  Meanwhile;

Prepare the kitchen towel for rolling the cake

Lay a wide kitchen towel. Do not use a baking sheet for this purpose as the cake can stick to it

Sprinkle a little granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Take the cake out of the oven

Lay the cake facedown on the kitchen towel. Sprinkle a little water on the parchment paper so that it comes out easily

Peel off the parchment paper gently

Roll out

While the cake is still very warm, roll out the cake along with the kitchen towel

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr. You can place it in the fridge after 15mins

Wrap and leave to cool completely. You could place the cake in the fridge for quick cooling

  

Chocolate buttercream icing recipe

Ingredients for a creamy butter frosting

Margarine	150g
Icing sugar	300g
Cocoa powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Milk	2tbsp
Lemon juice	3 drops

• Sieve icing sugar onto the margarine
• Beat both margarine and icing sugar together until creamy
• Add cocoa powder, milk, and lemon juice
• Beat until all combined into a silky smooth texture
• Your butter frosting is ready to use now!

(You can make an extra batch of butter icing and keep it in an airtight plastic box in the fridge for future use.  For the next cake, place the box of icing in the microwave and heat it up for 15 seconds to melt it and spread it on the cake)

Ice the cake

• Open the cake flat on a tray
• Cut the edges slightly
• Spread a thick layer of butter icing