Black Forest Yule Log

Directions

For the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly brush a 13”x9” swiss roll tin with melted butter, line the base of the tin with parchment paper, then brush lightly again to stick the paper down evenly. Set aside.

2. Into a small bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa.

3. Place the eggs, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk at a medium-low speed for 3 minutes to combine and dissolve the sugar. The mixture will have fine bubbles throughout.

4. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until thickened and pale with fine, foamy bubbles, around 5 minutes of beating time.

5. Increase the speed again to high and whisk the eggs mixture until pale and doubled in size, another 5 minutes.

6. Reduce the speed to medium low and drizzle in the melted butter and vanilla, mixing together. Immediately reduce the speed to low and add in the sifted flour and cocoa powder, mixing until nearly combined. Turn the mixer off, detach the whisk attachment and use it to finish folding the flour in by hand, to avoid losing too much air from the mixture.

7. Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the pan, then gently tip the pan to spread the cake mixture out across the pan. Use an offset spatula to help, if required.

8. Gently drop the pan twice on your worktop to help level the mixture. Bake until puffed and firm to the touch, but still soft enough to hold a shallow impression when gently poked, about 12 minutes.

9. Immediately after removing the baked cake from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cover tightly with some foil, crimping around the sides to seal. This keeps the cake moist whilst cooling, so it will roll more smoothly and not crack. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes.

For the Chocolate Bark

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Melt the chocolate. You can do this either using a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Stir until smooth and shiny with no lumps of unmelted chocolate.

3. Spread the chocolate out over the prepared parchment paper to a few millimetres thickness. Using an offset spatula or spoon, create texture and ruffles in the chocolate, to resemble the bark of a tree.

4. Place in the fridge for the chocolate to firm up and set.

    

For the Filling

1. Place the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until you reach the soft peak stage.

2. Tip in the kirsch and mix in, adding more according to your taste.

To Roll the Cake

1. Once the cake is cool, remove from the tin and place on a clean worktop, parchment side down. I like to place a clean tea towel under the parchment to stop it sliding around whilst I’m filling and rolling it. Brush the cake generously all over with the kirsch.

2. Gently spread the cherry conserve over the cake, leaving a border of around 1cm all round the edges of the cake.

3. Spread the whipped kirsch cream over the conserve, again leaving the border around the edge of the cake as before.

4. Starting from a shorter end of the cake, roll it up fairly tightly, removing the parchment paper from the bottom as you go. I keep the last bit of parchment on, and use it to wrap the whole cake up once rolled so I can make sure it’s a firm roll. Place the cake roll in the fridge whilst making the ganache.

For the Whipped Ganache

1. Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until steaming and the edges are starting to bubble. Pour the hot cream into the bowl with the chocolate, pushing to immerse the chocolate into the hot cream. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir to combine. If the chocolate has not completely melted, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to heat some more and stir until melted together and velvety smooth. Pop in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

2. Once the ganache has cooled sufficiently (it should still be soft but not firm), beat using an electric whisk until light and slightly paler.

Finishing Up

1. Remove the cake from the fridge and unroll from the parchment. It should have firmed and be easier to handle. Place on your serving plate.

2. Cover the top of the cake generously with the soft whipped chocolate ganache. You may not need it all.

3. Remove the baking tray with the chilled chocolate from the fridge. Break the chocolate into small shards. I use a knife to break it to avoid melting it with the warmth of my hands. Gently press pieces of chocolate all over the ganache, textured side up, to create the “bark” of the log.

4. Grate some white chocolate over the yule log, then decorate the top with some holly leaves and a few cherries. Enjoy!