Christmas Log Cake
Do you know how the Christmas log cake tradition came about? According to Wikipedia, in several European cultures, the Yule Log is traditionally, a large wooden log that is burnt in the hearth as part of the Christmas celebrations celebrated throughout the twelve days of Christmas. Henceforth, as years go by, the “Yule Log” is also being referred to in the form of log-shaped Christmas cakes which is also known as “chocolate logs” or “Bûche de Noël”. However, as Christmas commercialises, there are different variations of the traditional chocolate logs in the form of white chocolate logs and many more. What is your version? Here is mine.
**Ingredients for swiss roll:
- 85g self-raising flour
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 60g caster sugar
Filling:
- 235ml whipping cream
- 60g confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
Nutella Frosting:
- 113g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp honey
- 115g Nutella
- 85g bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Mocha Cream Frosting:
- 75 g butter, softened
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 240 g icing sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla essence / extract
- 15 ml brewed coffee
- 30 ml milk (you may choose to use low-fat milk)
Method for baking the swiss roll:
- Preheat oven to 210oC.
- Brush a shallow rectangular tin that is approximately 30 x 25 x 2 cm with melted butter or oil. And line with grease paper.
- Sift flour three times.
- Beat eggs in small mixing bowl till mixture turns pale and becomes thick.
- Add sugar gradually, beating constantly until dissolved. Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl.
- Using a metal spoon, fold in flour quickly and lightly.
- Spread mixture evenly into prepared tin; smooth surface.
- Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
- While the cake is baking, beat whipping cream in a mixing bowl until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and coffee granules. Beat until stiff peaks form; chill in fridge till your cake is ready.
- Turn cake out onto a clean tabletop covered with greaseproof paper and leave for 1 minute. Spread filling onto your swiss roll evenly.
- Carefully roll cake up with the paper.
- Frost the cake with the desired frosting as above.
- If you want to make a half logcake, remember to cut the swiss roll in half and put some of the filling cream onto the platform to act a ‘glue’ so that the logcake can stick on the platform while you are frosting it.
- Using a fork, make lines resembling tree bark. Sprinkle the final product all over with chocolate shavings for that “just out of the woods” look. Add the other decorations that you have gotten like the Santa, reindeer and many more according to your preference and likings.
**Note that this is strictly for 1 swiss roll. If you intend to have at least 1 whole log cake and 2 halves of log cakes on your decorating platform, please double the recipe and bake accordingly.

# 1 by craigz
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:01 am #
Making me hungry! Thank for the recipe!