Yule Log Recipe

Nothing more festive than a divine Yule Log.

CAKE

• 6 large eggs (separated)
• 150g caster sugar
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1.5  tsp vanilla extract
• 
  
• ICING
• 175g dark chocolate 
• 250g icing sugar
• 225g soft butter
• 1 tbs vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan
2. In a large, clean bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and peaking. Sprinkle in 50g of the caster sugar Continue whisking until the whites are holding their peaks.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining 100 grams of caster sugar until pale and thick. Add the vanilla extract, sieve the cocoa powder over the mix, then fold both in.
4. Add a few dollops of the egg whites to the yolk mix folding them in thoroughly. Then add the remaining whites in thirds, folding them in carefully.
5. Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.Make sure you leave an overhang at the ends and sides.
6. Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the cake cool for at least 10 mins and then turn it out it out onto another piece of baking parchment (already dusted with a light sprinkling of icing sugar). 
7. To prepare the icing simply whisk the icing sugar and butter together for at least a minute. Then add the melted (cooled) chocolate and vanilla to the mix and whisk again until smooth.
8. Place the flat swiss roll onto a baking parchment. Trim the edges. Spread a thin covering of choclate icing over the sponge.Start slowly rolling taking care to get a tight roll from the beginning, and roll up to the other side. 
9. Spread the remaining icing over the log.Use a skewer to make bark like engravings in the icing.