Page 444 - YC Cooking School

cream and caramel filling, or even with buttercream and pieces of roughly chopped berries

for a slightly tart flavour.

Tips for assembling the chocolate yule log

Keep the marquise at room temperature
This will allow you to spread it out evenly over the cake base. Using an offset spatula to do
this will stand you in good stead.

Leave a space at the the beginning and end of the cake base

This will prevent the marquise from oozing out.

Once rolled into a log shape, pop it into the fridge
Do this for a few minutes so that the marquise hardens slightly before you cut off the ends.
If the marquise is too soft, it will spoil the ‘wood-grain’ look of the branches.

Rolling the roulade
Place the sponge base in front of you in the direction you’re going to roll it. Using the baking
paper beneath the sponge to guide the process, carefully and gently roll the sponge over
the chocolate marquise, separating it from the baking paper as you go. For help with this,

watch Franck’s video demonstration. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t be shy to watch it a
few times if you need to. If you’ve prepared the baking tray correctly, this step should be
easy peasy.

Turn it into a winter wonderland
Use a small offset spatula to create a look reminiscent of textured bark on the outside of the

roulade. Place fresh, bright red berries on top of the icing and a mint leaf here and there for
a fresh touch of green. As a final flourish, dust the chocolate log (especially the berries) with
icing sugar for an elegant snowcapped look. Most importantly, remember to hum your
favourite Christmas carol as you work.

Save time and make it in advance
Once you’ve made your chocolate log, it will easily keep in the fridge for a few days. You can
even freeze it as long as you use a large, sealed container. Remember that the flavour and
texture of this dessert is best at room temperature, so allow plenty of time before your feast
for it to defrost.

Cheat sheet for this lesson’s recipes

Ingredient substitutions, shortcuts and time-saving tips

1. If you’re not a fan of chocolate, no problem! Use a cream and caramel filling or a
buttercream with berries in its place.

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