Description
A festive and delightful Woodland Chocolate Yule Log, featuring a soft chocolate roulade filled with whipped vanilla cream and topped with chocolate bark frosting, perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (30g) cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- Powdered sugar (for rolling)
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 tbsp mascarpone for extra stability
- 1 cup (230g) butter, softened
- 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–4 tbsp milk or cream (as needed)
- Bottle brush Christmas trees (non-edible)
- Plastic or fondant deer
- Meringue mushrooms
- Powdered sugar “snow”
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a 10×15 inch (25×38 cm) jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until pale, thick, and tripled in volume. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt over the mixture; fold gently with a spatula. Add vanilla; fold until just combined. Spread into pan and smooth the top. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until springy and just set (do NOT overbake).
- While warm, dust a clean towel with powdered sugar. Flip the cake onto the towel; peel off parchment. Roll the cake inside the towel from the short side. Let cool completely — this creates the swirl without cracking.
- Beat cream, powdered sugar, vanilla (and optional mascarpone) until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled.
- Unroll the cooled cake gently. Spread whipped cream evenly. Re-roll tightly (without towel). Trim the ends for a clean roll.
- Beat butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time until creamy and spreadable. Spread frosting over the cake in swirled, bark-like strokes using a fork.
- Dust with powdered sugar snow. Add little Christmas trees, reindeer figurines, and meringue mushrooms. Pipe small whipped cream “snow piles.”
Notes
- Ensure the cake is completely cool before unrolling to prevent cracking.
- Optional mascarpone in the filling adds stability but can be omitted.
- Decorations can be customized based on personal preference.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 80mg