Dark Chocolate and Caramel Yule Log

Ideally, make the glaze the day before (or in advance) and reheat it in the microwave when needed.

Rehydrate the gelatine in the 54 g (1.9 oz) of water.

In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and glucose and heat to 103°C / 217°F.

Meanwhile, in a tall jug, place the chopped white and milk chocolate, the condensed milk, the rehydrated gelatine and the food colourings.

When the water/sugar/glucose mixture reaches 103°C / 217°F, pour it into the jug, then blend with a stick blender to smooth the glaze — but be careful not to incorporate air, as this will create unsightly bubbles.

If needed, pass through a fine-mesh sieve, press cling film onto the surface and refrigerate.

Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.

Heat the 60 g (2.1 oz) of cream in a small saucepan.

Make a caramel by cooking the sugar, glucose and water in a separate heavy-based saucepan.

Off the heat, deglaze the caramel by gradually adding the hot cream. Watch out for splashes!

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the vanilla seeds and the 285 g (10.1 oz) of cream, then pour this mixture into the saucepan containing the caramel.

Heat very gently, as if cooking a crème anglaise. Cook to 83°C / 181°F, stirring constantly with a spatula. Take care not to let the cream boil.

Pass through a fine-mesh sieve, then add the rehydrated gelatine. Stir to dissolve completely, then blend with a stick blender to homogenize the mixture.

Pour the cremeux into an insert mould. Leave to cool slightly, then freeze overnight.

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Leave to cool.

In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the whole eggs with the icing sugar and ground almonds until you get a batter that falls in a shiny ribbon (the mixture will increase in volume).

Add the cooled melted butter, then the sifted dry ingredients (flour and cocoa powder).

Begin whisking the egg whites with an electric mixer or stand mixer on low speed to incorporate as much air as possible. The whites will start to foam. Add the caster sugar in 3 additions once the whites are already a little foamy. Continue whisking to firm up the whites. When you lift the whisk from the meringue, a bird’s beak peak should form.

Fold the beaten egg whites gently into the first mixture in 3 additions using a spatula.

Spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Smooth with a spatula to a thickness of 3–4 mm.

Bake for 8–10 minutes. The sponge should be golden and soft.

Leave to cool on a wire rack, then cut out a rectangle of 8 cm (3.1 in) × 24 cm (9.4 in) to use as the base of the yule log.

In a small frying pan, heat the crushed hazelnuts with the icing sugar and water until lightly caramelized.

Leave to cool and set aside.

A pâte à bombe is a mixture of egg yolks onto which a sugar syrup cooked to 115°C / 240°F is poured (the same process as Italian meringue). Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.

Whip the cream to a soft whipped cream and set aside in the fridge.

Make the syrup. Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and cook until it reaches 115°C / 240°F.

Once the thermometer reads 110°C / 225°F, start whisking the yolks in a stand mixer (or with an electric whisk), then at 115°C / 240°F pour the syrup in a thin stream over the yolks and whisk until the mixture cools down (about 5–10 minutes).

Pour the pâte à bombe into the melted chocolate (or vice versa) and fold together gently with a spatula.

Finally fold in the whipped cream and mix gently. Set aside.

Pour three-quarters of the chocolate mousse into the log mould and use a spatula to push it up the sides for a neat finish.

Remove the insert from the freezer (caramel cremeux) and press it gently into the mousse, centring it carefully.

Add the remaining chocolate mousse, then scatter the caramelized hazelnuts on top (if using).

Finish by pressing the chocolate sponge base into the mousse. Press lightly so the mousse rises up around it.

Smooth the surface with a spatula.

Cover with cling film and freeze overnight.

Remove the entremet from the freezer and unmould it.

Place the frozen entremet on a wire rack set over a plate or tray to catch the excess glaze.

Reheat the mirror glaze to approximately 30°C / 86°F, blend again with a stick blender taking care not to incorporate air bubbles, and pour it gently to cover the entremet completely.

Remove the entremet from the rack and place it on a serving dish.

Carefully position the chocolate shards (the trickiest part was placing the shards on the sides, as they tended to slip — take care to arrange them properly).

Leave to thaw in the refrigerator. Allow at least 6–7 hours for defrosting. To make the crumpled chocolate shards, temper the dark chocolate following the temperature curve (more information on tempering on the Empreinte sucrée blog). Then pour the tempered chocolate onto a sheet of baking paper that you’ve first crumpled and then smoothed out. Spread the melted chocolate with an offset spatula, then leave to set. Once set, peel off the chocolate shard, dust the surface with gold powder using a brush, then break it up roughly.