I declare Yule log season open! Here we are in mid-November, the shops are already flooded with toys of all kinds and the towns are starting to don their finest fairy lights. Not to mention my stats, which have been soaring for a few weeks — I can tell you’re already looking for your future Christmas dessert.
This year, I’ll start by sharing last year’s festive desserts with you. Yes, I don’t like publishing a Yule log recipe after Christmas, so some recipes patiently wait until the following year.
I’ll begin with a dark chocolate and raspberry Yule log recipe, fairly simple and rather impressive, I think, when it comes to cutting. It’s an entremets-style Yule log with an insert made of a rolled sponge. I discovered the concept thanks to Christophe Felder’s latest book, simply entitled Bûches (a magnificent book, by the way).
I’d spotted a chocolate blueberry Yule log in it, so I kept the principle but made a raspberry rolled insert. There’s no crunchy layer in this recipe, so I decided to coat the sponge base with a little dark chocolate. It’s next to nothing, but when tasting, it adds a slight crunch that’s really pleasant.
I used Julien‘s dark chocolate mousse recipe (his recipes are a safe bet) and I put together a little mix of recipes for the rest. As for the decoration, I kept it simple: a velvet spray and a few silver pearls, and that’s that!
A simple recipe in itself (a mousse, a sponge, a compote), easy to make and sure to please your guests. We all loved the dark chocolate and raspberry combination, which needs no further proof.
Ingredients & method
6 components · Full recipe
Raspberry Compote (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) raspberries
- 70 g (2.5 oz) sugar
- 5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
- a little lemon juice
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat the raspberry purée.
2
Off the heat, add the sugar/pectin mixture and stir with a whisk (make sure to mix the sugar and pectin together well to avoid lumps).
3
Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Chocolate Sponge (to be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 45 g (1.6 oz) egg yolks
- 75 g (2.6 oz) eggs
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar (1)
- 25 g (0.9 oz) sugar (2)
- 90 g (3.2 oz) egg whites
- 25 g (0.9 oz) plain flour
- 25 g (0.9 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- + a little dark chocolate to coat the base
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F fan.
2
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs and 50 g (1.8 oz) of sugar (1).
3
Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer at low speed to incorporate as much air as possible. The whites will start to foam. Gradually add the remaining 25 g (0.9 oz) of sugar (2).
4
Sift the flour and cocoa powder.
5
Pour half of the whipped egg whites into the first egg-based mixture. Gently fold with a spatula. Add the remaining whites along with the sifted powders. Fold gently again.
6
Spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You should get a rectangle of at least 30 cm (11.8 in) by 40 cm (15.7 in). Bake for approximately 12 minutes.
7
Leave the sponge to cool. To unmould it, place another sheet of parchment paper on top and flip it over. Carefully peel off the first sheet of paper.
8
Cut out a 7 cm (2.8 in) by 25 cm (9.8 in) rectangle for the yule log base and a 25 cm (9.8 in) by 25 cm (9.8 in) square for the rolled insert (the rest is for nibbling :P).
Cocoa Soaking Syrup (by Cyril Lignac)
Ingredients
- 22 g (0.8 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 157 g (5.5 oz) water
- 65 g (2.3 oz) sugar
- 1/4 sheet gelatine
Method
1
Soak the gelatine sheet in very cold water.
2
Put the water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then add the cocoa powder, mixing with a whisk.
3
Remove from the heat and add the well-squeezed gelatine. Mix again.
4
Leave to cool.
5
For the rolled insert assembly (to be done the day before):
6
Using a pastry brush, soak the large square of sponge with the cocoa syrup.
7
Spread the raspberry compote over it using a small offset spatula.
8
Roll the sponge up tightly to get the roundest possible insert. It must not be wider than your yule log mould to avoid any assembly issues.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.4 oz) milk
- 160 g (5.6 oz) dark chocolate
- 250 g (8.8 oz) full-fat double cream
- 2.5 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine
- 15 g (0.5 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
Method
1
Soak the gelatine in the water.
2
Heat the milk and, off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatine.
3
Pour the hot milk directly over the dark chocolate pistoles.
4
Leave the pistoles to melt for one minute then blend with a hand blender.
5
Whip the full-fat double cream but don’t over-whip it — it should be mousse-like.
Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Yule Log Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place the wood-effect decorating mat inside the silicone mould (the pattern should be visible).
2
Pour three-quarters of the dark chocolate mousse in and spread it well up the sides for a clean finish.
3
Remove the insert from the freezer and gently press it into the mousse, right in the centre. Press lightly to bring the mousse up.
4
Cover with another thin layer of mousse (leave about 1 cm (0.4 in)).
5
Finish with the sponge base (chocolate-coated side against the mousse). Press lightly to push it in and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Decoration
Ingredients
- a red velvet spray
- silver sugar pearls
Method
1
Either you’ve invested in a paint gun (which obviously only serves this one purpose), or you do as I do and use ready-made velvet sprays. But be careful, whatever you use, there are a few rules to follow if you don’t want to repaint your kitchen!
2
Remove the entremet from the freezer, unmould it and place it on a wire rack. Personally, I stopped spraying inside my dishwasher as it still left marks even after washing. And since we have a new dishwasher, I want to look after it. I use whatever I have to hand to protect the worktop (cardboard, packaging, a plastic bag or parchment paper…). Spray a thin layer from a distance of 30–40 cm (15.7 in).
Gallery
