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Chocolate Yule Log

Everything’s better with chocolate!

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

When it comes to this chocolatey holiday recipe, my wheat-eating husband says you wouldn’t know it was gluten-free. At parties all the wheat eaters devour my gluten-free desserts. Don’t worry about amount of ingredients, it’s straightforward to make.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2/3 cup (112 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (120 ml) water
  • 4 eggs separated into yolks and whites. Put the whites in clean, grease-free 8 cup (2 liter) bowl
  • 1 cup and 2 tbsp sugar (224g) divided into two containers
  • ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) xanthan gum
  • ¾ cup (126 g) King Arthur all-purpose, gluten-free flour
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cocoa
  • 1 tsp (5ml) baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Filling:

Choose whichever liqueur you like and a fruit that matches. Good options are orange, raspberry, coffee, hazelnut, plain rum or brandy. Or just plain cream and plain chocolate are delicious, too!

  • ½ cup (120 ml) seedless raspberry jam
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brandy, rum, or raspberry liqueur
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • Small container of fresh, sweet raspberries

Chocolate Topping, Option 1:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup (168 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp brandy, rum, or raspberry liqueur
  • White chocolate to garnish for snow

Chocolate Topping, Option 2 (quicker variation, no need to chill):

  • 1 cup (168 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup cream (60 ml)
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) liqueur
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (224 g) lite sour cream
  • White chocolate to garnish for snow

Directions:

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 10×15 jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Make a single cut into the four corners of the paper so corners overlap.
  2. Melt chocolate and water together in microwave and stir until smooth. Leave to cool.
  3. In a clean bowl (glass or stainless steel), whisk egg whites until stiff (when the tips point up).  Add half of the sugar (4oz) and whisk until very stiff and marshmallow-looking.
  4. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks with the second half of the sugar (4oz) until thick, creamy, and much lighter in color.
  5. Whisk the cooled chocolate mix into the egg yolks.
  6. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt, xanthan gum and whisk until smooth.
  7. Slowly pour this mixture into bowl containing egg whites and gently whisk until smooth. Scrape down to bottom with spatula.
  8. Gently pour mix into lined jelly roll pan and cook for 22–25 minutes. Cake should be risen, softly firm and no wet batter in middle if you poke with a fork.
  9. Remove from oven and leave in pan for about 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack.
  10. Tear off parchment paper liner in strips, then put a fresh piece of parchment paper on top and loosely roll up with parchment paper inside. Don’t worry if it cracks, the the cream filling will hold it together and the chocolate topping will hide any cracks. If you don’t feel confident rolling cake, then cut into 2 or 3 strips short or long and fill and frost as a layer cake when cold.
  11. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes and then unroll.

Filling:

  1. Put the cake on your serving plate.
  2. Warm raspberry jam with liqueur and spread onto cooled cake, right to the edges.
  3. Whisk cream with sugar and liqueur until stiff and spread on top of cake, right to the edges.
  4. Add fresh raspberries.
  5. Gently roll up with seam underneath.
  6. Make chocolate topping, then spread it on the cake all the way down the sides.
  7. For extra effects, drag the tines of a fork through the chocolate to give a bark effect; use a cheese grater make white chocolate shreds fall on top of chocolate; garnish with silk holly leaves or other Christmas décor.
  8. Chill until ready to eat. I usually cut the cake in half lengthwise first and then cut thick slices.

Chocolate Topping 1:

  1. Heat heavy cream in microwave, then stir in chocolate and liqueur.
  2. Wait a few minutes and stir again until totally smooth.
  3. Chill for at least four hours.
  4. Whisk until it is stiff enough to hold its shape and spread on cake.

Chocolate Topping 2:

  1. Heat chocolate and cream together and stir until smooth.
  2. Add liqueur and sour cream and stir well.
  3. Add powdered sugar to taste.
  4. It should be cool enough now to spread on top of cake.
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