Chocolate Ganache Yule Log Cake
Ingredients:
Chocolate Sponges:
335g plain flour
480g caster sugar
120g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 large eggs
335ml milk
150ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
150ml boiling water
Whipped Chocolate Ganache Filling:
250g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
300ml double cream
Chocolate Buttercream Bark:
75g dark chocol.ate (melted)
175g unsalted butter
350g icing sugar
40g cocoa powder
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Add all the ingredients into a large bowl (apart from the boiling water) and mix together with a hand or electric whisk.
Slowly add the boiling water, mixing as you go until fully combined.
Divide evenly between 3 greased and lined 6 inch cake tins.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife comes out clean (they are quite thick sponges!)
Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out and letting cool fully (if you're making a day ahead, wrap the sponges in cling film while still slightly warm, it will keep them nice and moist!).
For the ganache, heat the cream until it starts to bubble and pour over the chocolate, stirring until it's completely melted, then leave to cool.
Once cooled to room temperature, use a whisk or electric mixer until it goes slightly paler, and thicker, and it should reach a spreading consistency. If it is still too runny, you can place it in the fridge for a few minutes.
For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale and fluffy, then add the chocolate, icing sugar, and half of the cocoa powder. Take out half of the buttercream, and add the remaining cocoa powder, so that you have two tones of chocolate buttercream.
To assemble, level off your cakes and stack with a thick layer of whipped ganache between each later.
Make sure the layers are straight and even, then place this in the fridge to firm up.
Once firm, use the ganache to crumb coat the cake, spreading a thin layer over the whole cake, and using a palette knife or cake scraper to smooth it. Then place back in the fridge. Having a firm cake will make icing it with the buttercream much easier so it's not sliding around!
Taking a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, fill it up with alternating spoons of the two tones of buttercream, and then pipe vertical-ish lines onto the cake to resenble bark, adding in some tree knots to make it look more realistic.
Place some buttercream on the top of the cake, and with a palette knife, create a swirl on top to look like the rings on a tree stump.
Finish off the cake with a dusting of icing sugar, some cranberries and roseamary foliage, and of course the lovely Lindt Teddy!
This recipe was created as part of a paid partnership with Lindt. For a video on how I made the cake, please take a look at my Instagram reel @alice.fevronia
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