Yule Log

serves 8

ingredients

butter, for greasing

¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

4 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1½ teaspoons baking powder

10 ounces semisweet dark chocolate, broken into squares

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons rum

holly and confectioners’ sugar, to decorate

1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease and line a 16 × 11-inch jellyroll pan, then dust with flour.

2 Reserve 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and beat the remainder with the egg yolks in a bowl until thick and pale. Stir in the almond extract. Beat the egg whites in a separate grease-free bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the reserved sugar until stiff and glossy. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add half the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and fold in, then fold in one-quarter of the egg whites. Fold in the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining egg whites. Spoon the batter into the pan, spreading it out evenly with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until lightly golden.

3 Sprinkle granulated sugar over a sheet of parchment paper and invert the cake onto the paper. Roll up and let cool.

4 Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to boiling point in a small saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and thick. Reserve about one-third of the chocolate mixture and stir the rum into the remainder. Unroll the cake and spread the chocolate-and-rum mixture over it. Reroll and place on a plate or cake board. Spread the reserved chocolate mixture evenly over the top and sides. Mark with a fork so that the surface resembles tree bark. Just before serving, decorate with holly and a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar to resemble snow.

Recipe from A Year Full of Recipes