A soft rolled sponge, a whipped praline cream and a chocolate ganache streaked like bark: the real homemade Christmas log, no special tin needed.
The rolled Yule log is the French grandmother's Christmas dessert: a supple sponge rolled around a cream, then coated in chocolate and streaked with a fork to look like bark. Here the cream is whipped with praline, and the dark ganache balances its sweetness.
Its reputation for being tricky comes down to one fear: the sponge cracking. It won't crack if you bake it briefly and roll it while still hot in a damp tea towel, so it cools in shape. The rest is just organization: everything can be done the day before.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F), conventional heat. Line the tray with baking paper. Wet the tea towel, wring it out thoroughly (it should be just damp, not wet) and lay it flat on the counter, next to the oven.
Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with 70 g of the sugar for 3 minutes with the mixer: the mixture should turn pale, double in volume and fall back in a thick ribbon when you lift the beaters.
In a very clean bowl, beat the whites with the pinch of salt. When foamy, add the remaining 30 g of sugar and beat until firm and glossy, forming a peak that holds on the end of the whisk.
Whisk a quarter of the whites into the yolks to loosen them. Sift the flour over the top, then add the rest of the whites and fold everything together with a spatula, lifting the batter from the bottom up, until no streaks of flour remain. Stop there: the batter must stay airy.
Pour the batter onto the tray and spread it with the offset spatula into an even 30 × 40 cm rectangle, about 1 cm thick, without overworking it. Bake in the middle of the oven for 7 to 9 minutes. The sponge is done when it's just golden and springs back when you press it with a fingertip.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, flip the sponge onto the damp towel. Gently peel off the baking paper. Roll the sponge up with the towel, starting from a short side, without squeezing. Leave it to cool like that, rolled, for at least 30 minutes: it keeps its shape and won't crack later.
While the sponge cools, bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved. Off the heat, add the vanilla and let it cool.
Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl. Heat the cream until it just starts to simmer, then pour it over the chocolate in three goes, stirring with a spatula from the center in small circles: the ganache should turn smooth and glossy. When it's lukewarm (about 35 °C / 95 °F), add the butter in pieces and stir. Let it thicken at room temperature, not in the fridge, for about 1 hour.
In a cold bowl, whip the cream and mascarpone together, slowly at first then fast, until firm peaks that hold on the whisk. Add the praline and whisk for 10 more seconds, just to combine.
Gently unroll the sponge on its towel. Brush it with the syrup. Spread the praline cream in an even layer, leaving 2 cm bare along the far edge. Roll it up again, this time without the towel, keeping the first turn tight. Wrap the log in cling film, seam underneath, and chill for 1 hour to firm up.
Place the log on the serving plate, seam down. Cut both ends at an angle with a knife dipped in hot water. Set one of the offcuts on top, like a cut branch. Cover everything generously with ganache using the spatula, then draw lines along the length with a fork to make the bark. Leave both ends bare: that's where the spiral shows.
Keep the log in the fridge for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. Take it out 20 minutes before serving, dust it with powdered sugar through a small sieve for snow, and add the hazelnuts or figurines.
Check off every step to celebrate.
The finished log keeps for 3 days in the fridge, under a cake dome or a large upturned bowl (it picks up smells). The sponge, rolled in its towel then in cling film, can be made the day before assembling. The assembled log, undecorated, freezes for 1 month: thaw it overnight in the fridge, then dust with powdered sugar.
It's overbaked, or it cooled flat before being rolled. Take it out as soon as it's golden and supple, and roll it in the damp towel within a minute. A cracked sponge can be saved: the cream and ganache hide everything.
It's actually recommended: the night in the fridge gives it its hold. You can even bake the sponge two days ahead, keep it rolled in its towel and cling film, then fill it the day before.
The same amount of hazelnut chocolate spread, or pure hazelnut paste with 20 g powdered sugar. It will be more or less sweet, the texture holds just the same.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
