Chocolate Orange Yule Log Recipe | Christmas Bakes 2022!

Hello lovelies,

Every year for as long as I can remember, my mum has brought a decadent chocolate yule log for our christmas evening pudding. Well, I say ‘our’ pudding but honestly, the log is mainly brought for my dad as he absolutely loves them.

Tell me something, did any of you guys reading this have trouble last year buying a yule log? My poor mum searched high and low for weeks leading up to christmas for a yule log which had a date lasting longer than the 23rd of December and unfortunately, she was unsuccessful.

Let’s just say, the whole yule log situation that happened last year is a sore subject. My mum couldn’t find a yule log so, do you want to know what my dad ended up with instead… a Cuthbert The Caterpillar from Aldi’s haha. Yeah, you can imagine the shocked look on his face when my mum dished a slice of Cuthbert up instead of a yule log, can’t you?

I couldn’t possibly have another christmas with my dad sulking over a yule log, so as head baker of the Deveson household, I decided to make my own.

Now, I can’t take credit for todays recipe. The recipe I’m sharing is actually from Jane Patisserie’s new book ‘Celebrate’.

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’ve been so inspired by Jane’s recipes from her new book and I’ve recreated a fair few of them myself. But if your new here to my blog: hi, hello, I’m Elle and one thing you need to know about me is that I’m basically Jane’s number 1 fan and here on this blog, you’ll see many bakes inspired by the queen of baking herself haha.

In all seriousness, I have shared 3 of Jane’s recipes from her new book here on my blog so far and I have LOVED all 3 massively. Todays bake is no different. Todays yule log went down an absolute treat with my fam, especially my dad whose face lit up like a light bulb when I surprised him with his own homemade yule log.

Did I mention that it’s chocolate orange flavoured too?… oh yes, think terry’s chocolate orange but in yule log form – unreal.

This yule log is ridiculously tasty (like, lip smackingly good) and much to my surprise, it’s easier to make than I first thought.

So don’t go hunting around the stores looking for a yule log this christmas, get your apron on and get making your own. As my Nan has always drummed into me, homemade is better and that is something I can personally vouch for.

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Category: Desert

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 Minutes

Decorating Time: 30-40 Minutes

Overall Time: 1.5 Hours

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Ingredients You Need For Cake:

• 5 Eggs
• 100g Of Caster Sugar
• 75g Of Self-Raising Flour
• 45g Of Cocoa Powder

Ingredients You Need For Buttercream:

• 125g Of Unsalted Butter
• 225g Of Icing Sugar
• 25g Of Cocoa Powder
• 20ml Of Double Cream
• 1tsp Of Orange Extract

Ingredients You Need For Ganache:

• 100g Of Dark Chocolate
• 100g Of Milk Chocolate
• 200ml Of Double Cream
• 1/2 tsp Of Orange Extract

Ingredients You Need For Decorating:

• 3 Pieces Of Terry’s Chocolate Orange
• White, Gold & Yellow Pearls
• Zest Of An Orange

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How To Make The Cake:

• Firstly, gather together your equipment and ingredients, line a swiss roll tin (38cm x 25cm) with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200C / 180C Fan / Gas Mark 6.
• Secondly, in a large bowl, using an electric whisk, whisk the 5 eggs with the 100g of caster sugar for around 5 minutes until the mixture is pale and mousse-like texture.
• Once whisked, sift the 75g of self-raising flour and 45g of cocoa powder into the bowl with the egg mixture and using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until the mixture is combined.
• Pour the cake mixture into the lined baking tin and using a palette knife, spread the cake right into the corners and smooth over as evenly as possible.
• Place the cake mixture into the oven for around 10 minutes, until a skewer place into the centre comes out clean.
• Whilst the cake is in the oven, cut another piece of parchment paper (a piece that’s a little long than the swiss roll tin) and dust the entire paper with icing sugar.
• When the cake has fully baked, take out the oven and straight away, flip the cake onto the sugar coated parchment paper.
• Then, carefully remove the original piece of parchment paper from the base of the cake.
• Whilst the cake is still hot, roll the sponge and parchment paper it’s on, together from short side to short side. Making sure your rolling as tightly as possible.
• Once the cake is rolled, place it to one side (leaving it still rolled up) to allow to cool down completely.

How To Make The Buttercream:

• In a large bowl, beat the 125g of unsalted butter for a few minutes to loosen.
• When your happy with the consistency of your butter, gradually add the 225g of icing sugar and 45g of cocoa powder, beating together until a thick buttercream has formed.
• Now, add the 50ml of double cream and 1tsp of orange extract into the buttercream, beating well until smooth and every ingredient is combined.
• Put to one side.

How To Make The Ganache:

• Break the 100g of dark and milk chocolate into cubes and place into a fairly large heatproof bowl.
• Next, in a small pan, over a medium heat, heat the 200ml of double cream until just before boiling point.
• When it’s reached that point, pour the hot cream over the broken chocolate and leave to sit for around 5 minutes.
• Once the 5 minutes is up, stir the hot cream and chocolate together to combine until smooth.
• { TIP: if lumps of chocolate still remain once combined, put the ganache back into the pan, over a low heat and stir until smooth OR place into the microwave and in 10 second blasts, blast until smooth }
• Place the smooth ganache into the fridge to chill for around 30-45 minutes.
• When the 45 minutes is up, take the ganache out the fridge, transfer it into a large bowl and using an electric whisk, whisk until smooth and fluffy (TIP: it may take longer than you might think to get to a whip-able stage).

How To Assemble & Decorate Swiss Roll:

• Once all the above is complete, it’s time to assemble and decorate.
• VERY carefully unroll the cake, trying your upmost hardest to avoid breaking the sponge (but, if the cake does break, don’t worry to much).
• Using a palette knife, spread a generous layer of buttercream across the sponge. Making sure it’s as evenly spread as possible.
• Now, carefully and tightly re-roll the cake into a classic swiss roll shape.
• { if there is any breakage whilst unrolling / re-rolling, then use some left over buttercream to stick the cake back together again and fill in any little tears }
• Using a separate palette knife, slather the chocolate ganache over the entire outside of the cake.
• Then, using a fork, very lightly drag the fork through the ganache to create a bark-like effect.
• Finally, place three segments (or however many you choose) of Terry’s chocolate orange on the top and scatter some gold, white and yellow pearls over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkle of grated orange.

That’s your Chocolate Orange Yule Log prepared, baked, assembled and decorated, ready for you to enjoy this Christmas with your loved ones.

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I won’t lie to you, I went into this bake with little to no hope of it actually coming together and ending up as a edible yule log. That being said, as I was ticking off the instructions I’d completed (which I know, look incredibly daunting with how long they are. Just trust me, okay) I found that actually, making this yule log was unbelievably easy and very much achievable for anyone of any skill set.

I know for a fact my family, dad in particular, will expect a homemade yule log every christmas now! Mind you, I don’t mind as it’s always nice when you push yourself to do a recipe and the end result is better than you could have ever imagined.

So, will you be joining me in making a christmas yule log this year?

Let me know in the comments below if you make this Yule Log yourself and if you do, what your thoughts are on it? Are you a fan of the chocolate orange flavouring in a yule log?

{FYI: I would like to just add that my dad wasn’t ungrateful, he very much enjoyed eating his Cuthbert. Was it like a traditional yule log… no but it was enjoyed regardless. I was just being sarcastic if you hadn’t noticed haha}

Sending you all tons of love & hugs as always,

Elle xo