Chocolate Salted Caramel Yule Log

Ease of preparation: Complex

Yield: 1 log (12 servings)

Ingredients:

Chocolate genoise cake

4 eggs

¾ cup (180 ml) sugar

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt

½ cup (120 ml) cake flour, sifted

1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tablespoons (60 ml) unsalted butter, melted

Salted caramel sauce

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 cup (240 ml) sugar

2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream

4 tablespoons (60 ml) unsalted butter

1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml) salt

Salted caramel buttercream frosting

1 ½ cups (360 ml) butter

4 cups (960 ml) icing sugar

½ cup (120 ml) salted caramel sauce (see above)

Ganache frosting

2 cups (480 ml) semisweet chocolate

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

2/3 tablespoon (160 ml) butter

Edible fondant characters, for decorating

Method:

Let’s get baking!

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the cake, in a stainless-steel bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and salt. Place over bain marie and cook, whisking, until temperature reaches 110 F (45 C). Take bowl off the heat.

Whip the eggs in a standing mixer with the whisk attachment until they’ve significantly increased in volume, and the mixture falls in ribbons from the beaters.

In a separate bowl, sift flour and cocoa powder. Gently fold into egg mixture until incorporated. Slowly fold in melted butter. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Tap gently to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While still warm, sprinkle the cake with icing sugar. Place a clean dish towel on top. Flip over and gently remove the parchment paper from the bottom. Roll the cake and the dish towel up lengthwise. Let cool in the rolled shape.

To make the salted caramel sauce, add water to a pan. Add sugar and stir until it starts to dissolve. Put it on the heat and let simmer until it turns a dark amber colour.

Take it off the heat. Add butter and whisk in, being careful of splattering. Slowly add cream, whisking until smooth. Put back on the heat and let simmer a few minutes more. Add salt and stir in. Remove from heat and let the caramel cool to room temperature.

To make the salted caramel buttercream frosting, cream butter in a bowl. Slowly add icing sugar until it’s fully incorporated. Drizzle in salted caramel sauce and mix to incorporate.

To make the ganache frosting, heat cream in a double boiler. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Add chocolate pieces and mix in until they melt. Add butter and mix in. Pour into a bowl.

Cool in fridge, stirring occasionally until it reaches the consistency of smooth peanut butter.

When ready to use, remove from fridge and beat on high speed with hand mixer until lighter in colour and spreadable.

To assemble, unroll the cake.

Spread with salted caramel buttercream frosting (reserving about ½ cup (120 ml). Roll back up.

Place on a clean work surface. Using a two-inch round cookie cutter, press into the cake and remove a layer of cake in the circle shape. Repeat in a different area.

Fill the resulting holes with buttercream. Place the cut circles of cake back onto the cake using a bit of buttercream.

Spread buttercream onto either end of the cake and onto the cut circles. Swirl the buttercream with a toothpick to create the look of concentric circles.

Spread ganache over the rest of the cake. Use a butter knife to trace lines down the ganache resembling bark.

Transfer to a clean plate. Decorate with edible fondant characters.