Guest Recipe: Sophia's Christmas Yule Log Recipe

Thinking of something other than Christmas pudding for dessert this year?

Try this delicious Christmas Yule Log Recipe and treat friends and family to something different!

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15-20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr

Category: Dessert,Cakes,Christmas

Ingredients

For the mixture
• 40g cocoa powder
• 3 free range eggs large
• 160g unsalted butter (melted)
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 115g self raising flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

For the icing

• 120g Unsalted butter (softened)
• 45g cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoon semi skimmed milk
• 250g unrefined golden icing sugar

Finishing touches

• Holly with Berries / any other decoration you want to add
• Icing sugar for lightly dusting

Equipment that you will need

• Scales
• Sift
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula (or electric whisk)
• Cooling rack
• Spoons
• Cupcake tin
• Cupcake cases (it doesn't matter what the cases look like as you won't be using them, only to bake the cupcakes)

Method

1. Line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases and pre heat the oven to 180c. Then sift the coca powder into a bowl then add the hot water and mix into a paste. Then add in the reminding ingredients and mix together. I like to use a spatula for this as I find it gets the job done quickly, but if you have an electric hand whisk then use this.
2. Divide the mixture into 8 cupcakes cases and then bake in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes. If you need more time then leave them in the oven until you poke them with a cocktail stick and it comes out clean.
3. While they are in the oven get started on the icing. Melt the butter and then sift in the cocoa powder and then the icing sugar a little at a time. Then mix together and if it is too thick add in more milk until it reaches a good consistency. Once they are out, place them on to a cooling rack and poke holes in the top of the cupcakes. This is going to let the steam out and they will cool quicker. I like to leave mine on the wire rack with the backdoor open as I find that this makes them cool down quickly, I am so impatient when waiting for cupcakes to cool down.
4. Once they have cooled down you are going to take the cupcakes out of the cakes. Grab the plate that you want to serve the log on and start the next process on the plate. I got my plate messy, however, after you have finished icing you can clean the plate. Get the icing and spread it on to the bottom of the cupcake and then take another cupcake and spread the icing onto the top and bottom of it and stick it to first cupcake. So you are essentially going to stick all of the cupcakes together using the icing. Once it has formed a log shape, you are going to use the rest of the icing to cover the cupcakes completely so you can't see they are cupcakes anymore. Making sure to cover the front of the first cupcake and the bottom of the last.
5. After you have finished all of the icing, put the Yule log in the fridge for about 15 / 20 minutes. This is just to stiffen up the chocolate and the cake as a whole. After the time is up, take it out of the fridge and now you can start to decorate.
6. Place the holly and berry in the centre of the log and decorate it however you like. I always feel like a holly and berry is an essential to a Yule log, but you don't have to use it necessarily.

Sophia is 21 years old and blogs over at Sophiaaaaxo, and you can find her lovely blog here.

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