Preheat the oven to 200℃.
Grease and line a 33x22 cm baking tin.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and golden caster sugar until it is pale and thick and has doubled in size.
Sift the self raising flour and the cocoa powder into the bowl, then fold it through carefully until it is well combined. Be careful not to beat the air out.
Pour it into the lined baking tin and spread it evenly into the edges.
Bake it for ten minutes.
Sprinkle icing sugar over a large piece of baking paper, then carefully tip the hot sponge onto it.
Cut two score marks across the sponge lengthways 2.5 cm and 5 cm up from the bottom.
Tightly roll up the sponge using the baking paper. Roll with the paper inside. Then set it aside to cool completely.
Whilst the sponge is cooling, prepare the ganache. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the cream until it is almost boiling, then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Beat with a whisk until it is smooth and glossy.
Set the ganache aside, as it cools it will thicken.
Whip the double cream with the vanilla bean paste until it reaches stiff peaks.
Once the sponge is cooled, unravel it, then spread the whipped cream evenly over. Roll it up tightly.
Cut a diagonal piece off the end. Then place the large piece on a serving plate and position the diagonal piece to the side to give the look of a branch.
Spread the chocolate ganache all over the log. Then use a fork to make a pattern that resembles wood.
Sprinkle icing sugar over the top to give the effect of snow. Then decorate with any other decorations you like.
Store in the fridge.
4 comments on “Yule Log”
Looking to bake this for Christmas Day! How many days in advance do you think I can I can make it? Thank you!
Hey Sophie, you can keep this covered for up to 3 days.
What is an alternative to Vanilla bean paste as I doubt my supermarket will sell this?
They should sell it, all supermarkets in the UK do. Otherwise you can use vanilla extract or scrape out the seeds from a vanilla pod.