Baked with Love: Holiday - Winning Recipes

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Susan and Saman's Dark Bark & Snow Yule Log

Course:

Dessert

Seasonal Event:

Christmas

DIRECTIONS:
Chocolate Sponge Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray or grease and flour well.
2. Wipe the metal bowl of a stand mixer with acidic liquid to remove fat residue.
3. In the clean bowl, whisk the 7 egg whites with a pinch of salt and a ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar until they become foamy and go from yellow to white. Gradually add 50 grams of the granulated sugar while continuing to beat until the egg whites reach a soft peak stage (peaks that curl softly, not stiff). Do not over beat. Keep at room temp. Clean out the mixing bowl.
4. Clean your mixing bowl thoroughly and beat the 7 egg yolks with the remaining 50 grams of sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Whisk for 5-7 minutes until the mixture lightens to a pale yellow, and thickens to creamy butter-like consistency.
5. In a separate bowl, sift and mix 70 g cake flour, 21 g cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt and gently fold this flour mixture into the yolk mixture and hand mix for one minute until well blended.
6. Incorporate a small portion of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites gently to avoid deflating the batter. This batter should be fluffy but not overly thick since the cake will be rolled. Its ok to pop some of the air bubbles but not all of the air bubbles, so don’t over due it. You want it pourable and airy — slightly thicker than pancake batter — but not stiff or foamy.
7. Line a Jelly Roll pan with parchment paper and grease heavily.
8. Pour batter evenly onto prepared pan and spread with an offset spatula without overworking it. Once batter is in pan, run finger/thumb around the edge of the pan to keep the batter from sticking to it.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger (avoid overbaking) or it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
10. Loosen edges with offset spatula and move cake to cooling rack. Leave the parchment paper underneath.
11. Let cool completely. Can take 20-30 minutes.[KR1] 
    *NOTE: The sponge needs to be rolled just right, too warm and it tears, too cool and it cracks. So timing and confidence of rolling is important.

Mascarpone Filling:

1. Chill the bowl of your stand mixer with ice for 5-10 minutes or until bottom of bowl is cold to the touch.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
3. Whip on high until soft peaks form (i.e., when you lift the whisk out and hold it upside down, a peak of cream flops over itself), 1-2 minutes.

Buttercream:
Red & White Buttercream for Mushrooms:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine your shortening and unsalted butter. Mix until smooth consistency, about 2 mins.
2. Add powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. Start mixing on a low setting in short spurts to incorporate and avoid powder flying everywhere. Then increase speed and beat for another 2-4 minutes.
3. As frosting is mixing in bowl, set out two piping bags, each with a round and open piping tip, like Wilton tips 8 and 10.
4. Once frosting is mixed, remove half of (it will be white) to set aside in another bowl for mushrooms.
5. In the mixing bowl with your remaining buttercream, add a few drops of red food gel to color the rest of the frosting. Mix until desired consistency, roughly 1-2 more minutes.
6. Set aside bowls of red and white frosting.
   
   1. No need to wash the bowl that had red frosting, as it’ll be the one used for cocoa buttercream.
7. Take a rubber spatula to each bowl to smooth frosting and pop air bubbles. Spend 3-4 minutes doing these motions to achieve nice, smooth frosting.
8. As you finish smoothing each bowl of frosting, add it into the piping bags, fitted with round open tips.
9. On a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet or tray, pipe white mushroom stems and red mushroom caps of various sizes.
   
   1. Leave some frosting behind in bags to use as “glue” later to connect pieces.
10. Once piped, add white sprinkles onto red mushroom tops.
11. Freeze the tray of mushrooms as you proceed with the main, chocolate frosting recipe.

Mushroom Assembly Instructions (Only bring out mushrooms right before preparing final board for display, so in last 10-15 minutes**.):

1. Cut top of mushroom stem to make it flat, add some buttercream from the remaining bags to glue the cap on top to form several mushrooms.
2. Gently peel red caps from wax paper to apply to the tops of the mushroom stems.

Chocolate Buttercream:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer where your red frosting was, combine unsalted butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Start mixing on a low setting in short spurts to incorporate and avoid powder flying everywhere. Then increase speed and beat for another 5 minutes.
2. Taste test. Thin it out as needed with another tablespoon or two of heavy cream.
3. Once happy with flavor and consistency, use a rubber spatula to smooth frosting. From the middle of bowl to its edges, watch as the tears and bubbles disappear. Spend 3-4 minutes doing these motions to achieve nice, smooth frosting.
4. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a textured piping tip (like Wilton tip 1M).
5. Use piping bag to apply chocolate frosting to log once log is cooled, rolled, and ready.

Chocolate Bark (for decoration):

1. Add about 1 inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper on a flat surface, large enough to spread your chocolate bark.
3. Place 2/3 of the chopped chocolate into a medium stainless steel or heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan, ensuring it doesn’t touch the water (double boiler method).
4. Heat gently on medium low, stirring constantly, until the chocolate reaches 113–120°F (45–49°C).Do not exceed 120°F, as this can damage the chocolate.
5. Remove the bowl from heat and place it on a towel to stabilize.
6. Immediately stir in the remaining 1/3 of finely chopped chocolate (“seed” chocolate).
7. Continue stirring until the chocolate cools to 82°F (28°C). The seed chocolate helps form stable crystals for proper tempering.
8. Gently rewarm the chocolate by briefly placing it back over the warm water until it reaches 88–90°F (31–32°C).Do not exceed 90°F, or you'll need to temper again. You are now ready to use.
9. Optional: Spread a small amount on parchment paper. If it sets within 5–10 minutes with a shiny finish and a clean snap, it’s properly tempered.
10. Spread the tempered chocolate in a thin, even layer on the parchment, longer than your Yule log cake, using an offset spatula.
11. Use a fork or notched spatula to drag horizontal streaks across the surface for a bark-like texture.
12. Sprinkle 2 tbsp roasted pistachios and a pinch of salt over the surface while the chocolate is still wet.
13. Gently roll or curve the parchment paper to create a curled bark effect.
14. Allow the chocolate to set at a cool room temperature, or refrigerate briefly until firm.
15. Unroll the parchment and break the chocolate into jagged shards of various lengths and widths.

Roulade Assembly and Decoration:

1. Cover the entire surface of the cake with mascarpone filling. Don’t overfill the end.
2. Sprinkle roasted crushed pistachios (around 70g).
3. Using the parchment paper as an aid, roll the cake on the long side, especially tight on the first 1 - 2 rolls. Roll cake with parchment, then pull up parchment, then roll again.
4. Refrigerate the cake as time allows.
5. Cut the ends for a clean edge. Cut a small section and assemble as a branch to the log.
6. Lightly pipe and smooth the outside and ends of the cake with the dark chocolate buttercream.
7. Create texture on the ends for the tree rings.
8. Layer chocolate bark on the edges.
9. Mix remaining crushed pistachios with matcha powder to add moss. Can mix in the excess cut ends for spongy look.
10. Remove mushrooms from freezer to assemble them before adding them to yule log display.
11. Add powdered rosemary tucked near log and under mushrooms
12. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top for snow effect.