Chocolate, Hazelnut & Caramel Yule Log

Light chocolate sponge filled with salted caramel whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts, coated in a rich chocolate ganache. This Chocolate, Hazelnut & Caramel Yule Log is a fabulous, festive and delicious Christmas showstopper! This recipe includes top tips and step-by-step photographs so that no matter your baking experience, you can master making a chocolate yule log.

This recipe is kindly sponsored by Menier Chocolate.

Chocolate yule log ingredients

Cocoa powder – choose a good-quality one for a rich, chocolatey sponge. My personal favourite is Menier 100% Cocoa Powder; it has no added sugar, which gives you more control over the sweetness of the recipe.

Eggs – 6 medium eggs are used to make the sponge. The eggs are separated into yolks and whites and whisked separately before coming together.

Caster sugar – is used to sweeten the sponge.

Double cream – used for both the whipped cream filling and to make the chocolate ganache.

Salted caramel – added to the whipped cream filling. Use a shop-bought salted caramel (like Jude’s) to make things easier.

Hazelnuts – choose roasted chopped hazelnuts to save you from doing the chopping.

Dark chocolate – is used to make the ganache. Always use a bar of high-quality chocolate when making ganache, like Menier 70% Dark Chocolate. It’s rich and velvety but not too bitter.

Butter – added to the ganache to give it a little more richness and help it shine.

How to make a chocolate yule log

I’ll let you in on a secret, a chocolate yule log may look super fancy, but they’re surprisingly easy to make. There is quite a lot of mixing and rolling the cake can be a little tricky, but the recipe overall is pretty straightforward. Here’s a quick overview:

1. Whisk the egg yolks and half the sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix everything together to make a thick chocolate mixture.
2. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a separate bowl on high speed for 4-5 minutes to make a thick, glossy meringue. Gradually add to the chocolate mixture, folding gently in a figure-of-eight motion until combined.

3. Pour into a lined baking tray and spread the mixture into an even layer. Bake for 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, dust a clean tea towel or greaseproof paper with cocoa powder. Take the cake out of the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges. Then flip the baking tray upside down over the tea towel. the sponge should fall out easily. Peel off the greaseproof paper.

5. Starting from a short edge, roll the sponge up and leave it to cool completely inside the tea towel for about 1 hour. This allows the sponge to set in a rolled shape as it cools down, preventing it from cracking.
6. While the sponge is cooling, make the chocolate ganache by melting the chopped dark chocolate, cream and butter together in the microwave until smooth and glossy. Leave to cool for 30-40 minutes, then whisk for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.

7. Whip the cream and salted caramel to soft peaks and spread over the sponge. Scatter over the chopped hazelnuts and roll the cake up again.
8. Slice a quarter of the sponge off on an angle, and use a spoonful of cream to stick it to the side of the cake. This will make the yule log look more log-like.

8. Spread the ganache over the cake and use the tip of the palette knife (or a fork) to make lines in the ganache, so it looks like a log.
9. Add your decorative touches such as frosted cranberries, rosemary sprigs and edible fondant pieces. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe tips and troubleshooting

• Sift in the cocoa powder to remove any lumps. Any lumps in the cake mixture will cause the sponge to crack when it’s rolled up.
• When whisking the egg whites, ensure your mixing bowl and whisk are spotlessly clean and dry. Any leftover residue or liquid will prevent the egg whites from reaching stiff peaks.
• The egg whites need to be whisked to stiff, and I mean stiff, peaks. The thicker, the better. This usually takes 4-5 minutes with the mixer on the highest setting, You can test the consistency by holding the bowl upside down, if the meringue stays put, it’s ready.
• When folding in the egg whites, do this slowly and gently in a figure-of-eight motion to prevent deflating the air whisked into the egg whites.
• To prevent the sponge from cracking, roll it up inside a tea towel or greaseproof paper as soon as it’s out of the oven. Doing this allows the cake to set as it cools in a roll shape.
• Generously dust the tea towel or greaseproof paper with cocoa powder to stop the sponge from sticking to it once it’s been rolled up.
• Be careful not to overheat the ganache ingredients in the microwave. If the cream gets too hot, it will split and turn the ganache grainy or slimy. It’s best to microwave in 30-second blasts, giving the bowl a swirl to see if the chocolate is melting.
• If the ganache splits, turns grainy or looks slimy, add another 25-50ml of cream and keep stirring to bring it back together again.
• Be careful not to over-whisk the cream as this will make it grainy. It’s best to stop as soon as the cream looks thick and has a cloud-like pillowy appearance.

Yule log decoration ideas

There are lots of different ways you can decorate a chocolate yule log. From a simple dusting of icing sugar to something more elaborate, here are a few ideas:

• Frosted cranberries – check out my recipe on TikTok.
• Frosted rosemary sprigs
• Edible fondant decorations like holly or gingerbread men
• Gold stars, edible glitter or sprinkles
• Chocolate curls
• Meringue mushrooms
• Or keep things simple with just a dusting of icing sugar

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