Mom’s Yule Log Cake

I did some baking for my church’s Christmas banquet last weekend, so let me share!

The Yule Log recipe is from my Mom…she made this cake every year for as long as I can remember.  She always made one for her dressage club Christmas party, and if we were lucky, we could talk her into making another one for the family!

Yule Log Cake with Meringue Mushrooms

Cake Ingredients:

-14 finely crushed Oreos
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-5 eggs, separated, at room temperature
–1/2 cup granulated sugar
–powdered sugar for sprinkling

Nekkid Yule Log

Chocolate Filling Ingredients:

-1 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

-1/3 cup softened butter
-1 1/2 cups  powdered sugar
-2 squares (1 ounce each)  unsweetened chocolate
-2 tablespoons milk
-1 tablespoon imitation rum flavoring (I only used a drop of this)

Filled, frosted and dusted with powdered sugar

Meringue Mushroom Ingredients:

-2 egg whites
-1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1/2 cup granulated sugar

Meringues

Cake Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350°

-Grease a 15″ x 10″ jelly roll pan; line pan with foil; HEAVILY GREASE FOIL.

–In a small bowl, combine Oreo crumbs, flour and baking powder; set aside.

-In a large mixing bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, beat 5 egg yolks with granulated sugar until light yellow.

-In small mixing bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat 5 egg whites until stiff peaks form.

-Gently fold whites into yolk mixture along with crumb mixture.  Spread evenly in prepared pan.

-Bake for 15 minutes, or until cake springs back with lightly touched.

-Sprinkle a hand towel with powdered sugar.  Loosen the edges of cake and invert it onto the towel.

-Starting at the long side, roll cake and towel, jelly-roll fashion.  Cool on wire rack.

-Unroll cake and spread with chocolate filling; reroll.  Transfer to serving dish and diagonally slice a 3 inch piece from the roll and place it against the side of roll to resemble a cut-off branch.  Ice with chocolate frosting, and chill until serving time.  Garnish with meringue mushrooms.

Chocolate Filling Directions:

-In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.  Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form.

–I find this works much better if you chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer for a few minutes beforehand.

Chocolate Frosting Directions:

-In small mixing bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter with half of powdered sugar until blended.  Add remaining sugar, chocolate, milk and rum; beat until blended.

Meringue Mushroom Directions:

-Preheat oven to 225°.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

-In small mixing bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat 2 egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form.  Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until stiff, shiny peaks form.

-On parchment paper, pipe meringue in 1 inch rounds for mushroom tops and 1 inch lengths for stems.

-Bake for 60 minutes, then turn oven off and allow meringues to stand in oven for 30 minutes.

-In small bowl, microwave chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until completed melted.  Assemble mushrooms by making a small hole in the underside of mushroom tops to fit stems; spread underside of each mushroom with chocolate; fit in stems.

The Finished Product!

This cake is kind of a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it.  The whole thing was gone within minutes of it’s being cut at the banquet.  There were more people than I had planned on – I think there were around 50 people.  I should have made 2 cakes!

Anyway, try this recipe – you won’t be disappointed!

Merry Christmas!

Becki

Tagged as: Cakes, Christmas, Tradition, Yule Log Cake