Lumberjack's Yule Log

I made a Yule Log for Christmas. Easier than I thought. Plus if you can't find any last minute, give this a go.

Makes 1 Festive Yule Log

Log Recipe

6 Egg Whites
55 Caster Sugar

6 Egg Yolks
100g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
50g Cocoa Powder, shifted

Icing/Filling

200g Good Quality Dark Chocolate, in pieces
275g Icing Sugar, plus extra for dusting (optional)
250g Butter, cubed at room temperature, cubed


1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted. Grease a Swiss roll tray or baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until begin to turn white and begin to stiffen. Then gradually add the 55g caster sugar and continue to whisk. It should be a thick white consistency which leaves peaks.

3. In a second bowl, whisk the 6 egg yolks and 100g caster sugar. Should give you a pale colour and be of a thick consistency. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla bean paste. Should be a really thick consistency.

4. Incorporate the cocoa egg yolk to the the egg whites and fold in until you have used up the egg yolk cocoa. Until you get a smooth brown mixture. Pour onto tray and spread evenly. Put in the oven for 20 minutes.

5. To make the filling/icing. Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie or microwave until completely melted. Allow to cool slightly. Mix the icing sugar in food processor and then add the butter until combined. Then add the cooled dark chocolate and mix.

6. After the sponge has baked, leave to cool slightly then flip onto another sheet of greaseproof paper. Trim the edges. Then spread about a third of the icing on the cake. Lengthways, roll the cake towards you. Use the greaseproof to help roll. Make sure its tightly rolled otherwise it flop out. Transfer to a plate, board etc to ice.

7. You can cut the ends of the cake in an angle and add these pieces to the side of the log to make it look more of authentic log. Cover with leftover chocolate icing. Spread using a spatula or palette knife. Allow to cool. Then sprinkle with icing sugar to give it a snow effect.

Reverse Advent Calendar

I didn't update last week as I have been pondering on something. Christmas is fast approaching, where there will be merriment, gift exchanging and of course food.

This time of year is also full of stress. People are trying to feed their family who are living on or below the poverty line.  People shouldn't have to skip meals while the rest are stuffing our faces. Or spending money on gifts which are frivolous and will be in the back of someones cupboard. 

I have had inspiration to start the #ReverseAdventCalendar. It's simple for every day you put a food item, toiletry, toy etc in a box (Don't forget the gift wrap).On the 24th or the last day the food bank is open before Christmas, donate the items and help a family in need.

It's the time for giving so why not give!

Couple of Notes:

- They generally don't accept food that is made because people could potentially get ill and legal stuff.

- Avoid fresh food and stick to preservable, dry, canned, jar food.

- Avoid 24 tins of soup. Would you want that much soup?

- Chocolates are welcomed as they can be for Children during Christmas time

- Visit your local food bank as they will have a list of food items which they are in short supply of.

Merry Christmas and Good Will to Everyone!

Decorating the Christmas Cake

So a few weeks ago I showed you how to make a Christmas Cake. You have been feeding it with brandy so now its time to decorate it. I will show you how to put marzipan and icing on the cake but decorating the top is up to you. You can buy icing and marzipan figures for the top to save time or buy coloured icing and make your own figures.

1 Christmas Cake

Fruit Cake - Either bought or made own
4 tbsp Apricot Jam
3 tbsp Brandy
Icing Sugar
Bit of water
Colour Icing/Icing Dyed with various colours/Pre purchased icing figures
1 Kg Marzipan
1 Kg Ready to Roll Icing

1. Heat the apricot jam in a pan until it begins to melt. Then sieve through into a bowl. Brush onto the cake.

2. Roll out the marzipan so that it covers the cake. Roll into the rolling pin and drape over the cake. Use a knife and remove the excess.

3. Roll the icing so that it covers the cake. Brush the marzipan with the brandy. Roll the icing into the rolling pin and drape over the cake. Instead of cutting the excess either use your thumb or the bottom of a teaspoon and create a semi circle at the base of the cake to seal. Remove the excess.

So you should have something like this:

So you can leave it like this OR you could decorate and make it something really special. Something as simple as putting a few trees on it with a couple of snowmen can make it look unique and your own. Let your creative side run wild. We don't want to see those horrible shop bought top only covered Christmas cakes.

So here are a few ideas I had:

Christmas Trees:
Get some green icing and roll into a cone. Then you get your kitchen scissors and snip into the tree to make it look more authentic. If using brown icing, make a little stump for the tree. Use the icing sugar and water mix to stick together.

Snowmen:
Make 3 small white balls, ranging from large to small. Attach together using the icing sugar and water mix. If using black icing make really small balls for the buttons and mouth of the snowman. Use a brown/orange icing for the carrot nose. Use the same icing to make the twig like arms for the snowman. And with the black icing or coloured icing for a top hat/woolly cap/scarf

Penguins:
For a penguin you need black icing. You make 2 balls, one large and one smaller one. The larger one should be slightly pointed at one end for the body. Stick together using the icing sugar mix. Use orange icing for the feet and beak. Stick with these with icing sugar mixture. Using the white icing, for the stomach and eyes. Then add 2 small balls of black icing for the pupils. If you have any coloured icing left give them a little scarf.

The other things I added was blue icing for the pond and little strands of green icing around the pond. Also to add a snow effect, I sprinkled the cake with icing sugar. And a major tip for this is icing sugar mixed with water makes an amazing glue when sticking icing together. But make your Christmas Cake your own. Even if you want to buy the actual cake, have fun decorating it, it's a fun activity for the whole family. Leave pictures and comments in the post or send them to me and will post the best ones on my next blog post. And don't forget, have a Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year.

What will your cake look like?

Merry Christmas From Me :)