3.5 ounces(100gms) marzipan(⅓ cup packed or ⅔ cup finely diced)
for the ganache 'bark' frosting:
¾cup(180ml) whipping cream
6.5ounces(180gms) chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate(1 cup + 1 tablespoon)
to decorate:
a sprinkle of powdered sugar, fresh or artificial spruce twigs, berries, twigs, pine cones, or marzipan mushrooms or marzipan pine conessee Yule Log recipe post for instructions
Instructions
to make the sponge cake roll:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Lightly grease the bottom of a 12 x 17-inch (30 x 43 cm) rimmed baking sheet with butter or baking spray. Line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment paper cut to fit. Grease or spray the paper, too. (Leaving the sides of the pan ungreased will help the cake to 'grip' the sides and rise better.)
Whip the eggs and salt with a stand mixer whisk or hand mixer until foamy. Add the sugar gradually, then beat on high speed for a full 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is really pale and fluffy and has expanded in volume 5 to 6 times.
Add the molasses and lemon zest and whip for 30 seconds to incorporate them.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices over the eggs and fold them in with a spatula until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet. Spread it to the edges and even out the top. Bang the pan sharply on the countertop to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Do not overbake, or the cake will crack when rolled.
While the cake is baking, lay out a clean tea towel (use a thin cotton one without any towel nap or waffle weave). Sprinkle the whole towel liberally with powdered sugar shaken through a sieve.
When the cake is finished baking, let it cool for 2 minutes, then cut all the way around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Invert it quickly and confidently with one smooth movement onto the sugar-dusted towel. Remove the baking sheet and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Dust the surface of the cake liberally with powdered sugar, too.
Roll up the hot cake firmly with the tea towel. Start from the short side if you want a shorter, thicker log. Start from the long side if you want a thinner, longer log.
Leave the log to cool completely, rolled up in the towel - for about an hour in the fridge, or wrap the cooled cake (still in the towel) in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for up to a day, if making the cake ahead.
to make the filling and assemble the yule log:
Sprinkle the gelatin onto the water in a small bowl and leave it to soak for 5 minutes to soften it. Microwave it in 10 second increments until it is just melted (20 - 30 seconds) or set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water until the gelatin has melted.
Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Pour in the warm melted gelatin while whipping and whip for 30 seconds more.
Dust a work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the marzipan to a ¼-inch (.6cm) thickness. Cut it into small cubes.
Gently unroll the chilled cake and spread it with the whipped cream right to the sides of the cake, but leaving the last inch of the roll uncovered.
Sprinkle the diced marzipan evenly over the cream.
Re-roll the cake in the same direction it was rolled before, lifting the towel to help roll it and using your fingers to tuck it firmly as you roll it. As you roll, you may have to carefully pull the towel away from the cake if it was stuck in any spots.
Lift the yule log carefully and place it onto a serving plate.
If you'd like to have a side-branch, cut off one end of the log diagonally at about 3 to 4 inches and place it up against the side of the longer log piece. If you've rolled your log the short way, you can make a short side piece, or leave your log plain, without a side-piece.
At this point, you can cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill it for a day before adding the ganache 'bark' and decorating it, or complete it now to serve in a few hours.
to make the ganache 'bark' and decorate the log:
Combine the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and the whipping cream in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly until the chocolate is almost all melted. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and glossy. (Alternately, heat the chocolate and cream in a bowl in the microwave by 30 second increments on high power until it is half melted. Remove and stir until it is completely melted.
Set the ganache aside to cool at room temperature until it is thickened enough to spread - about 30 to 45 minutes. Check it often after the 30 minute mark, as you don't want it to get too stiff to spread.
Spread the ganache over the yule log to cover it completely, leaving the cut ends of the log and side-branch exposed.
Leave it with the knife marks to look like bark, or drag the tines of a fork through the icing in wavy lines to look like bark.
Optional - Dust the cake lightly in a few spots with powdered sugar shaken through a sieve, to look like a bit of fresh snow.
Decorate your Yule Log as desired. Use little mushrooms made of marzipan and real pine cones or ones made with almonds pressed into marzipan cones that have been tinted with cocoa powder. You can also use maraschino cherries, sugared cranberries, sprigs of spruce or evergreen, sugared or plain rosemary twigs, or Christmas decorations.
The cake will cake, covered in plastic wrap and chilled, for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
The amount of sponge is made for a 12 x 17-inch (30 x 43 cm) rimmed baking sheet. You could use a pan 1-inch smaller in each direction, but if it's any smaller than that, your cake layer will be too thick to roll. If you don't have a large enough pan, use whatever size you have and put the excess batter into another pan to bake and use it for something else.If you don't have or don't care for marzipan, you can omit it and increase the sugar in the whipped cream filling to 4 tablespoons and add ½ teaspoon of pure almond extract instead.This cake can be prepared in stages a few days ahead. If serving the cake on the 25th of December, you can make the cake and the marzipan decorations on the 22nd or 23rd and chill them. Then fill and frost the cake on the 24th. On the 25th you just need to add the decorations before serving.