Ingredients
For the chocolate swiss roll:
4 eggs
100 g caster sugar
75 g plain flour
25 g cocoa powder
For the ganache:
(mix both ingredients together)
240 g cream heated
480 g dark chocolate
For the chocolate mousse:
350 g double cream
300 g ganache
For the garnish:
420 g ganache
300 g white marzipan
Red food colour
Green food colour
50 g royal icing
40 g melted dark chocolate for piping
Method
For the chocolate swiss roll, whisk the eggs and sugar together to ribbon consistency. Sieve the cocoa powder and flour together, and then fold the dry ingredients in to the egg and sugar mix. Spread very carefully onto baking parchment, then place onto a baking tray and bake at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 for 6 to 8 minutes.
When cooked turn out onto sugared parchment paper and peel off the parchment paper that the sponge was cooked on. Roll the sponge up in the sugared parchment and allow to cool.
For the chocolate mousse, whisk the cream to nearly ribbon consistency, melt ganache to 38°C and fold the two together.
With the cool chocolate sponge, spread the mousse through the middle and then roll up and coat the outside with the remaining mousse, allow to set. To finish, coat with the ganache, garnish with the marzipan plaque, moss and toad stools and dust with icing sugar.
What better way to impress your friends at Christmas than with your very own perfectly created yule log? Book a place on the Yule log decorating course at the Padstow Cookery School on the 1st December - tickets are £40 and you can book online or by calling 01841 532700
Recipe is © Stuart Pate, head pastry chef at The Seafood Restaurant.
