Chocolate and cherry yule log

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees fan bake. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and ½ cup caster sugar until thick, creamy and pale in colour. Sieve the flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder and salt into the egg mixture, then beat until just combined. 
2. In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Slowly stream in the remaining caster sugar, and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. 
3. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just combined. Transfer to a lined swiss roll tin, and gently spread evenly across the tin. 
4. Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly. Dust a clean tea towel with 2 Tbsp of icing sugar, then tip the cake directly onto the tea towel.
5. Peel off the baking paper, then roll lengthways and set aside to cool. 
6. To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy, then add the remaining cocoa powder and 1 cup of icing sugar. Beat until smooth, then add the remaining icing sugar, and beat until fluffy and smooth. 
7. Mix the cooled melted chocolate into the buttercream, and beat until well incorporated. Transfer half of the buttercream into a separate bowl, then fold the cherries through one half of the buttercream until just combined.
8. Once cool, unroll the sponge and spread the buttercream with cherries evenly over the sponge. Roll again, then cut ¼ from the log on a diagonal and place onto the side of the log to create a branch shape. 
9. Use the remaining plain buttercream to ice the yule log using a spatula or butter knife, then use a fork to create wood grain texture into the icing. 
10. Garnish with icing sugar, fresh cherries and rosemary sprigs. Serve and enjoy, or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Tips

• You can use a fine sieve as a sifter for icing sugar and cocoa. If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a balloon whisk to help aerate and incorporate the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet mixture.

FAQs

• Why do I roll the sponge without the cream inside?
  • The reason we do this is so while the sponge is still warm, we roll with the towel and that way the sponge almost ‘’remembers’’ the way it was rolled and doesn’t break or crack later when the cream is spread and rerolled.
• Can I freeze a yule log cake?
  • Yes! Just place the yule log cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until completely frozen, about 2 hours. Then, tightly wrap it in plastic cling film and a layer of aluminium foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature.