Yule Log Cake

I made a pumpkin cake roll a year or two ago but I've never made a yule log cake.  I was going to make one last Christmas but then we were all sick.  So Sim and I are making it this year.  Here is the collection of recipes I will be using.  It's going to be intense.

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Ganache

(accompanying how-to video from Chef John, especially important for knowing how to tell when you're done beating the eggs)

Cinnamon Coffee Frosting (filling) 

Meringue Mushrooms (decoration)

Marzipan leaves and berries (decoration) 

Regarding how to make bark and affix a little side branch

 

Planning to serve peppermint ice cream alongside it because it's delicious and I've never made peppermint ice cream before.

Edited 12/24/2020:  Everything was going great until I started to unwrap the partially cooled cake from the towel to add the filling.  It just stuck to the towel until the cake fell apart completely.  I think when I did a pumpkin cake roll successfully the towel might've been lined with plastic wrap so that the towel itself never touched the cake, no matter how dusted with powdered sugar it was.  I should've done it that way again, but this recipe had such good reviews that I just followed it exactly.  

 I finished unwrapping the broken cake, added the cinnamon coffee buttercream, and wrapped the crumbs and cake pieces back up again to the best of my ability and wrapped the "log" in plastic wrap.  It's a mess.  It's chilling in the fridge now so I can cover it in ganache later, but it'll still be flat and weird shaped even when it's covered.  It looks like it fell in a volcano.  The taste is okay (very light, fluffy cake) and probably won't be affected too terribly by how it turned out, but if I did it again I wouldn't use the cinnamon coffee filling.  I think all chocolate components would be too much chocolate, but the cinnamon coffee frosting wasn't optimal with this cake.  I used it on a very dark mocha cake before and it was better with that.  The only reason I didn't use that cake recipe here was out of fear it wouldn't hold up when wrapped into log form.

Edited 12/30/2020:  I ended up cutting the crushed-looking, broken cake in half and stacking it on top of itself after it chilled in the fridge so it looked more like a messy little layer cake.  After pouring the ganache over it and decorating it with the meringue mushrooms, the overall flavor combination was very good, though it still looked very messy.  Sameer and I ate it, and Simran deemed it "too chocolaty," but she doesn't normally like chocolate cake in the first place.  She liked the peppermint ice cream though.

Healthy Chocolate Truffles

This recipe originally came from The How Not to Die Cookbook.  But that version gave me a little bit of a stomach ache, presumably from all the nuts, so I replaced some of them with black beans this time around, which also cut the fat content a bit.  Simran also likes this version, which is shocking.  I think it's the first whole food plant based dessert she's liked.  I will probably keep a batch of these in the fridge going forward since they don't require cooking and one or two can sate a chocolate craving pretty well.

Ingredients
1/3 cup chopped and pitted soft dates
1/3 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbs almond butter (or substitute whatever nut butter you have -- I think I used some sunbutter I'm trying to dispose of)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup date sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond flour (or finely ground nuts of your choice), for coating

Directions 

1) Combine dates and black beans in food processor and process to a paste.  Add almond butter and process to combine.  Add cocoa powder, date sugar, vanilla, and 1 tsp of water.  Pulse until well combined.

2) The finished product should look fudgy in color and texture and just hold together when molded into a ball.  If it's crumbly, add a little more water, 1 tsp at a time, until it can be shaped into balls.  If it's too soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm it up.

3) Use your hands to shape and roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.  Then roll them in almond flour.  Place them in a container and refrigerate until firm before serving.

Cherry Chocolate Chia Pudding

This is probably my favorite healthy dessert.  The original recipe, which I've barely personalized, comes from Dr. Michael Greger's How Not to Die Cookbook.  The link above includes an error in the amount of berries.  The version in the book calls for 500% more berries and, as I've made this many times now, I am confident the book version is correct.  Sometimes I double this recipe to use a whole avocado (and because I can eat a lot of this), but it's hard to fit that much in a Vitamix blender or any container I own.

Ingredients
1/2 ripe Haas avocado
1 1/4 cup pitted sweet dark cherries (I get them from the freezer section)
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbs almond butter
1/2 cup date syrup (This syrup is another HNTD recipe -- 1 cup pitted dates soaked in 1 cup hot water for 1 hour, then blend on high speed with 1 tsp pureed lemon.)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup chia seeds

Directions 

1) Combine everything but chia seeds in high speed blender and blend smooth.

2) Stir in chia seeds by hand.

3) Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.


To Make Fudgsicles:

1) Omit chia seeds.  Combine everything in high speed blender until smooth.

2) Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Healthy Chocolate Chia Pudding

I found this recipe on OhSheGlows.com.  I've never used chia seeds before, but they sound fascinating.

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/4 cup to 1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, as needed to thin out
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp carob flour/powder
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Shaved chocolate for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients (starting with 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk) until the clumps are gone. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours, until thick or overnight. Stir well, add more milk if desired to achieve the thickness you desire, and serve chilled. Alternatively you can heat in the microwave and serve it warm. It’s nice with a spoonful of coconut cream mixed in or a mashed banana too.

Brownies

Sameer suggested I make brownies for his 32nd birthday rather than a chocolate cake so that we don't each end up eating half a cake.  This seemed like sound logic, and brownies are also a lot faster and easier than making an entire cake and frosting, so here is the brownie recipe I'm using, originally from AllRecipes, but my version below incorporates changes from one reviewer.  The frosting glaze ended up seeping into all the brownies when I made these before, possibly because the melted butter was too hot, but that turned out to be delicious, so I figure I'll just do things the same way this time and see how it goes.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

frosting glaze:
3 tbs butter, melted
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbs honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

2. Mix together 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons melted butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Consistency should resemble a thick liquid glaze. Spread over brownies while they are still warm.  

Hot Cocoa Mix

I'm never bothering to buy hot cocoa mix again.  I make this exactly as Alton Brown's recipe dictates.  I went through the first batch inside a week, so I doubled the recipe and made it again tonight.

Ingredients

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
• 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Hot water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients (except water) in a container, cover, and shake to incorporate thoroughly.

2. Fill mug half full with hot cocoa mix, add hot water, and stir.  Serve hot.