Peppermint and chocolate go hand in hand in this update to a festive classic. With dark chocolate, silky whipped cream and a refreshing center, this peppermint yule log is the perfect after-dinner treat.
A sprinkle of icing sugar gives a snowy finishing touch, while a few sprigs of mint add a splash of color to this chocolatey pastry. Rather fan of chocolate orange? Replace mint chocolate matchmakers with chopped chocolate orange and add a few dashes of orange extract instead of mint. For the perfect finishing touch, garnish with cake sparklers just before serving.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs (separated)
- 150g caster sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200g mint dessert or similar (finely chopped)
- 200 ml fresh cream
- 100g icing sugar
- A few drops of peppermint extract
- A few sprigs of fresh mint leaves to garnish
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Mark Gas 4/350°F. Cut a section of parchment paper to fit a shallow baking pan or brioche pan.
- Whisk the egg whites with a little sugar until stiff.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and remaining sugar until they become lighter and thicker.
- Add the cocoa to the egg yolk mixture and mix. Roughly mix in a few spoonfuls of egg whites to make the mixture easier to blend.
- Add the remaining egg white, taking care to squeeze as little air out of the mixture as possible. Use a figure-eight folding action rather than stirring to keep as many bubbles in the mixture as possible to ensure a light sponge.
- Spread evenly in your pan, sprinkle with chopped mint chocolates and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just set.
- Leave to cool slightly then turn over onto another sheet of baking paper. Carefully peel off the cooked on paper. Cover with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to cool.
- Whip cream, peppermint extract and icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Uncover the biscuit and spread it evenly with the whipped cream. Using parchment paper, gently roll into a log shape. You can cut sections to look like branches if you like.
- Decorate with mint leaves and icing sugar.
Tips for making this peppermint log
For a more adult version, you can add a little mint liqueur to the cream filling.
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Chocolate log (opens in a new tab)
Swiss chocolate roll (opens in a new tab)
Chocolate roulade (opens in a new tab)
