How
to make a chocolate log by
Rose Smith editor of Tesco Food Club
Do your Christmas cooking like the pros this year
with help from one of the video masterclasses with
insider tips produced for the Tesco Food Club. The
videos show you all the essential techniques and savvy
seasonal shortcuts you need.
Bored of Christmas cake? Here's an indulgent alternative
that's quicker to make. Swiss rolls are a versatile
cake and combine the lightness of fluffy sponge with
a rich filling. Here we’ve gone for all-out chocolate
to make a Christmas yule log.
Rose
Smith
From
a young age, Rose Smith has had a passion for
food, cooking and ingredients. She learnt the
basics from two other talented cooks - her mum
and granny - and then honed her skills at the
Ashburton Cookery School in Devon.
Rose has been editor of Tesco Food Club for nearly
two years. The magazine is a celebration of food
- from delicious ways to cook with seasonal fruit
and veg, to everyday and weekend recipes and expert
tips.
To help all cooks prepare for Christmas and learn
some savvy skills, Rose and the Tesco Food Club
team created www.foodclubonline.com. This
website features six really useful how-to videos,
from how to prepare a whole salmon (without having
to buy an expensive fish kettle) to preparing
vegetables.
"If you only do one thing this Christmas,"
says Rose, "make sure it's blanching your
Christmas dinner veg such as sprouts and carrots.
Prep and plunge them in boiling water on Christmas
Eve then store in the fridge overnight. As your
turkey is resting, you can quickly finish cooking
them - either by glazing in pan or reheating in
the microwave, then serve. No last-minute rush
and no soggy veg, perfect."
For written instructions please scroll
down the page
HOW
TO MAKE A CHOCOLATE LOG
Swiss rolls are a versatile cake and combine
the lightness of fluffy sponge with a rich filling.
Here we’ve gone for all-out chocolate to
make a Christmas yule log.
Ingredients
Sponge:
3 large eggs
100g caster sugar
70g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 - 2 tbsp hot water
Step
1
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Grease
a 31cm x 21cm Swiss roll tin or baking tray and
line with non-stick baking paper. Make the sponge
by beating the eggs and sugar in a bowl with an
electric whisk for 6 - 8 minutes until pale, airy
and increased in volume. It should be thick enough
to leave a trail on the surface when you lift the
beaters.
Step
2
Sift the flour and cocoa into the bowl and fold
in using a large metal spoon until completely combined.
At this stage, you don’t want to loose any air from
the mixture so use quick, careful movements. Add
1 - 2 tbsp of hot water to loosen the mixture then
fold in again. Put the mixture into the tin, spreading
it evenly into the corners. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes.
Step
3
Lay out a long piece of baking paper on your work
surface and sprinkle with caster sugar. Turn out
the hot sponge onto the clean baking paper and peel
off the lining paper. Neaten the edges with a sharp
knife, then roll up, using the paper to help you.
Leave to cool. Make the butter cream by melting
the chocolate in a glass bowl set above a little
simmering hot water in a saucepan. Pour into a bowl
with the butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence
and beat together with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Whip the cream.
Step
4
Gently unroll the sponge. Don’t worry if it cracks
as it’ll be covered with icing. Spread the sponge
with about half the butter cream. With another spatula,
add a layer of whipped cream. Reroll the sponge,
using the paper to start you off. Transfer to a
plate then cover with the rest of the butter cream
making bark patterns in the icing.
Serves:
8
Preparation
time: 30 minutes
Cooking
time: 8 - 10 minutes
COOK
SMART TIP: For
a lovely, airy mixture, take the eggs out of the
fridge
an hour before you need them as they will whisk
to a greater volume.
Step
5
Chill in the fridge.
Before serving, dust with icing sugar and decorate
with chocolate decorations (see our How to make
chocolate decorations video masterclass).
From
a young age, Rose Smith has had a passion for
food, cooking and ingredients. She learnt the
basics from two other talented cooks - her mum
and granny - and then honed her skills at the
Ashburton Cookery School in Devon.
