Description
These Mini Christmas Yule Logs are a delightful holiday dessert featuring a light cocoa sponge cake rolled with a creamy mascarpone and yogurt filling, all coated in a smooth chocolate peanut butter glaze. Perfectly portioned for smaller servings, they are festive, easy to prepare, and ideal for sharing with family and friends during the Christmas season.
Ingredients
Scale
Sponge Cake
- 4 eggs, separated
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75g (⅓ cup) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
Cream Filling
- Mascarpone cheese, 100g (approximately)
- 3 tbsp natural yogurt
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Chocolate Coating
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (approximately 125g)
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3-4 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) to warm up while you prepare the sponge cake batter.
- Whisk Egg Whites: In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the icing sugar until stiff peaks form. This will give the sponge its light texture.
- Mix Egg Yolks: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with the maple syrup and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
- Combine Mixtures: Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites to maintain the airiness. Then sieve in the plain flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder and carefully fold until just combined.
- Bake Cake: Pour the batter evenly onto a baking tin lined with parchment paper and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the center springs back lightly when touched.
- Roll Cake: Immediately after removing from the oven, roll the cake up with the parchment paper still attached and leave it to cool completely in this rolled shape to prevent cracking.
- Prepare Cream Filling: In a bowl, mix together mascarpone cheese, natural yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and combined.
- Make Chocolate Coating: Mix peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and enough milk (3-4 tablespoons) to create a smooth, spreadable chocolate coating.
- Assemble Yule Logs: Once the cake has cooled, unroll it gently and cut into 4 equal pieces. Spread the cream filling evenly inside each piece and then roll each piece up again tightly.
- Create Branches and Coat: Cut a diagonal slice from each end of the rolls to make branch pieces and place them on the side of each log to resemble branches. Cover the entire Yule log with the chocolate coating.
- Serve: Dust the finished Yule logs lightly with icing sugar to resemble snow and serve chilled or at room temperature for the best flavor.
Notes
- For best results, ensure egg whites are whisked until stiff peaks form to give the sponge a light texture.
- Rolling the cake while it is still warm prevents cracking and makes it easier to roll later with the filling.
- You can substitute natural yogurt with Greek yogurt for a thicker cream filling.
- This recipe can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated, allowing flavors to develop.
- Adjust the milk in the chocolate coating to achieve your preferred consistency – thicker for spreading, thinner for drizzling.
