Christmas Yule Log

Based on a Baked Alaska, this yule log is filled with vanilla ice cream and coated with meringue.

 

For 10 : The coloured filling : 43g white chocolate 60g milk 1/3 leaf of gélatine 8 drops red colouring The genoise sponge: 125g sieved plain flour 125g caster sugar 225g eggs (4 medium) 1 baking tray 30*40cm 50cl vanilla ice-cream For flavouring: 1tbsp white rum or kirsch 30 maraschino cherries 2tbsp de rhum For the meringue: 60g egg white(2medium) 100g caster sugar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  You will achieve a better result with bought ice cream as it is easier to spread.
  
• Prior preparation:
  Put the cherries to macerate in a jar with the rum.     Prepare the coloured filling, this will highlight the typical spiral of a swiss roll.Melt the grated chocolate with the milk warmed to 45 -50°.  Mix well, then add the gelatine which you have soaked in cold water and then drained.  Leave to melt, then add the 8 drops red food colouring and mix again.  Refrigerate. The mixture will set like a jelly.
• Making the sponge :
  Pre-heat the oven to 170°;  line the baking tray with baking parchment.In the bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for 10 mins at medium speed till they are light and frothy.  Add the flour in three lots, folding it in with a spatula.  Turn the mixture onto the baking tray, level the surface  and cook for 15-17mins, taking care that the cake does no more than colour slightly.  When it is cooked, turn it onto a seconds sheet of baking parchment and refrigerate between the sheets of paper for 30mins.
  
  
• Assemblin the yule log:{mosimage}{mosimage} {mosimage}
  Remove the top sheet of baking paper.  Sprinkle the sponge with a few drops of white rum.  No need to drench the cake as it is moist and supple enough.  Spread the coloured filling thinly and evenly over the sponge.  Take the ice cream out of the freezer and spread in spoonfuls over the filling, taking no longer than 3mins.  Push the cherries into the ice cream at regular intervals.  Finally, roll up the sponge, using the paper to keep the shape.  Envelop the whole thing in a sheet of tinfoil and put in the freezer overnight.
  
• Decoration (can be done later) :
      Preparing the meringue:
  Whip the eggwhites till stiff and incorporate the sugar in two lots, beat for a further minute.  Pre-heat the oven to 210°.  Remove the log from the freezer, coat completely with ¾ of the meringue, smoothed over with a spatula. Comb with a fork to form a pattern and either pipe the remaining meringue in whorls on top or use it to decorate with a fork.  Change the oven setting to grill and cook the cake for no longer than 4 mins, until the meringue has coloured.  Stay close to the oven to check that the top doesn’t burn.
• You can put the yule log in the freezer if you don’t intend to eat it immediately.  If you need to keep it longer than a day, you should wrap it in clingfilm to prevent it drying out.

 

 

 

 

This yule Log will keep up to 30 days in the freezer.