Christmas log with praline paste and hazelnuts

The preparation step by step

1. Prepare the plate and eggs

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Tapes the 30 x 40 cm baking paper. Melt the 20 g butter and allow it to cool until lukewarm. Break each egg into a small bowl; separate the white from the yolk by passing the yolk between the half shells. Gather the four whites and four yolks in two bowls.

2. Whisk both preparations

   Whisk the four yolks with 70 g of sugar for 3 minutes: the mixture must fade and thicken. Using clean beaters, whisk the four egg whites with the salt, then add the remaining 30 g sugar in three additions. Stop when the foam forms a soft peak at the end of the whisk, without becoming dry or lumpy.

3. Finish and spread the dough

   Fold in a third of the whites to the yolks to soften them. Add the other whites and 100 g of sifted flour in two, with a spatula running from the bottom to the top. Mix two spoonfuls of lukewarm butter dough, then pour this mixture back into the bowl. Regularly spreads over the entire plate, right down to the corners.

4. Monitors the baking of sponge

   Bake at mid-height for 10 to 12 minutes, without opening for the first 8 minutes. The sponge should be slightly golden, soft under one finger and no longer leave wet dough. Take it out as soon as these benchmarks are combined: a prolonged cooking dries this thin layer and makes rolling more difficult.

5. Preroll and let cool

   Spread the dish clean, moistened and then very well wrung, on the worktop. Turn the hot sponge over, baking tray removed, then gently peels off the baking paper. Roll the sponge immediately with the tea towel, starting from a side of 30 cm. Let it cool for 30 minutes as well: the future log will be about 30 cm long.

6. Prepare praline paste and hazelnuts

   Stir the 120 g of praline paste in their jar before weighing them, as the oil can rise to the surface. Crush the 40 g of hazelnuts with a knife on a stable board. Keep 20 g for trim and 20 g for decor; aims for small chips that are easy to cut, without reducing them to powder.

7. Whisk the cream with mascarpone

   Pour 250 g of mascarpone and 150 g of liquid cream into a cold bowl. Whisk at medium speed, until the cream forms furrows and holds on to the whisk. Add the 120 g of praline paste to the spatula, in small portions, then mix gently until a uniform beige color is obtained.

8. Garnish the sponge with praline paste

   Reserve about 170 g of cream for the outside and keep them cool. Unroll the cold sponge, remove the tea towel and spread the remaining 350 g of cream. Leave 2 cm free on the last edge of 30 cm. Spread the 20 g of hazelnuts intended for the interior in a thin layer, without clumps.

9. Roll without compressing the trim

   Start rolling by the small side opposite the edge left free. Lift the tea towel to guide the biscuit and accompany the first round with your hands, without pressing on the hazelnuts. Finish with the closure underneath, then lay the log on its plate. If a little cream comes out, get it back with a spoon.

10. Refrigerate before covering

    Cover the log without touching its surface and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Keep the reserved cream in a covered bowl, also in the refrigerator. This rest gives strength to the roll: you can then spread the cover without moving the layers of sponge or bring out the garnish at the ends.

11. Finish the praline paste decor

    Spread the 170 g of reserved cream on the top and sides with the back of a spoon. Just draw a few broad waves. Sprinkle the remaining 20 g of hazelnuts, then graze the 20 g of dark chocolate above the center. Keep cold until service and cuts with a clean blade between each slice.