The Birch Illusion Yule Log

Let's start the recipe!

1. Preparing the work work surface

   Read the whole record. Weigh the biscuit, garnish and decor separately. Cover a baking tray with a 30 x 40 cm edge of baking paper. Make a second paper and a clean cloth. Preheat the oven to 180 °C, traditional heat.

2. Whisk the eggs to the ribbon stage

   Break each egg in a small bowl to remove any shell, then put the four eggs together in the bowl. Add 100 g of sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk with an electric mixer for 7 to 8 minutes: the mixture should whiten, triple in volume and form a ribbon that remains visible for a few seconds.

3. Stir in the dry ingredients and cook

   Mix 80 g of flour and 20 g of cocoa over the bowl in two. Gently lift the dough with a spatula, from the bottom to the top, turning the bowl. Spread regularly on the plate, without crushing the foam. Bake 10 to 12 minutes: the top should return under a slight pressure of the finger without becoming dry.

4. Pre-roll the still warm sponge

   Turn the sponge on the second paper on the cloth. Gently peel off the baking paper. Roll the sponge with the clean paper, starting from a small side: you get a log of about 30 cm. Let cool in this position for 25 to 30 minutes. The paper prevents the faces from sticking; it will be removed before filling.

5. Prepare the cold filling

   Pour 125 g of mascarpone, 75 g of whole cream and 50 g of hazelnut praline paste in a cold bowl. Whisk first slowly, then at medium speed, until you get a cream that fits on the whisk. Stop as soon as it forms a soft peak.

6. Garnish, roll and firm

   Gently unroll the cooled genoise sponge and removes the inner paper. Spread the 250 g of cream on the sponge, leaving 2 cm free at the edge that will close the roll. Roll without paper inside, without too tight not to chase the cream. Place the joint underneath and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

7. Preparing a regular surface

   Cut a thin washer at one end and keep it cold to form the branch. Smooth the log with the back of a slightly damp spoon, then dab any drop. Work quickly with the cold cake so as not to soften the filling.

8. Spread the fondant

   Reserve 50 g of white paste for the branch. On the very slightly powdered plane of icing sugar, spread the remaining 450 g by 2 to 3 mm thick, in a rectangle of about 32 x 26 cm. Check with a clean strip of paper the length needed to cover the top and sides; then cut the surplus.

9. Cover the log

   Lay the sheet on the cold, smooth log from the center to the sides with clean hands. Enter or intersect the bottom edge without pulling. Leave the two spirals visible. If the cover cracks, gently bring the edges closer with the finger rather than adding water.

10. Drawing the birch bark

    With a barely moistened food brush, mix a small tip of black or gray with a drop of water. Draw some short, irregular and horizontal lines. Powder very slightly some traits with cocoa. Avoid long regular lines: white areas must remain in the majority.

11. Lay a short branch

    Cover the reserved small washer with the 50 g of white paste, keeping the cut visible. Place it on the flat, against the side of the log, without making it stand cantilevered. Draw two or three cocoa marks on its contour.

12. Add the undergrowth and serve

    Add the 20 g of green paste at the foot of the log to evoke the foam. Place the four mushrooms and chocolate shavings on the dish when serving: the moisture softens the meringues. Cut eight slices with a long knife wiped between the parts.