Without doubt one of my favourite desserts during the Christmas period. Wonderfully retro and relatively simple to make. Who loves a chocolate log?
INGREDIENTS:
SPONGE:
3 eggs
85g caster sugar
75g plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
FILLING:
1 tablespoon cherry jam
300 ml double cream - whipped (you may not need all of it)
3 tablespoons icing sugar
ICING:
50g butter
140g dark chocolate
1 tablespoon golden syrup
248ml double cream
200g icing sugar
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 degrees fan)
Beat the eggs and sugar together using an electric whisk. Keep going until it’s thick and fluffy. Sieve the dry ingredients together into the egg/sugar mixture and fold in carefully trying not to lose any air.
Line a 23 x 32 Swiss roll tin with parchment paper. Pour in the mixture and spread into the corners and sides by tilting with your hands. Into the oven for 11 - 14 minutes. Place another piece of parchment paper over the sponge and flip over. Peel the parchment paper off and roll into a tight roll and allow to cool completely. It’s important to do this while hot.
Whip the cream and icing sugar together and keep cool.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water. Remove from the heat and add 4/5 tablespoons of the cream into the chocolate. Beat in 200g of the icing sugar until smooth. Stir in the rest of the cream until it’s the right consistency.
Unwrap the Swiss roll and spread the jam followed by the filling on to the rectangle, you may not need it all.
Roll back up into a log. Slice a 1/4 off at an angle and place as a branch on the log. Spread with the icing, keeping the ends free from icing. With a fork draw texture to look like bark. Dust with icing sugar