I assumed that this was how everyone made a Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) but I was looking in a recipe book yesterday and there were these crazy complicated instruction. Pffft! Here's how to make a Yule Log super simply.
First, grab a jelly roll/swiss roll cake from the shop. Seriously, no one will really care if you make it from scratch. If you are a sucker for punishment and want to make your own sponge cake I suggest rolling it up in a towel when you take it out of the oven.
Let it cool rolled up like this. This will help to prevent cracking when you fill and roll it up. Just look how nice and rolly that cake is!
Now fill your cake with cream, icing or jam. The book I was looking at said to be very careful how close to the edge the filling was applied... I say, fill to your hearts content!
Now, make a diagonal cut and lop off one end of the roll.
Plonk the bit you chopped off where you'd like your limb to poke out.
Cover in chocolate icing. Some people ice the ends but it's supposed to be a chopped log and I like the look of the 'rings' so I don't bother.
When it's covered, drag the tines of a fork across the surface.
Hey look! It's just like bark!
Add some powdered sugar for snow, meringue mushrooms, berries, shaved chocolate and decorate the hell out of that log!
How easy was that?!?!
