Posted By Kimberly Turner on Dec 1, 2014 in Baking, Cake Recipe, Chocolate, Christmas, Cooking How-To Videos, Cooking Shows, Cooking with Kimberly, Desserts, English, Ethnic Foods, Featured, Holidays & Events, How To Cook, Sweets, Vegetarian, Western European Food | 0 comments

This fabulously traditional recipe for How to Bake a Christmas Chocolate Log is perfect for the Holidays, even as a host/hostess gift.

Chocolate log cakes are traditionally made & enjoyed for Christmas, but this cake can be made any time of the year.

I found this spectacular recipe in an eBook called A Cornish Grandmother’s Family Favourites available on Amazon.

In this eBook, the Chocolate Christmas Log recipe uses the same chocolate cake base as its recipe for Hulda’s Chocolate Cake.

Christmas Chocolate Log:

In the ebook, this Cornish grandmother, Jane, explains that she got this recipe from a friend on a short visit she made to South Africa.

She likes to use this recipe a lot because it is quick, easy and reliable. It makes a good size cake and you can turn it into a ‘gateaux’ for a dessert with a rich icing and cream and/or jam sandwich layer.

Try making a Spring Chocolate Log without using icing sugar to make it look like snow.

This recipe uses a cup as a measure, which holds 200 ml or about 0.42 US pints of water.

Type: Cake Recipe

Prep Time: about 15 to 20 min
Bake Time: 20 min
Yield: ~ 12 slices

The ingredients & instructions are listed below the video for measurements & directions. Please enjoy this webisode of Cooking with Kimberly:

Ingredients:

½ cup cooking oil
¾ cup castor sugar
½ cup water
3 egg yolks
1 cup plain flour
pinch of salt
¼ cup cocoa – NOT drinking chocolate
3 rounded tsp baking powder
3 egg whites

In addition to the ingredients from Hulda’s Chocolate Cake recipe, you need the following.

6 oz/190g icing sugar + a little to decorate
4 oz/110g unsalted butter
4 oz/110g plain chocolate

Instructions:

Separate yolks and whites of eggs. Whip egg whites until stiff, put to one side.
Blend sugar, oil and water.
Put cup of flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa in a bowl and then fold into sugar, oil and water mixture. Beat for 5 minutes.
Stir in the egg yolks. Beat again.
Finally fold in the whipped egg whites.
Line or grease jelly roll or Swiss roll pan.
Preheat the oven to 190 C/170 C fan/375 F/gas mark 5.
Pour cake batter into the pan, and bake for around 20 minutes until sponge is firm to touch in the centre.
Put the cake mixture into Swiss roll tin. Bake for 20 minutes.
Make butter icing by creaming the butter until soft, then gradually beating in the sugar.
When finished baking, tip out the cake from the tin onto a sheet of greaseproof paper sprinkled with caster sugar.
Spread butter icing over the surface.
Using the greaseproof paper, roll up the sponge into a log. Trim the ends. Use these pieces to add bumps on the log that look like branches.
Cover with melted plain chocolate.
When the chocolate has set, shake icing sugar over the log. Decorate with a robin and holly.

This cake was not only absolutely beautiful & life-like, it was so richly delicious with a light, fluffy cake, chocolate coating and smooth, butter cream icing.

You will really love this ebook – A Cornish Grandmother’s Family Favourites – and you can find it on Amazon:

This Christmas Chocolate Log is sure to please & is a wonderful host/hostess gift to bring when visiting family & friends over the Holidays!