Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake/Yule Log

Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake/Yule Log:

Prep time: 25 -30 minutes

Bake time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 27 g of Grain Free Flour Mix
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar
  • 3 tbsp cacao or carob powder
  • 115 g of chocolate (I used Pico m*lk chocolate)
  • 5 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

Whipped Coconut Cream Filling/Coating:

NOTE: Below quantities are for Swiss Roll filling only. If making Yule Log double this recipe. 

  • 1 ¼ cup of Coconut whipping cream, chilled in fridge for 4 hours or overnight
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • For chocolate filling (optional): 2 tbsp of cacao or carob powder and/or melted dairy-free chocolate

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (non-fan forced).
  2. Grease a 15 x 10-inch (25 x 38 cm) swiss roll pan or similar with coconut oil. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and then lightly oil again so that paper is greasy but not pooling with oil (ensure that paper extends up toward each side of the pan).
  3. Fill a small pot with 2 cm of water. Place an ideal-sized glass or stainless-steel bowl on top of the pot, ensuring that there is a reasonable gap between the bottom of the bowl and the water as boiling water coming into direct contact with the bowl will cause the chocolate to burn. Add broken up chocolate to the bowl and turn the stove setting on low. Allow the chocolate to gradually melt while moving on to step 4. Keep a close eye on the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Turn the stove setting down to the lowest setting until ready to use.
  4. Beat egg yolks and coconut sugar using an electric mixer until pale and thick. Slowly add melted chocolate and continue to beat until combined. Ensure that chocolate is fully melted but not overly hot to avoid cooking the egg.
  5. Sift in Grain Free Flour Mix, a little at a time, continuing to beat with mixer.
  6. Using a stand mixer or separate bowl with electric mixer (clean beaters), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. This may take a few minutes.
  7. Using a spatula, fold eggs whites into chocolate mixture, doing ever so gently so that the batter becomes extremely light and dramatically increases in volume. To ensure an even and fluffy texture throughout, use the spatula to lift the heavier chocolate mixture at the bottom of the bowl upwards. If the batter looks light and even in colour and texture when pouring into the pan, then it has been well-incorporated. Note that when some of the chocolate mixture is not fully incorporated it can result in an uneven sponge with the heavier chocolate mixture sinking to the bottom of the pan with the lighter sponge (egg whites) floating to the top.
  8. Slowly pour the batter into prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula. Place the pan on the middle rack of oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffed and a skewer comes out clean.
  9. Lay a clean, damp towel over the cake and allow to cool. Note that some of the cake will transfer to the towel. Ensure that the cake has cooled sufficiently before moving into the next step (allow at least 30-minutes).
  10. Dust a new sheet of parchment paper with cacao or carob powder.
  11. Remove the damp towel and carefully flip the cake onto parchment paper and peel off the existing paper. The sponge cake should be a pale brown from top to bottom.
  12. Whip the coconut cream and honey until peaks form. For a Yule Log- style cake, you might consider adding cacao or carob powder for more of a log appearance. If making a Yule Log, prepare additional coconut whipping cream with the addition of cacao/carob powder. You might consider adding melted chocolate to the cream mixture for a dark brown colour and richer flavour.
  13. Spread the whipped cream over the cake, leaving a border around the edges.
  14. Use the parchment paper to gently roll the cake up.
  15. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  16. If making a Yule Log, place the roll on a plate of your choice and proceed to spread with whipping cream, producing lines or striations to resemble a log. You might decide to spread cream at each end or leave exposed. If leaving exposed, consider slicing off a small margin from each end for a cleaner appearance.
  17. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.