Cannoli Yule Log

Tender cake rolled with a cannoli type ricotta filling with chocolate chips and candied peel all covered in decadent chocolate ganache!

Another beautiful recipe courtesy of @sugarlovespices and slightly adapted by me.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

3/4 cup (100g) flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

zest of one lemon

 

Cannoli Filling:

2 cups (500g) smooth ricotta

2/3 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

3 tbsps candied peel

 

Chocolate Ganache:

6 oz (150g) semi sweet chocolate squares

1/2 cup (130g) whipping cream

 

Garnish:

Maraschino cherries

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Icing sugar to dust 

 

First steps:

If your ricotta is watery use a fine sieve or coffee filter lined colander to drain the ricotta for about 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 10 X 15" baking pan with parchment.

Dust a clean dishtowel with icing sugar.

Once the ricotta is drained add 2/3 cup icing sugar and mix well. Then toss in the chocolate chips and candied peel. Stir together and refrigerate until needed.

Now, on to the cake. In a mixer bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Combine then beat on high for 10 minutes until foamy. Sift the flour and baking powder together and mix into the eggs along with the lemon zest. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 10-13 minutes. Once bake (hold your breath!) turn the cake out onto the dusted dish towel. Immediately and carefully peel off the parchment.

 

Take the short end and roll away from you, rolling the towel up in the cake. Let it sit with the seam side down for 20 minutes. Gently unroll (don't worry if there's a little crack) and spread the ricotta filling to 1/2" from the edges.

Now re-roll the cake with filling and sit seam side down. Set on your platter. Trim the cake ends with a nice clean cut. You could leave it as one log or cut a short piece on the diagonal and place it like a branch on the side of the log.

To make the ganache, put the chocolate, chopped into large chunks, in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan on medium heat to scalding then pour over the chocolate. Let sit 1 minute then beat until smooth. Cool at room temperature then beat on high 1-2 minutes. If you find your ganache still too liquidy add small amounts of finely grated chocolate to the mix until it thickens. Cover the cake ends with foil to keep them free of frosting and spread the ganache all over the log making it look like bark.

Finally, decorate with maraschino cherries and rosemary sprigs. Keep the foil on the ends until ready to serve to keep the ends from drying out. When ready to serve remove the foil then dust the whole thing with icing sugar for a nice snowy finish!

Serves 10

Last Christmas' showstopper from sugarlovespices.com was Stella di Pandoro. Here's the link to the recipe:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2022/12/stella-di-pandoro.html

 

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Tiramisu Yule Log

Made this cake for Christmas, but you still have time to make one for New Year's!
It's a showstopper!

It isn't difficult to make but there are several steps involved. Good thing is that each part of the finished product can be made ahead of time. I had everything made on the 22nd of December except the ganache which I should have made then too.

1 - 21 X 15" baking pan
OR
1 - 17 X 11" AND 1 - 6 X 10"

Cake:
6 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour

Syrup:
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)

Filling:
1  1/2 cups whipping cream, cold bowl and whisk
8 oz (250g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

Chocolate Ganache:
1 1/3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Meringue Mushrooms:
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
3 white chocolate melting discs
cocoa powder to dust

Garnish:
1/4 cup crushed pistachios
1/4 cup chocolate oreo crumbs

So, I started with the meringue mushrooms. 
Beat egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar together using the whisk attachment. It should take about 5 minutes to form stiff peaks. Don't overdo it as the stiff peaks will turn into grainy runny blobs!

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag and pipe onto a parchment lined sheet.  Try to form round button tops and taller mushroom stems remembering to make a pair of each.

Bake at 200F for 1 hour and 30 minutes (yes that's right!)
Once baked they will easily slide off the paper and onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container several days.

Now for the cake...beat eggs with whisk attachment 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and beat on high for 5 minutes. You want the eggs fluffy.  Sift the flour (very important for texture) and add in thirds, folding in and scraping the sides. Drizzle in the vanilla. Spread into parchment lined pan or pans. I don't own a 21 X 15" pan but my two pans worked well. Just had an extra branch on my log!

Bake at 400 F for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and quickly turn onto an upside down baking pan with parchment on it. Carefully peel off the baking parchment, then roll up the cake with the new piece of parchment starting at the narrow end. Do the same with the smaller cake too. Cool to room temperature while rolled up.
As you can see my cake was quite brown...that was 12 minutes of baking.

Once completely cool you can place the rolls as is in a plastic bag or cover in plastic wrap until needed.

In a chilled bowl, beat 1  1/2 cups whipping cream on high 1-2 minutes until fluffy.

In another large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar on high 2 minutes.

With a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until needed.

The ganache is the easiest thing to make...simmer cream, stirring occasionally then pour it into a bowl over the chocolate chips. Cover and leave it for 5 minutes then whisk together, beat 1 minute and boom!...Ganache! Let it sit to room temperature.

Just combine coffee, sugar and coffee liqueur for the syrup and you are ready to go!

Unroll the cake or cakes and brush on the syrup. Dollop the filling on and tightly roll up again. 

Trim the jagged ends then cut off a section at about a 45 degree angle.

Place it on top of the main log. And there's my little branch placed on the side.

I covered all the cut edges of the cake with foil to protect from ganache drips (I can be a little messy!)

I started covering the cake while the ganache was still quite runny and found it easy to make sure all the crevices got covered.

The longer the ganache sits the more like frosting it becomes and so for the second coat I was able to brush on some tree texture. You can also use a fork drawn across the ganache for texture. The platter looks messy but don't worry...we have that covered!

To assemble the mushroom use the tip of a knife to make a small hole in the bottom of the mushroom cap. Fill it with some melted white chocolate (20-30 secs in the microwave) then press the point of a stem into it. Stand to set then return to the airtight container until ready to serve the log. 

Just before serving dust the mushrooms with a little cocoa (dirt) powder. And remember the mess along the bottom of the log on the platter? Cover it with chocolate oreo crumbs (more dirt!) and sprinkle crushed pistachios (moss) over the log.

I personalized my log with a little  carved heart and initials.

I was super happy about how this dessert turned out !

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and Happy New Year!

Original recipe:
https://natashaskitchen.com/2015/12/15/meringue-mushrooms-recipe/