Tree Stump Yule Log Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Cooling: 1 day
Servings: 12 - 15 people
Ingredients:
Sponge Yule Cake ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extra
1 cup whole milk
Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate ganache
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, grease and line both baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high for 5 minutes on medium or until pale in color and light and fluffy.
Reduce the mixing speed to low and add in the vanilla and milk. Mix for about 1 minute for a light and thin batter.
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg mix a little at a time. Beat or mix on low speed. It is important not to overmix because you do not want to deflate the air pockets.
Split the batter as it is poured onto the two prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Do not stack them. Bake one at a time if you need to do so.
Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring it to a cooling rack. Leave the parchment paper under it as you slide it off onto the cooling rack.
Cool for 20 minutes and then place a tea towel over the cake. Roll it up with the tea towel and allow it to finish cooling while rolled. About 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the frosting by combining the frosting ingredients with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Set aside until the cake is ready.
Once the cake is fully cooled, unroll it and remove the tea towel. Cut in half to make a stacked, two-layer cake, or cut by at the 2/3rd mark to make a cake that looks like mine.
Add about 1/3 of the frosting to the flat sponge cakes and then use a spatula to frost. Roll one sheet. Then place that one on top of another sheet that’s the same size, and roll them together. Repeat with the remaining two sheets.
Stand the cake up and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator overnight. Also, tightly cover the additional frosting and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
When it is time to frost, set the cake/cakes on a cake stand and place the cake stand on a turning table. Make sure it is secure. If you are making the Yule Log Cake on its side, you just need to place it on a platter.
***If you are making a standing stump cake, this step is for you. If you are making the cake on its side, skip this step.
***Add some frosting to the top of the cake or cakes and spread it thin. Use a cake spatula to make circles like the rings of a tree.
Using a star-tipped frosting tip, make a few circles on the cake where you want the tree stump nooks/cut-off branch places. Then, trace around that up to down or down to up, whichever way is more comfortable for you. If the frosting starts getting too soft, stick everything back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and then resume frosting.
The cake needs at least 30 minutes to chill with all the frosting before serving. If you are adding moss, add it before chilling. You can add on any other decorations right before serving.
Notes:
Building advice:
As I mentioned above, I made this for a client, and if I were serving this I would serve it a little differently. I would either leave the Yule Log Cake on its side as a more traditional interpretation of the Yule Log Cake. In this case, I might cut the sponge cake in three sections and have a longer Bûche De Noël. Or I would cut the sponge cake in half in the center and then use a cake board between the two layers to stack them.
If you don’t cut the sponge cake at all, the Yule Log Cake is going to be very tall and very wide. I always feel like having a really tall cake is beautiful, but for serving purposes, it is a little impractical.
Recipes courtesy of Sugarplum Farm House.com
