CHOCOLATE YULE LOG CAKE: GUEST POST BY BRIDGET WHITE KUMAR

CHOCOLATE YULE LOG CAKE: GUEST POST BY BRIDGET WHITE KUMAR

The Christmas season is here and what better way to celebrate than have a gorgeous cake that is specially baked for the occasion. Many of my friends are good at baking. My knowledge of baking stops at the rudimentary cakes I made for my kids when they were small. I wanted to identify someone who makes a truly outstanding cake. 

I am thrilled that today's Christmas Special guest post comes from Bridget White Kumar, acknowledged expert in her field with many a published cookbook to her credit. I admire Bridget for her work in preserving and continuing the fine traditions of Anglo-Indian cooking and hospitality.  

Notice the carefully crafted detail in this awesome Chocolate Yule Log Cake. Apart from the decorations on the cake, I loved the way you can see the bark of the log as well as the layers that make up the cake.

Merry Christmas to all of you and yours! My special thanks to Bridget for agreeing to my request  and posting this despite her hectic schedule so soon after her return from abroad.

 Serves 6  Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 200 grams flour / maida
• 4 eggs beaten
• 250 grams sugar powdered
• 3 tablespoons Icing sugar
• 200 grams sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon Nescafe
• 125 grams fresh cream
• 50 grams chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt.

 Method:

Sift the cocoa powder, Nescafe, flour and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar together well. Add the eggs one by one and mix well. Add the vanilla essence. Now add the sifted flour with the other ingredients and fold in the mixture to form a smooth slightly thick consistency without lumps. Pour into a greased and papered long cake tin and bake in a hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes till slightly golden on top. Remove from the cake tin and turn it out on a sheet of paper, which has been liberally sprinkled with icing sugar. Roll the cake tightly with this paper so as to form a log and keep aside to cool.

Beat the fresh cream with 3 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder till peaks form. Unroll the log cake from the paper and place on a suitable plate. Using a spatula, cover the cake with the icing.  Then with a wet fork make long lines across the surface of the icing to create a bark effect on the log. Store in the refrigerator until required for serving. Before serving, dust with icing sugar and decorate with some fresh small leaves.