Recipe

Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Yule Log

Ingredients

50g plain flour

5 eggs

110g caster sugar (plus 2tsp extra for dusting)

25g cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

40g ground almond

100g cranberries (plus extra to scatter on top of the cake)

250ml whipped cream

1tbsp icing sugar

Grated rind of one orange

275g jar cranberry sauce

Chocolate Ganache

125ml whipped cream

300g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease and line 37cm x 25cm Swiss roll pan with baking paper (30cm x 20cm is a good size). Dust pan with extra flour.

2. Using a mixer, beat eggs and sugar for six to eight minutes until pale and thick. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Gently fold in the flour mixture into the egg mixture and pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until sponge springs back when touched.

4. Dust baking paper with the extra caster sugar.

5. Cool sponge in pan for 1 minute then turn out into the prepared baking paper. Peel baking paper from the base of sponge and discard. Using the sugared paper as a guide, start from the short side and roll up sponge away from you, so the sugared paper is rolled inside the sponge. Cool completely.

6. Whip the double cream, icing sugar and orange rind until soft peak form.

7. Unroll the sponge and spread with cranberry sauce, top with cream mixture and scatter over cranberries. Using the paper as a guide, re-roll sponge as tightly as possible. Do not roll sponge with paper inside.

8. Chill for 30 minutes.

9. To make ganache, heat cream in a pan on medium-low heat until it start to bubble. Remove from heat. Add the chopped dark chocolate and stir until smooth.

10. Leave to cool for about an hour.

11. Spread chocolate ganache over sponge roll.

12. Cut into slices, serve and enjoy!