BLACK FOREST YULE LOG CAKE

Begin by preparing your coffee liquid. Stir 3 tsp of caramel flavoured instand coffee granuals into your boiling water, until coffee has completely dissolved. Allow this mixture to cool completely before using. (I like to pop mine into the freezer to cool it faster!)

 

Next, prepare your sweet cream! Place your tin of condensed milk, thickened cream and vanilla into a large bowl. Using an electric beater, beat on high until the mixture has thickened enough to form peaks - chill until needed.

 

When your coffee mixture is completely cooled, it’s time to layer your showstopper! Start by choosing a plate or cake board big enough to accommodate your cake (I selected a wooden chopping board to suit the woodland theme).

 

Place a fine layer of the sweet cream onto the base of the board to secure the first layer of cookies. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of a cookie lightly with the coffee liquid and place onto the base layer of cream. Start with placing the first cookie in the centre of your board/plate, this will be the centre of your cake.

 

Repeat this process with each cookie, placing them in a ring pattern around the first centre cookie – the cookies together will resemble a flower each layer. You will need roughly 6 cookies per layer.

 

Once you have finished your first level of cookies, gently spread on another thin layer of cream over the entire layer of cookies, using a pallet knife or the back of a spoon.

 

Continue repeating this process and layering the cookies with cream until you have finished all of the packets. Reserving a few cookies to sprinkle around the outside of the cake.

 

Once you have finished layering your cake, spread the remaining cream around the entire cake, enclosing all of the cookies! Now, it doesn’t matter how rough this looks as the cake will be completely covered in chocolate - so do not worry (I repeat, do not worry) if it is not neat at all, in fact it makes the tree stump look more authentic if it isn’t!

 

Place your completed cake into the fridge and allow it to chill while you prepare your chocolate.

 

For your chocolate ‘tree bark’, begin by melting 350g of dark chocolate melts (I like to use compound chocolate for ease, but you can temper your chocolate if you prefer!). Once your chocolate is melted, spread it thin and evenly onto a large sheet of baking paper, reserving roughly ¼ cup. Place another sheet of baking paper onto the top of the chocolate, ensuring its completely covered and roll the entire sheet with the chocolate sandwiched in the middle into a log. Place the chocolate roll into the fridge to set completely.

 

Once the chocolate has set, remove it from the fridge and unroll the baking paper, allowing the chocolate to snap into shards. Place the shards all around the outside of the cake by pressing them gently into the cream to secure, overlapping and snapping them to size if needed.

 

With the remaining melted chocolate, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the chocolate shards on the cake (as pictured below). This will give the outside a ‘tree bark’ effect!

 

Once the cake is completed, crumble the left over biscuits around the base, top the cake with mixed berries and a dusting of icing sugar, and your masterpiece is complete! Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve!

 

ENJOY!!