Chocolate Hazelnut Yule Log

Add a traditional and delicious Yule Log cake to your dessert table this Christmas. This recipe calls for rich rolls of chocolate cake with a delicious hazelnut filling, all bundled into a beautiful log covered in Cocoa Candy Melts bark. It's a show-stopping centerpiece to impress your guests and Yule love just how tasty it is!

AmountAbout 12 servings

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Instructions

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For the cake, preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 10 x 15 in. jelly roll pan with vegetable pan spray; line with parchment paper and spray again.
In small bowl, sift together flour and cocoa powder.
In large bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. In large bowl, combine egg whites, 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Whisk on high speed with electric mixer until foamy; add cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue whisking until the whites are glossy and form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Carefully fold 1/3 beaten egg whites into yolk mixture until just combined. Gently fold in remaining egg whites and flour mixture until there are no streaks visible. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and immediately turn onto clean kitchen towel; remove parchment paper. Roll cake up in the towel from the long side and let cool 1 minute. Unroll and let cool for 5 minutes. Re-roll in towel and let cool completely.
To make candy shards, line a small cookie pan with parchment paper. Spread melted Light Cocoa Candy Melts Candy on paper in a very thin layer. Drizzle with Dark Cocoa Candy and swirl with a fork to create texture. Refrigerate until solid, about 20 minutes. Remove from paper and break into shards.
To prepare filling, combine cream cheese and softened butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down bottom and sides of bowl as needed.
To assemble, unroll cake and spread with 2 cups filling. Re-roll and cut off about 3 inches at an angle. Place the smaller piece along the side of the log. Cover cake with remaining filling and decorate with candy shards to resemble bark. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.
Tip: Slice cake with a serrated knife to help keep spiral shape intact.