Should have sprinkled a little icing sugar on for snow!
It’s not completely Christmas for me if there’s not a slice of Chocolate log in the house and this year I was determined to try and make one of my own. There are thousands of recipes out there, some with chestnuts or marron glace, some with alcohol and versions upon versions of Yule logs but I have gone for the simplest.
It’s VERY easy and only takes 10-12 mins in the oven the longest bit is waiting for it to cool so you can cover it in chocolate butter icing but I learnt my lesson after the biscuits and only called on the girls to ‘help’ once I was at the icing stage 
Video instructions at the bottom to see exactly how easy it is 
Christmas Chocolate Log – serves 8
Ingredients
Sponge
50g butter 100g caster sugar 2 medium eggs 100g self raising flour 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tbsp hot waterIcing
75g butter 150g icing sugar 2 tbsps cocoa powder skimmed milk to blend 1/4 tsp orange extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C gas mark 6)
- Line a 30 x 20 Swiss roll tin with baking paper and brush with melted butter.
- Place all the sponge ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the lined tin and make sure it’s even, bake in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes
- Sprinkle some icing sugar onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, carefully turn the sponge onto it and remove the tin’s paper lining
- Tidy up the edges with a sharp knife then using the greaseproof paper gently roll the cake so the paper is inside the sponge
- Leave to cool on a wire rack
- Place all the icing ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Gently unroll the sponge, spread half of the icing on top and roll up without the paper inside!
- Cover the log with the rest of the icing sugar and make a bark texture with a fork
My own little touch which isn’t compulsory but if you’re as big a fan as me of Terry’s Chocolate Orange then I’d thoroughly recommend it – is to add a little Valencian Orange Extract to the icing, if I’d thought about it I could have even decorated with slices of Terry’s Orange but instead used Dr Oetker’s Chocolate stars.I’m joining in with English Mum’s Christmas Bake Off
We Should Cocoa challenge over at Chocolate Log Blog
and Tea Time Treats over at What Kate Baked
