Yule love this recipe

Sorry, but if we can't share a cheesy pun at Christmas, when can we?  

Last week, we kicked off the Christmas celebrations with an evening full of fun, laughs, and a little friendly competition as part of Team CG's Christmas party festivities! 

We started things off in the office with some classic Christmas cheer—quizzes, snacks, and plenty of fizz—before making our way to Tooting, London, for an epic showdown: The Big Bake Yule Log Bake Off! 

Once we arrived at the venue, the excitement was real. We were paired up, shown to our workstations, and then tick tock —the timer started ticking! The challenge: bake a Yule log from scratch. Sounds easy, right? (Spoiler: it wasn’t.) But no worries—we had a recipe to follow (which we’ll share with you at the end, so don’t scroll too fast). The facilities were great, and the team at The Big Bake were absolutely amazing—helpful, enthusiastic, and full of energy. 

Now, let’s talk bakers. In Team CG, we’ve got every level of baking pro, from those who can barely work a whisk (guilty as charged) to aspiring pastry chefs who could give Mary Berry a run for her money. So you can imagine the range of Yule logs we ended up with—some were masterpieces, others… well, let’s just say they looked very unique. 

The best part? We had plenty of chances to get creative. You could add your own flavourings, decorations, and personal touches, which meant every Yule log was a reflection of the pair who made it. After 90 minutes of mixing, rolling, and decorating, we gathered for the big judging. Tension was high, but in the end, Angus and Becky were crowned the very deserving winners! Their Yule log was truly a thing of beauty (and tasted amazing too the judges concluded).

It was so nice  to step out of the office, work together as a team, and get our bake on. Huge thanks to The Big Bake for hosting us and making the whole experience so much fun.

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for... here’s the recipe so you can try your hand at your very own Yule log! 

Yule Log Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

Sponge - 100g caster sugar / 100g plain flour / 1 tsp baking powder / 1/4 tsp salt (in flour) / 4 eggs

Mousse - 60g icing sugar / 150g cream cheese / 125g double cream  

Ganache - 160g dark chocolate / 80g butter / 150g icing sugar / 70g cream cheese

Other - flavourings, essence, fresh fruit of your choice and coloured fondant for decorations

HOW TO MAKE YOUR SPONGE

1. Firstly, check your oven is set to 180°c.
2. Start by lining your Swiss Roll tray with your baking parchment paper. There is no need to grease your tray.
3. Crack all of your eggs into a mixing bowl.
4. Add in your sugar to your egg mix and begin whisking on max speed for around 5 mins, you need to incorporate a lot of air into your mixture to achieve a light, fluffy sponge! Once done, your mixture should have tripled in volume and your whisk should leave a trail in your mix that remains visible for 3 seconds.
5. Now it’s time to start thinking about your flavours! Remember to think carefully about pairing flavours with your other elements! You can use essences (2-3 pipettes or to taste) , fresh fruit (zest), or spices/cocoa to flavour your sponge. Note - if you are using cocoa powder, substitute 2-3 tbsp of your flour for cocoa powder and wait for step 6 to add. This ensures you aren’t adding too many dry ingredients to your mix.
6. Add your flour into your sugar & egg mix. The flour will naturally sink to the bottom of your bowl.
7. Using a spatula, gently fold in your flour, we don’t want to knock the air bubbles out otherwise your sponge will be dense once baked. Make sure to mix right down
to the bottom to get all of the flour. Try not to overmix as you will lose a lot of air. As soon as its incorporated, it’s done!
8. Gently pour your mixture into your lined tin and spread out using a spatula.
9. Place into the oven for 15 minutes, we advise setting a timer on your phone!
10. While your cake is baking and cooling, move onto the next steps then continue with the following instructions below once your cake is baked.
11. Once your timer is up, check your sponge to ensure it is baked. It should be golden (if not chocolate!) and if you gently press the top, it should spring back when baked. If it’s not yet baked, pop it back into your oven for another 2-3 mins.
12. Once baked, place your cake on the worktop and ask someone to help you, gently lift out your sponge from the tin and place onto the side.
13. Grab a sheet of parchment paper and lay flat on your worktop. Generously sprinkle the clean sheet of parchment with icing sugar from with an icing sugar shaker.
14. Flip your cake upside down onto the icing sugar covered parchment paper, then gently peel away the parchment it was baked on and discard.

15. Using a large serrated knife, carefully cut a ‘slit’ along one of the long sides of your Swiss roll about one inch in from the edge. Be careful not to cut all the way
through. This will make it easier to roll.
16. Starting from the side you made the slit in, begin to tightly roll your Swiss roll with the parchment. This will help the sponge from sticking to itself.
17. Now set aside until you are ready to assemble.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GANACHE BUTTERCREAM
1. Firstly, take your chocolate & butter. Use a small saucepan and add in your chocolate & butter.
2. Place your saucepan on your hob on a medium heat and begin to gently melt your chocolate & butter, stirring regularly to incorporate and melt evenly, be careful not to burn it!.
3. Once your chocolate & butter mix has melted, remove from the heat.
4. Take your cream cheese and add to your mix.
5. Stir in the cream cheese with a spatula until completely incorporated, then pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
6. Sieve in your icing sugar, then hand whisk until smooth and glossy! Set the mix aside until you’re ready to use

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHEESECAKE MOUSSE
1. Start by sieving your icing sugar and add your icing sugar and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a spatula, fold together and mix until completely combined and smooth.
3. Now, to choose your flavourings! Make sure you’re considering your flavours so far, and how they can complement each other. You can use powder/spices (1-2 tsp) or liquid flavourings (1-2 pipettes).
4. Once your cream cheese mix is flavoured, it’s time to whip your double cream! Use a bowl and attach to your mixer and pour in the double cream.
5. Whisk on a medium speed for approx. 3-4 mins until soft peaks form, keeping a close eye so you make sure you don’t over whip it!  We do not want the cream too stiff.
6. Once the cream is done, it’s now time to combine the 2 together to form a Cheesecake Mousse.
7. Begin by folding 1/3 of the cream into the cream cheese mixture and fold with a spatula until incorporated.
8. Once combined, add your cream cheese mixture into your remaining cream and gently fold together.
9. Set aside until needed.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FESTIVE FONDANT DECORATIONS
1. Grab your choice of coloured fondant for your festive decoration!
2. Sprinkle your clean surface with icing sugar using an icing sugar shaker. This ensures that the fondant does not stick to the surface.
3. Now using your coloured fondant, begin to pull, stretch and knead to
ensure you have a smooth sugar paste to work with.
4. Now it’s time to get creative and make & shape your chosen Christmas decorations.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR YULE LOG
1. Firstly, take your cooled, rolled Swiss roll sponge and gently unroll it while keeping it on your parchment paper.
2. Once unrolled, it’s time to add your cheesecake mousse! Begin adding your cheesecake mousse using a spatula and palette knife, you want to smooth a layer of the mousse all over your sponge, but be careful not to overload your yule log as you don’t want your filling making an escape during the rolling process! You may have some mousse left over.
3. Once you have added your cheesecake mousse, it’s now up to you whether you want to add a ‘crunchy’ element to your Yule Log! Whether you want to add  goodies such as chocolate, sweets, maybe even some nuts. You decide!
4. Starting from the edge with the ‘slit’ in it, begin to roll your sponge, just like before but this time not including the parchment paper. Make sure you are only rolling the sponge but using your parchment paper to your advantage to guide the rolling.
5. Once rolled, use a cake board and maybe a turntable if you would like to use one.
6. Using your serrated knife, cut 1/4 of your cake at an angle. Once cut, place the larger sponge onto the board and attach the smaller, angled section midway up the large sponge. This will give it a ‘branch’ effect.

7. Time to ice! Using your palette knife from your top drawer, begin to cover your whole yule log (don’t forget the ends!) generously with your Ganache buttercream.
8. When covered, take out your fork from your top drawer and begin to ‘score’ the lines into your yule log, this gives your yule log definition and brings your creation to life! Remember, trees are not perfect, it may even look more realistic with a wonky line or two! Don’t forget to add some ‘rings’ on the ends of your yule log.
9. Once you are happy with your ‘log’ effect, it’s time to add your finishing touches! Dot your festive fondant decorations on and around your yule log and choose any final decorations to make your Yule Log pop!

Give them a follow on socials thebig_bakes or find out more at bigbakes.com to get your bake on.