This minimalist yule log roll cake is simple and sophisticated, with a faux wood-grain effect baked right into the light chocolate sponge cake, and a cloud-like chestnut whipped cream filling.
We’ve given the traditional European yule log cake a far-East twist, using a Japanese cake design technique to give the cake a unique wood-grain look, no fussy frosting required.
Yule Log cakes in general can be rather fussy, with fancy layers of frosting and meringue mushrooms and sugared cranberries and other decor that take hours to create. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we’ll call this Japanese-style roll cake the minimalist’s yule log: with a wood-grain design baked right into the cake itself, and a simple dusting of powdered sugar as the finishing touch.
It’s a perfect option for lazy bakers and frosting haters, and for those who like their desserts a little less sweet.
The cake itself is a light cocoa sponge cake baked with a darker chocolate wood grain pattern (the color contrast necessary here, which is why I didn’t make the cake too dark). The filling is a lightly sweetened whipped cream infused with chestnut creme and a splash of amaretto liqueur. It’s a delicious and festive flavor combination that tastes like the holidays without being so in your face about it (like, ahem, peppermint or gingerbread flavors).
Chestnut spread, also called chestnut creme or creme de marron, is made from pureed candied chestnuts. We first tried this nutty spread in France (it’s amazing on crepes), and promptly found a few cans at a local market to bring home with us. I’m not sure why chestnut creme hasn’t made its way to the US, since chestnut trees grow so abundantly here. Luckily, you can get it online pretty readily or make it yourself from fresh chestnuts.
Chestnut creme is most often used in the classic French dessert called a Mont Blanc, and, actually, this cake could probably also be called a Mont Blanc bûche de Noël because of the similarity in flavor profiles (namely, chestnut cream and whipped cream).
Did you know that the tradition of making log shaped cakes started with… actual logs?
Indeed, Yule Logs date back to medieval times in Norway, where, during the traditional winter solstice celebration known as Yule, families would burn giant logs, often decorated, in their hearths over the course of 12 nights to celebrate the return of the sun each year. Wishes written down on paper were often burned along with the log, and the ashes were saved for luck and protection.
The earliest yule log cake recipe appeared in print in 1615, though the tradition wasn’t widely popularized until the Parisian bakers got ahold of it in the 19th century (and some of the most stunning modern bûches de Noël still come out of France today).
My original idea for this faux-bois cake roll was to use one of those faux finishing tools to make the wood grain. Which was a cool idea in theory, but unfortunately the paint tool didn’t translate too well into cake batter (the design itself actually looked pretty cool, but since it basically made a paper thin layer of batter over the entire surface of the cake, it ended up cracking and flaking off when I rolled up the cake).
On to plan B: stencils. I found a wood grain stencil and used that to almost ‘screen’ the design onto the parchment. The sponge batter is then poured over top, baking the design right into the surface of the cake.
Tip: for stencil-based designs, it’s helpful to have a stencil that is larger than the pan itself. Trace the outline of your jelly roll pan onto the bottom of a piece of parchment. Rub a thin, even layer of butter over the top of the parchment, then tape your stencil in place. For wood grain, remember that the design should go perpendicular to the way the cake will get rolled, so the wood grain goes parallel to the short side. The design only needs to cover half of the cake surface, since the rest will get rolled up inside and won’t be visible.
In my numerous tests, I did find that a thicker layer of design paste gave the wood grain better roots into the cake; if it’s too thin, the design tends to peel off with the parchment. Giving the parchment a light coating of butter before baking helps as well.
In lieu of a stencil, you could also transfer the chocolate paste into a piping bag and pipe on a wood-grain design, similar to the strawberry cake roll technique. Although I found the stencil much easier and quicker than piping (easier on the hands too!)
Cake rolls in general tend to droop, forming more of an oblong roll shape than a perfect cylinder. To keep the roll nice and round, I like to store it in a cardboard tube while it sets in the fridge. This particular tube happens to be from a bottle of whiskey, but something like a wine gifting tube works well too (you want approximately 3½ to 4″ in diameter.)
The filling of the cake is a lightly sweetened whipped cream, infused with sweetened chestnut paste and a splash of amaretto (you could also use a chestnut or walnut liqueur or even something like Kahlúa).
This cake, in true Japanese style, is very lightly sweetened. If you’re used to super sweet, overly frosted cakes you might find it bland. Personally I like the delicate sweetness of this cake, with the lovely holiday flavors of the chestnut, light cocoa, and amaretto coming through.
That said, if you want it sweeter, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar to the cream filling. You could also serve the cake with a sweetened sauce, something like a raspberry coulis, hot fudge sauce, or a crème anglaise.
A light chocolate cake roll filled with a sweetened chestnut whipped cream, with a gorgeous faux-bois wood grain baked right in to the cake itself.
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