Black Forest Yule Log

Total Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 175 g chocolate
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 5 free-range eggs, separated
• 175 g caster sugar
• 100 g hazelnuts, roasted
• icing sugar, for dusting
• 1 -2 tablespoon brandy
• 300 ml double cream, whipped
• 425 g black cherries, drained, stoned and halved

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 375f while you line a 33 x 23-cm swiss roll tin with non-stick baking parchment.
• 2 melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. stir in the brandy and cool a little while you whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl, again over a pan of simmering water, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
• 3 combine the cooled chocolate and egg yolk mixture. grind the hazelnuts and fold into the chocolate mixture.
• 4 in a grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. fold into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon until no whites can be seen.
• 5 pour into the prepared swiss roll tin and spread evenly. cook in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the sponge springs back when lightly pressed. lay a sheet of baking parchment on a wire rack and turn the cake out into it. cover with a clean damp tea towel before peeling off the lining parchment. trim the edges.
• 6 transfer the cake and parchment to the work top. roll up the cake with the parchment inside and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
• 7 fold the brandy into the cream. unroll the cake, spread the cream over the surface, leaving a 1/2-in gap along one long edge. scatter with the cherries and roll up. dust with icing sugar and decorate with holly to serve.