Blackcurrant Yule Log

Before starting this Blackcurrant Yule Log recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the cocoa biscuit.

For the cocoa biscuit: Pour the egg whites in the stand mixer recipient and beat until firm.

Add the castor sugar...

... and beat for a further 1 or 2 minutes.

Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl...

... combine with a whisk...

... and pour the preparation over the meringue.

Fold gently with a rubber spatula...

... until homogeneous.

Sift the cocoa powder over the preparation...

... and fold gently with a rubber spatula, making sure the preparation doesn't collapse.

Pour the preparation on a baking sheet (40 x 30cm) lined with greaseproof paper.

Using a cranked metallic spatula, spread the preparation over the whole surface to a regular thickness.

Bake at 180°C (gas 4) for about 15 minutes.

To check whether the biscuit is cooked, touch the surface with your finger: the biscuit shouldn't stick.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
This biscuit is gluten free as it doesn't contain any flour.

For the blackcurrant jelly (make the day before): Organise all the necessary ingredients.

In a bowl, combine the pectin NH powder and castor sugar.
Pectin NH is often used in jam making; it cannot be replaced with gelatin or another type of pectin.

In a saucepan, place the blackcurrant purée, invert sugar and glucose syrup. Place on the heat.
You can replace invert sugar with honey.

Bring the preparation to a temperature of 85°C.

Add the sugar and pectin mix.
Note: Pectin NH is reversible, which means that it can be melted again through heating and set again when cooled down. This is how fruit glazes are prepared.

Stir well with a whisk and bring everything to a boil. Very important, keep boiling for 1 to 2 minutes to activate the properties of the NH pectin. During this cooking time it will be necessary to mix constantly with a whisk.

Pour the jelly into a small bowl.

Cover the surface with cling film and store in the fridge overnight.

For the blackcurrant mousse: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Heat the blackcurrant purée...

... to a temperature of 40°C.

In the meantime, beat the whipping cream until you obtain a whipped cream.

Add the castor sugar and beat again.

When hot, transfer the blackcurrant purée into a mixing bowl.

Let the temperature cool down to 37/38°C...

... and add the Mycryo cocoa butter.

Combine well with a rubber spatula...

... and finish beating with a whisk until the cocoa butter is completely dissolved.

Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the blackcurrant purée.

Combine vigorously with a whisk.

Pour the preparation over the remaining whipped cream...

... and fold gently with a rubber spatula, making sure the preparation doesn't collapse...

... until homogeneous.

Assembling the log: On your kitchen worktop, place a silicone yule log mould and a mat with a plaited pattern. If you already have this silicone yule log mould, you can get the plaited mat separately.

Line the mat inside the mould, printed side facing up.

Fill a piping bag with the blackcurrant mousse. The use of a nozzle is not necessary.

Pipe thick laces of mousse at the bottom of the cavity.

Pipe three laces...

... and create a volcano shape with a palette knife, so that the cream goes all the way up the rim.

Cut the cocoa biscuit into a strip, to a width of 3 cm.

Arrange the biscuit strip at the bottom of the cavity, burying it gently in the blackcurrant mousse.

Remove the jelly from the freezer and remove the cling film.

À l'aide d'un hand blender (such as Bamix), mix the jelly until homogeneous.

The preparation should turn bright red.

Transfer the jelly preparation into a piping bag. The use of a nozzle is not necessary.

Pipe a thick lace of blackcurrant jelly over the cocoa biscuit. Reserve the jelly excess for later.

Cut the biscuit into another strip, to a width of 4 or 5 cm...

... and arrange it gently over the jelly. Press gently with your fingers so the biscuit adheres to the jelly and there are no air bubbles.

Fill the cavity with the remaining blackcurrant mousse...

... and even the surface with a cranked metallic spatula.

Cut a strip of biscuit to the dimensions of the mould, i.e. 25 x 9 cm.

Cover the surface with cling film and reserve in the freezer. Ideally, the log should be stored in the freezer overnight.

For the blackcurrant icing: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Hydrate the gelatine with 60 grams of water at room temperature.

Pour the sugar in a saucepan...

... add the glucose syrup...

... and bring to a boil. Cook the syrup until the temperature reaches 103°C.

At 103°C, add the unsweetened condensed milk.

Combine well with a rubber spatula.

Add the rehydrated gelatine...

... and combine until fully dissolved.

Combine with a whisk if necessary.

Pour the hot syrup over the blackcurrant purée...

... and combine with a whisk.

Mix the icing with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous. This operation will ensure there are no air bubbles.

Take the log out of the freezer. It should be thoroughly frozen, down to the centre.

Remove the cling film.

Release the log from the mould onto a rack, placed on top of a deep tray.

Gently detach the plaited silicone mat.

At this stage, we have a frozen log with a plaited effect on the surface.
If needed, trim the base of the log with a knife.

Beat the icing again with the hand blender for a perfectly smooth consistency.

Pour the blackcurrant icing in one stroke, from one end of the log to the other.

Gently lift the log with a cranked spatula. Slide the spatula sideways to get rid of any icing strings at the base.

Carefully arrange the log on a Mealplak serving plate.

Decorate the surface of the log with ornaments of your choice, such as 3D chocolate balls with a holly leaf pattern. I also used mini strawberry macarons.

With the leftover blackcurrant jelly, pipe drops of various sizes over the surface of the log with a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.

Sprinkle the surface of the log with gold flakes...

... for a festive effect! You can also scatter a few small meringue decorations.

Refrigerate the log for a few hours to let it defrost slowly.
Enjoy this delicious dessert and have a sweet Christmas!