Honey Christmas Log

Before starting this Honey Christmas Log recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.

Using a sifter...

... sift the cocoa powder, icing sugar and almond powder.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form...

... then add the castor sugar and beat again until stiff.

Combine the sifted powders...

... and add 1/3 of the meringue.

Add the resulting preparation to the remaining 2/3 of the meringue...

... and combine gently with a rubber spatula.

Using a cranked metallic spatula, spread the preparation on a baking sheet (40 x 30cm) lined with greaseproof paper.

Bake at 180°C (gas 4)...

... for 10-15 minutes.

When cooked, let cool...

... and remove the greaseproof paper. This can serve as a base biscuit for a variety of recipes: roulade dessert, other log recipes, etc.

For the honey mousse: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl filled with cold water. Set aside in separate bowl.

Pour the honey in a saucepan...

... and cook until the temperature reaches 130°C. The use of a laser thermometer is essential for this operation.

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

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites into firm peaks...

... then add the sugar and beat again until stiff.

Pour the boiling honey over the beaten egg whites, while beating in a stand mixer at low speed.

When all of the honey has been added, increase the speed to maximum.

Strain the gelatine...

... then place it in a saucepan and melt over low heat.

Add the melted gelatine to the warm preparation and continue beating until cooled down completely.

Crush the dried fruits with a knife.

Add them to the honey preparation.

Add the whipped cream.

Combine the two preparations and dried fruits gently.

Assembling the cake: Transfer the preparation into a piping bag. The use of a nozzle is not necessary.

Fill a yule log mould halfway up. For this recipe, I used a plastic yule log mould.

Place a strip of cocoa macaron biscuit on top, cut to the dimensions of the mould.

Press gently for the biscuit to stick to the mousse. Then pipe the rest of the honey preparation up to the rim.

Finish with another strip of biscuit. Press to make the biscuit stick.

Even the edges with a palette knife...

... and steep the biscuit with the syrup.

Cover with cling film and place in the freezer. Up to this stage, this recipe can be prepared ahead or the day before. This way, you will save precious time on Christmas day.

On the day: Take the log out of the freezer...

... and gently remove from the mould. Place on a serving dish.

On the sides of the log, stick some sesame seeds nougatine, cut into irregular pieces.

Cover both sides with nougatine. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve.

Optional: Follow my recipe to decorate your log with a cute chocolate Christmas tree. This extra touch will no doubt impress your guests!
This dessert should be served cold, but not frozen.
If you wish to make an ice cream version of this recipe, follow the same method, without using gelatine.