This recipe was introduced to me at Culinary School. The Yule Log or as the French chef that taught me called it Bouche de Noel. Is usually served for the Christmas holiday and is eaten all over the world. Everyone has their own version of this cake. The Pink Papaya being located in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. We wanted to explore using Local Chocolate. We discovered Hacienda Chocolat PR from Fajardo. However, due to the holidays, We were unable to visit. We ended up using Ghirardelli chocolate but encourage anyone visiting Puerto Rico to explore the Chocolate farms throughout the island. I know we plan to. The Chocolate cake is filled with a Coconut Filling and topped with a Coconut Frosting and decorated with Almond Pinecones. We love all the sweetness but we decided to serve a tart cherry brandied sauce to make it a well balanced desert. This cake is an amazing work of art from the chocolate shards creating the tree bark to the almond pinecones and to add a pop of color and taste we will be drizzling on your slices the Cherry Jubilee sauce. This Yule log will definitely make you go Coconuts. If you want to place a showstopper of a desert on your table THIS IS IT!!! We hope you Enjoy!!

Yule Go Coconuts Over This Log with Cherry Jubilee Sauce.

This Yule Log is a decadent dark chocolate cake filled with a coconut filling and then rolled up nice and tight. It is then Frosted with coconut frosting and topped with shards of chocolate to make a bark as you would see on a log. It is then topped with pine cones made out of almonds and for the snow effect we will dust the Yule log with coconut flakes and powdered sugar. When creating this the flavor profile of an Almond Joy came to mind. Once you slice and serve you will see the spiral effect of the Yule Log Rings. For a special elevated treat you will serve with a drizzle of the Cherry Jubilee Sauce.

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Ingredients

Ingredients: Chocolate Coconut Cake

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
⅔ Cups Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Brown Sugar
⅔ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
⅔ Cup Coconut Oil
2/3 Cup Coconut Milk
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Bean Paste
1 tsp. Coconut Extract
⅔ Cup Hot Water
½ Cup Sour Cream
Powdered Sugar (Sprinkle)

Ingredients: Seven Minute Coconut Frosting

8 Egg Whites
2 ⅔ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
½ tsp Salt
2 tsp. Coconut Extract
1 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut

Ingredients: Chocolate Almond Bark Shards

24 oz. Milk Chocolate
1 cup Sliced Almonds

Ingredients: Almond Pinecones

1 Cup Vanilla Frosting
2 Cups Sliced Almonds

Ingredients: Cherry Jubilee Sauce

1 lb. Fresh or Frozen Cherries (Pitted and destemmed)
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ Cup Cherry Liqueur
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
½ Cup Brandy

Instructions

Instructions For Chocolate Coconut Cake Roll:

Gather your ingredients
Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
Prepare 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Spray Pam on top of parchment. (Set aside)
Let's get your mixer ready by adding the paddle attachment to the arm.
In the mixing bowl add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
On your lowest setting mix your ingredients until all of your dry ingredients are incorporated.
In the same mixer bowl place your wet ingredients. Place your Coconut oil, Coconut Milk, Coconut extract, Vanilla bean paste, hot water, sour cream and eggs.
Using your mixer, place your speed at low and completely mix all of the ingredients until fully incorporated.
Using a spatula, spread your batter over the lined sheet cake pans evenly.
Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. This ensures it does not stick.
Flip the cake onto a clean parchment and remove the backing of the parchment you just baked on.
Roll the cake tightly.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Let’s start on that Frosting.

Instructions: For Coconut Frosting

Gather your ingredients.
Prepare a pot of water on the stove.
Bring to a boil, then a simmer.
Prepare your mixer with a whisk attachment.
Retrieve a heat resistant bowl and make sure it is large enough so it sits right above water. You do not want the water in your pot to touch the bowl.
In your bowl place your egg whites, sugar, light corn syrup, and salt.
Using a hand held whisk, beat together the ingredients until combined for about 30 seconds.
Continue to whisk until the sugar is dissolved. The mixture will be hot and this should take about 2 to 3 minutes. You don’t want grainy sugar.
Once the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into your mixing bowl.
Set your bowl on the mixer stand and Beat on Medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add your Coconut extract.
Beat until the outside of your bowl is cool. You want stiff peaks 7 to 5 minutes more.
Add in your Shredded Coconut until it is just mixed in.

Instructions: For Almond Pinecones

Gather your ingredients.
Place a ¼ sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Fill a piping bag with frosting.
Separate two different piles of almonds, small and large.
Using your piping bag, make small mounds and a little extra piping on the base to make it secure so as to not tip over and fall.
Carefully place your smallest almond slices in the top and gradually use bigger slices as you go around.
Finally as you get to the lower bottom use your largest slices.
This can be made in advance and held for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Instructions: For Chocolate Almond Bark Shards

Gather your ingredients.
Using 1 and a half bags of the milk chocolate (which is 18 ozs.) place in a microwavable bowl.
Timing 30 seconds increments to melt.
It must be completely velvety smooth.
Now we need to temper the chocolate. Place the remaining bag which is 6 ozs. Into the melted chocolate and combine and mix well. This brings the melted chocolate up to a cooler temperature and makes the chocolate more stable to handle.
Add your almond slices to your melted chocolate.
Mix well until completely combined
Gather a half sheet pan with parchment paper on top.
Pour your chocolate on the sheet pan.
Using an offset spatula smooth the chocolate to a thin layer from edge to edge.
Roll your parchment paper away from you.
Place seam side down on top of your sheet pan.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins or up to 2 days.
Once ready to decorate your cake, remove it from the refrigerator. Seem facing up.
When you unroll your parchment make sure that the paper seam is facing up as to keep the chocolate shards from falling out of the parchment. They will break into shards as you go unrolling it. Put to the side until you are ready to decorate. (gloves are also a solution to warm hands on chocolate shards.)

Instructions: For Cherry Jubilee Sauce

Gather your ingredients.
Place a saucepan on your stove top.
In the saucepan combine the Cherries and the cherry liquer and cover for about an hour, mixing it every so often.
Once the flavors have married, Sprinkle on the sugar and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Stirring to dissolve the sugar takes about 3 to 4 minutes to fully cook.
Turn off your stove and Pour the brandy on top of your Cherries and light with a lighter. This will flambe your Cherries.
Allow the fire to burn out 1 to 2 minutes.
This is an adult sauce. Children should not eat this due to the liquor content that although it's somewhat burned off, it still lingers in the sauce.
Use on your cake immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Lets assemble our Yule Log!

Gather all of your components.
On top of your prep area. Unroll your cake roll.
Using an offset spatula, smear the frosting all over the cake leaving about 1 inch border.
Re-coil the cake.
Place frosting on the entirety of the yule log.
Gather your shards and place strategically vertically all on top of the frosting. It's ok for a little frosting to poke out in between the shards. Giving a snow effect.
Place your pinecones on top of small mounds of frosting to adhere to your Yule log.
This is where you get to be as creative as you desire!
Using a small strainer, fill a few tablespoons of powdered sugar and dust the log with the powdered sugar to give a snow effect.
Once you slice the Yule Log, place a slice on a plate and drizzle a spoonful (or two) of Cherries Jubilee Sauce over the top. (For adults only!)
If you're feeling very decadent, serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle the Cherry Jubilee sauce on that as well!
We wish you Happy Holidays from our family at The Pink Papaya to yours!