The CookwithAvonmore.ie Christmas Recipe Guide offers great new and exclusive dessert choices for Christmas day and festive entertaining.
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Most of us love our traditional Christmas and will treat ourselves to turkey, ham and all the trimmings, not to mention the Christmas pudding and good old fashioned sherry trifle. But what about those of you who want to try out something different ... especially when it comes to desserts? The question is, what types of alternative desserts can you create that are quick and simple to prepare? Desserts that will create the wow factor worthy of any professional chef? We have the perfect solution!
According to Avonmore Cream, trends indicate that most of us in Ireland will serve more than one dessert on Christmas day. Creating alternative desserts can be time consuming for stressed home chefs, so the best solution is to prepare in advance. Creating impressive desserts is simpler than you think!
According to Eithne O'Hara, Marketing Manager at Glanbia Consumer Foods Division; “Christmas is our busiest trading period and 1.5 million households in Ireland will buy Avonmore Cream during the festive season."
Start preparing now and check out Rozanne Stevens' Chocolate Hazelnut Yule Log recipe below, or check out Avonmore's Christmas Recipe Guide to get all your favourite Christmas recipes with a choice of starters, mains and desserts.
Chocolate Hazelnut Yule Log
Ingredients:
Chocolate sponge:
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 150g plain flour
- 60g cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp boiling water
Hazelnut cream filling:
- 500ml Avonmore fresh cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
- 50g crushed toasted hazelnuts
Chocolate bark coating:
- 300g 75% cocoa chocolate, broken into small pieces
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, fan oven setting. Grease and line the base and sides of two 25 x 30cm Swiss Roll baking trays with parchment paper
- Sift together the flour and cocoa powder
- Use an electric beater to whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy and doubled in volume
- Drizzle the hot water down the side of the mixing bowl
- Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the flour with a spatula or metal spoon
- Pour the mixture into the baking trays, dividing it as evenly as you can - gently smooth the surface with a spatula
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the surface of the sponge feels dry when patted
- Tear off two large sheets of parchment paper and sprinkle with caster sugar
- As soon as the sponges come out of the oven, turn them out onto the paper. Using the paper as a guide, roll each sponge from a short side into a log. Cover with tea towels and allow to cool completely
- To make the hazelnut cream, beat together the fresh cream, icing sugar and hazelnut liqueur until just stiff but still spreadable
- To make the chocolate coating, simply place the chocolate in a glass bowl over a bowl of simmering water until completely smooth and melted. Stir with a spatula
- Unroll the sponge on a clean work surface. Sprinkle over half the crushed hazelnuts. Using a spatula, spread half the cream over the sponge, leaving a 2cm border at the end. Roll the sponge tightly into a log. Repeat with the second sponge
- To assemble the chocolate log, place one sponge on a baking tray lined with a silicone baking sheet. Cut the second sponge in half on the diagonal
- Place this on top on the first log to form a protruding 'branch'. This should sit quite securely, but if you are nervous, you can insert a long bamboo skewer to keep it in place. Serve the second half of the unused sponge log in slices with fresh raspberries
- To create the chocolate bark, spoon the melted chocolate all over the log, smoothing it gently with the back of the spoon. The chocolate will pool underneath, but don't worry. Place in a cool place, but not the fridge, and leave it until the chocolate sets completely. Once the chocolate is hard, use a toothpick or a fork to draw lines in the chocolate. Leave any chocolate curls as it will look more like rough bark
- To plate up, use a knife and trim the chocolate that has set and pooled under the yule log. Place the yule log on a serving platter and decorate with extra chopped nuts and fondant mushrooms to resemble the forest floor.