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Vegan chocolate yule log on a wooden board with pine cones and fairy lights.
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Vegan Chocolate Yule Log

Vegan chocolate yule log - this delicious vegan chocolate swiss roll cake is a real show stopper for Christmas! With a delicate chocolate sponge cake, chocolate buttercream filling and rich chocolate ganache icing this cake is a chocaholics dream!
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword cake
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Servings 10 people
Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 120 g (½ cup) aquafaba
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 125 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 170 g (1 +⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cocoa powder
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 80 g (⅓ cup) smooth applesauce*
  • 41 g (3 Tablespoons) olive oil (or another neutral oil)
  • 30 g (2 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Buttercream:

  • 100 g (3 ½ oz) vegan block butter softened
  • 180 g (1 ½ cups) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 25 g (2 ½ packed Tablespoons) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache:

  • 250 g (9 oz) dark chocolate finely chopped
  • 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan double cream (I use Elmlea)**

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200℃/180℃ fan/400℉/gas mark 6. Line an approx 23 x 33 to 25 x 35 cm swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving some overhanging on each side.
  • Place the aquafaba and cream of tartar in a large, spotlessly clean bowl. Beat with an electic mixer until white and frothy. Whisk in the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until the aquafaba reaches a softly whipped cream consistency. It should be white and glossy looking and the beaters should leave a trail, but it should not yet be forming peaks.
  • Mix together the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Sift them over the whipped aquafaba. fold in gently with a spatula until they are about half combined.
  • Add the applesauce, oil, milk and vanilla and continue to gently fold in until no dry lumps remain. The mixture will deflate a lot, but try not to knock out all of the air.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level. Bake For 8-11 minutes until set and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. It is important not to overbake the cake so keep a close eye on it.
  • While the cake is baking, cut a rectangle of baking paper a bit bigger than the size of the cake. Dust it with a little cocoa powder, you want a light covering, don't use too much.
  • When the cake is ready, carefully flip it out, topside down, onto the cocoa dusted parchment. Do not remove the parchment from the underside of the cake. leave it to cool between the sheets of parchment until just cold, about 1 hour.
  • While the cake is cooling make the buttercream. Place the softened butter in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and add the vanilla extract. Whisk for a good few minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Once the cake has cooled, peel off the top sheet of baking paper and use a sharp serrated knife to trim off the edges of the cake as they are drier and more likely to crack.
  • Use a palette knife to spread the buttercream evenly over the cake.
  • Starting at one of the short edges, roll the cake up tightly into a spiral. Use the baking paper to help you roll it and be decisive, once you start rolling it you can't stop! Roll the cake up tightly inside the paper and place it seam side down in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, I like to leave it in there overnight.
  • To make the ganache, place the finely chopped chocolate and the cream (or milk and butter) in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Stir until smooth and melted then remove from the heat.
  • Set aside to cool until it has thickened enough to spread, this can take 1-2 hours.
  • When the ganache has nearly reached a spreadable consistency, unwrap the chilled cake and use a sharp serrated knife to slice off one end at an angle. Place thhe cake on a serving platter and use some of the ganache to stick the piece to the side of the cake roll to make a branch.
  • Use a palette knife to spread the ganache over the cake, both on top and on the ends. Use either the knife or a fork to score a bark pattern along the top of the cake and draw rings on the ends of the log. If the ganache becomes too firm to spread, place the bowl back over a pan of hot water and stir until it softens again.
  • Decorate the cake with cranberries and springs of rosemary if you like. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

Notes

  • *If you are able to get hold of unsweetened apple sauce then use that. If not then you can make your own (look up recipes online), otherwise you can use the kind of apple sauce that comes in a jar which is usually served with pork. Use the back of a spoon to press it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunks of apple first though.
  • **Instead of the cream you can use 150ml soya milk plus 50g vegan block butter.
  • USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
  • See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
  • This is a very delicate recipe and I cannot offer any substitutions for any of the ingredients. Any changes are made at your own risk.