Christmas Yule Log (kids vlog edition)

I first posted a recipe for a chocolate yule log over a decade ago. Since then it has become an annual staple of our Christmas baking traditions. I've experimented over the years with various tweaks and permutations (one year we made little chocolate pine cones from chocolate icing studded with chocolate cereal crescents - see below).

We've all decided the best version of it is to lean in to the Black Forest theme by including a layer of morello cherries scattered over the cream (which is sweetened with their juice). This year, Frankie made it almost completely by herself - here's how...

Ingredients

For the cake

6 large eggs, separated

5 oz soft brown sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

For the filling

8 fl. oz double cream

1 jar morello cherries 

3 tbsp cherry juice (strained from the jar) 

For the icing

8 fl. oz double cream

8 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line a 30x20cm swiss roll tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and soft brown sugar until you have a smooth, thick mixture.
3. Sift in the cocoa, then beat to combine.
4. In a separate, large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
5. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture a third at a time.
6. Pour the mixture into the tin, spread out evenly, and bake for 30 minutes until springy to touch.
7. Place a clean tea towel on a clean work surface and cover with a piece of greaseproof paper. 
8. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, shake it out on to the greaseproof paper. Peel off the lining paper, and carefully score a line about half an inch from the long end of the cake. 
9. Using the paper and the tea towel to help, roll it up tightly and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.
10. Meanwhile, make the filling. Strain the jar of cherries into a sieve set over a bowl. 
11. Place the cream in a mixing bowl with a few spoonfuls of the strained cherry juice, and whip into soft peaks.
12. Make the ganache by heating the cream and chocolate to a bare simmer, then take off the heat and stir to a smooth paste, and allow to cool to room temperature.
13. Once the roll is barely warm, unroll it on a board, remove the paper, and spread with the cherry cream. Scatter the cherries over the cream. 
14. Roll up the cake with the filling inside, and place on the serving plate. 
15. If you like, cut a couple of slices from each end at a slight angle, and position these either side of the main log to look like branches.
16. Spread with the ganache, and, as it cools, use the tines of a fork to create a bark effect – you can add more ganache for a thicker coating once the first layer has cooled if you like.
17. Dust with icing sugar for a snowy effect before serving.

Yule logs of Christmases past...