Description
This Vegan Chocolate Yule Log is a festive, dairy-free twist on the classic holiday dessert. Featuring a light and airy cocoa sponge cake made with aquafaba and applesauce, it’s filled with a smooth vegan chocolate buttercream, rolled, chilled, and finished with a rich dark chocolate ganache. Decorated traditionally to look like a log, it’s perfect for Christmas celebrations or any special occasion where you want to impress with plant-based baking.
Ingredients
Scale
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 (soy recommended)
- 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 (e.g. Elmlea) or alternatively 150 ml soya milk plus 50 g vegan block butter
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 200℃/180℃ fan/400℉/gas mark 6. Line a 23 x 33 to 25 x 35 cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on each side to help lift out the cake later.
- Whip Aquafaba: Place aquafaba and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric mixer to whisk until white and frothy. Gradually add caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until the mixture is glossy, soft, yet whipped (like softly whipped cream), showing trails but not forming peaks.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Mix plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together. Sift them over the whipped aquafaba. Gently fold with a spatula until about half combined to keep air incorporated.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add applesauce, olive oil, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract. Continue folding carefully until the batter is smooth with no dry lumps. The batter will deflate somewhat but try to retain as much air as possible.
- Bake the Cake: Pour batter into prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for 8-11 minutes, or until set and a skewer comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake to retain softness.
- Prepare Cooling Surface: While baking, cut a sheet of baking paper slightly larger than the cake. Lightly dust this surface with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
- Cool the Cake: When baked, immediately flip the cake out onto the cocoa-dusted parchment paper, top side down. Leave the parchment on the bottom of the cake and let it cool between the parchment sheets until just cold, about 1 hour.
- Make Buttercream: In a bowl, whisk the softened vegan butter until smooth. Sift in icing sugar and cocoa powder, add vanilla extract, then whisk until light and fluffy for several minutes.
- Trim and Spread Buttercream: Once cool, peel off the top baking paper. Trim the cake edges with a serrated knife to remove drier parts. Spread the buttercream evenly over the entire surface with a palette knife.
- Roll the Cake: Starting from a short edge, roll the cake tightly into a spiral using the parchment paper to assist. Once rolled, place seam side down in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results.
- Make Ganache: Place chopped dark chocolate and vegan cream in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water without touching the water. Stir until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and allow to thicken for 1-2 hours until spreadable.
- Assemble the Yule Log: When ganache is ready, unwrap chilled cake. Slice off one end at an angle. Attach this piece to the side of the cake roll with some ganache, creating a branch effect.
- Decorate with Ganache: Spread the ganache over the entire log and ends. Use a knife or fork to create bark-like grooves on top and circular rings on the ends. If the ganache firms too much, gently rewarm over simmering water to soften.
- Add Finishing Touches: Decorate with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs as desired.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature until serving.
Notes
- Use unsweetened applesauce for the best flavor and texture; if not available, homemade or commercial apple sauce can be sieved to remove chunks.
- For the ganache, you may substitute the vegan double cream with 150 ml soya milk plus 50 g vegan block butter.
- Using a digital scale and metric measurements ensures better accuracy and consistency in baking, highly recommended over cup measures.
- This recipe is delicate; substitutions in ingredients may affect the final result and are not advised without caution.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx 1/10th of cake)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
