Yule Log or Chocolate Roll

Someone in the household wanted a Yule Log to celebrate winter solstice today. It would be good any time of year as a chocolate roll.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 11x15" jelly roll pan with greased parchment paper. Sprinkle a clean tea towel with icing sugar and set it aside.

In a medium bowl mix together

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In another medium bowl beat 4 eggs until creamy. Add and stir well

• 1/2 white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until well combined.

Spread the batter on the parchment paper. I don't spread the batter to the edge of the pan but leave a margin of about an inch. Bake for 11-14 minutes until the top is set but not overdone.

Lift the cake from the pan by picking up the parchment paper. Turn it upside down on the tea towel. Roll the cake up in the towel from the short end and leave it to cool completely.

Filling: 

Put 1 cup of whipping cream, 2-1/2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2-1/2 tablespoons of cocoa in a food processor and whip until stiff. This took only 30-60 seconds in my food processor. You could also use beaters.

You can use plain whipped cream or cream cheese icing if you want.

Unroll the cake and remove the tea towel. Spread the filling evenly on the cake and re-roll it. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired. Keep the cake refrigerated. It can also be frozen.

Sugar Plums

I have made sugar plums several times over the years with varying success. These historical Christmas treats mentioned in the poem "The Night Before Christmas" feature ground nuts and dried fruit rolled in balls and dredged in sugar. This version is the best I have made and the soaked nuts made a difference in their consistency. The recipe is very versatile and you can use the following method as a guide.

Soak 1-1/4 cups of walnuts (or other nut) in salted water overnight. Drain, rinse and pat dry.

Coarsely chop 2 to 2-1/2 cups of dried fruit. I used dried apricots, soaked figs, dates, and prunes.

Measure spices as desired. I used 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and some freshly grated nutmeg. You could use other spices if you prefer.

Add the grated zest of one orange.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it comes together in a coarse paste. Roll in balls with your hands (1 tbsp/15 ml) and then roll the sugar plum in granulated sugar. Alternately, they could be rolled in coconut or hemp seeds.

Makes about 2 dozen gluten free, grain free, fat free (other than the nuts), vegan treats. Nutrients calculated for 1/25 of recipe with sugar coating.