Last year, I shared a recipe for an Almond, Rosemary & White Chocolate Yule Log, a slightly snowier alternative to the traditional, chocolate Bûche de Noël. This year, I am continuing on in my Yule Log reinventing mission with a tiramisu-inspired confection (which, of course, I am calling a Tirami-Yule Log). My Tirami-Yule Log features a vanilla cake, soaked in a boozy coffee syrup and filled with a mascarpone cream & plenty of grated dark chocolate. I like to think of this particular roll as an Inverted Yule Log: the bark is white, while the snow is dark brown and chocolatey (but it’s all still absolutely delicious).

Table of Contents

• The Components
• A Note on Swiss Roll Tins
• Ingredients
• Making the Vanilla Cake
• Making the Coffee Syrup
• Making the Mascarpone Cream
• Rolling the Log
• Decorating the Log
• Recipe

The Components

This Tirami-Yule Log does have a few different components, but, once you’ve got the cake done, they’re all pretty straightforward to make, so please don’t be put off! The dessert is made up of the following elements:

• Vanilla cake

The cake itself is a standard, vanilla sponge cake. It’s a little different than a regular cake, because it doesn’t contain any butter, but it has a light and airy texture, while still being very flexible: perfect for rolling!

• Coffee syrup

Once baked, the cake is soaked with a coffee syrup. This is super quick and easy to make, and can be adjusted to suit your preferences. I’ve included a small amount of alcohol in the recipe, because this is a tiramisu–inspired Yule Log, after all, but you can leave it out if you’d prefer an alcohol-free version.

• Mascarpone cream

This mascarpone cream is used to both fill and decorate the log, and is even easier to make than the coffee syrup— you just put all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk! Traditionally, the mascarpone element of tiramisu contains raw eggs, but this cream doesn’t contain eggs at all, so, if that’s something that would usually concern you, you don’t need to worry!

• Dark chocolate (or cocoa powder)

Traditionally, tiramisu is dusted with a layer of cocoa powder to add a chocolate-y flavour, but my family has always topped ours with grated dark chocolate instead. For this Yule Log, then, I’ve gone down the grated chocolate route (it’s rolled into the log itself AND sprinkled over the top), but you could dust over a thin layer of cocoa powder for a more intense, bitter, chocolate-y flavour, if you prefer.

A Note on Swiss Roll Tins

For this recipe, you will need a Swiss Roll tin. These are shallow baking dishes with square edges and are typically 33 x 23cm (or 13 x 9 inches). However, I’ve also made this cake in a larger tin (38 x 25cm/15 x 10 inches), which also worked.

Making the sponge in a larger tin yields a thinner cake, which means that you can achieve a more defined swirl (yay!) BUT it does mean that the cake will be more fragile, so you’re more likely to get cracks (boo!). Then again, once you cover the whole lot in the mascarpone icing, you won’t see the cracks anyway, so the choice is yours!

Ingredients

To make this Tirami-Yule Log, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Eggs

I always use large eggs.

• Caster sugar

This is used in the cake batter and the coffee syrup. You will also need a small amount for sprinkling on the cake before rolling it up, so that it doesn’t stick (and to give the cake more of a ladyfinger vibe/texture!). Make sure you use caster sugar, not granulated sugar, for best results.

• Plain flour

If you’re in the US, use all-purpose flour (or omit the additional cornflour and use 90g of cake flour).

• Cornflour

Adding cornflour (also known as cornstarch) helps to make the cake extra flexible and tender.

• Baking powder

Baking powder helps the cake to rise, ensuring it is super light and fluffy.

• Milk

Whole milk is best, but I often use skimmed milk and it works absolutely fine, so use whatever you have.

• Sunflower oil

I use sunflower oil, but you can use any flavourless oil.

• White wine vinegar

This may seem like a rogue ingredient, but a small amount of vinegar helps to make the cake super soft and tender. Just be sure to use a mild-flavoured/coloured vinegar, like white wine vinegar (i.e. not malt vinegar, or red wine vinegar!).

• Vanilla extract

This is a vanilla cake after all, so you’ll need some vanilla extract.

• Instant coffee granules

Instant coffee granules are great for getting a really intense, coffee flavour in a small volume of liquid, which is exactly what you want for the coffee syrup!

• Amaretto liqueur

Amaretto is not exactly the most traditional liqueur for tiramisu, but it’s my personal favourite. I add a small amount of this to the coffee soak as the alcoholic element, but feel free to use a different liqueur (I believe rum is a classic) or omit the alcohol entirely, for an alcohol-free version.

• Mascarpone

You can’t have a tiramisu without mascarpone! This is an Italian soft cheese that is widely available in supermarkets.

• Double cream

This is mixed with the mascarpone to make a light and airy filling.

• Icing sugar

This is added to the mascarpone filling to sweeten it. I don’t recommend using caster sugar for this, because it won’t dissolve quickly enough and you might end up with a crunchy filling!

• Dark chocolate (or cocoa powder)

Use a good quality dark chocolate for the best results. As I mentioned, if you’d prefer to use cocoa powder, just omit the dark chocolate (both inside and on top of the roll) and dust over a thin layer of cocoa powder in its place.

Making the Vanilla Cake

Start by preheating the oven to 175°C. Grease and line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper and set aside.

Place the eggs into a large bowl and whip with an electric hand whisk (or use a stand mixer) until doubled in volume.

At this stage, start adding the sugar gradually (1 tbsp at a time), whisking in between each addition.

Once all of the sugar has been added, continue whisking on high speed until the mixture is pale, creamy and tripled in volume (i.e. it has reached the ‘ribbon stage’). You should be able to draw a figure of eight with the ‘ribbon’ of batter from the beaters before it has time to settle back into the rest of the mixture.

In a jug, whisk together the milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, while mixing on low speed. Mix until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated.

Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder into the mixture.

Fold in gently using a large, metal spoon, until no streaks of flour remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and gently level it out (try to avoid knocking too much air out at this stage).

Place the tin into the preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. When ready, the cake should be nice and golden, and just about spring back when touched gently. Be careful not to over-bake the cake at this stage, because this will cause it to be drier, which will make cracks more likely when you roll it up.

While the cake is baking, spread a piece of baking paper that is larger than the size of your tin on the counter and sprinkle it with 2 tbsp of caster sugar.

Once the cake is baked, leave it to sit in the tin for 1 minute, then tip it out onto the sugared baking paper. Gently peel the used baking paper off the bottom of the cake and discard it, then carefully roll the cake up, with the sugared baking paper inside, quite tightly. Leave the cake to cool completely in the roll before filling it.

It’s super important to roll the cake while it is still hot! The cake will be at its most flexible while it is hot, so you will be able to roll it nice and tightly without it cracking.

Allowing it to cool completely in the roll helps to set the shape, again, helping to prevent cracks— I guess it’s kind of similar to using hair rollers to get curls that last longer (though, as you’ll see later, I did get cracks on my thinner sponge because I rolled it twice (long story…)— don’t worry too much if you get a crack, you’ll be covering it later anyway!).

Making the Coffee Syrup

Once the cake is cool, you can make the coffee syrup. Place the coffee, water and sugar into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat.

Allow the sugar to melt, swirling gently every now and then to help it along.

Once all of the sugar has melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir through the amaretto liqueur (if using).

Leave the syrup to cool slightly at room temperature while you make the mascarpone cream.

Making the Mascarpone Cream

Making the mascarpone cream is super easy— you just whisk everything together!

Place the mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar into a large bowl.

Whisk with an electric mixer until it just starts to thicken and is light and fluffy. Make sure you don’t over-whip the mixture at this stage, or it will have a curdled appearance (but it will still taste delicious!).

That’s it!

Rolling the Log

Once your cake roll is completely cool, your coffee syrup is made and your mascarpone cream is whipped, you can get on with rolling up the log.

Start by carefully unrolling your cake log. It will be quite fragile, so be very gentle with it! Use a pastry brush to brush the coffee syrup all over the surface of the cake. The crumb of the cake is quite delicate, so you might need to use a ‘dabbing’ motion rather than a ‘brushing’ motion, to prevent pulling up too many crumbs.

Next, spread a thin layer of the mascarpone cream right on top of the coffee-soaked cake.

Don’t be too generous here, or the filling will squidge out when you roll the cake back up!

Next, finely grate some dark chocolate (or dust a thin layer of cocoa powder, if you prefer) over the cream, making sure to cover the whole surface.

Now it’s time to roll! Using the baking paper to help you,roll the log back up, sandwiching all of the filling within. Make sure to start the roll off nice and tightly, so you get a clean roll. 

With your roll made, you can get onto decorating. Pat yourself on the back, because the rolling is the trickiest part!

Decorating the Log

Now it’s time to decorate! If you want to make a ‘branch’, which is often a feature of a traditional Yule Log, do that first.

Using a large, serrated knife, cut off one end of the log at an angle. Take the end and press it alongside the rest of the roll (with the diagonal edge sitting against the side of the cake). You can use a small amount of the mascarpone icing to help stick it to the cake, or you can just decorate over the join.

Then, just cover the whole thing in the remaining mascarpone icing. You can do this in whatever way you prefer, but I opted to use a palette knife and spread it on. I don’t recommend using a piping bag for this, because the mascarpone icing will over-whip very easily in the bag.

Once the whole cake was covered, I used the palette knife to add some texture to the surface. I gently dragged the knife down the length of the log (and the branch, following the direction of ‘growth’), all around the visible circumference of the cake, to mimic bark.

At the ends of the logs/branch, I used the palette knife to make a spiral pattern, to mimic the rings on a cut log.

To finish off the cake, I added a final, generous grating of dark chocolate right along the length of the cake— almost like reverse snow (because the log is white and the snow is brown, in this scenario). If you prefer, you can sift a thin layer of cocoa powder over the top instead, or just leave it plain.

And, with that, you have your very own Tirami-Yule Log, ready to be enjoyed!

Recipe

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Tirami-Yule Log

A fun take on the iconic French Yule Log, inspired by the flavours of an Italian tiramisu. A simple vanilla sponge is brushed with a coffee & amaretto syrup, filled with an eggless mascarpone cream filling and topped with grated dark chocolate.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French, Italian

Keyword Amaretto, Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Mascarpone, swiss roll, Tiramisu, Vanilla, yule log

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

1 minute minute

Total Time 2 hours hours 14 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Equipment

• 1 32 x 23cm Swiss roll tin (see Note 1).
• 1 pastry brush

Ingredients

For the vanilla cake:

• 3 eggs
• 100 g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling.
• 2 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 3/4 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• 75 g plain flour (see Note 2).
• 15 g cornflour (see Note 2).
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

For the coffee & amaretto syrup

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 75 ml water
• 1/2 tbsp amaretto liqueur (optional, see Note 3).

For the mascarpone filling:

• 500 g mascarpone
• 250 ml double cream
• 150 g icing sugar, sifted.

To assemble

• Dark chocolate, for grating OR cocoa powder (see Note 4).

Instructions

Make the vanilla cake:

• Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease and line a 33 x 23cm Swiss roll tin and set aside.
• Place the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer (or use an electric whisk) and whip on high speed until frothy and doubled in volume. Add the sugar, one tbsp at a time, with the mixer going, until it has all been incorporated. Beat the mixture for a further 5-8 minutes until tripled in volume and has reached the 'ribbon stage'.
• Whisk the oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla extract together in a small jug. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the egg mixture.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture, then fold in using a large, metal spoon, until no streaks of flour remain.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and gently level the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until golden and just about springs back when touched gently. Be careful not to over-bake the cake, or it will be harder to roll without cracking.
• While the cake is baking, spread a piece of baking paper larger than the size of the Swiss Roll tin on the work surface and sprinkle it with the 2 tbsp caster sugar.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it to stand for 1 minute, then tip it out onto the sugared baking paper. Carefully peel off the baking paper from the surface of the cake, then use the new baking paper to help you roll the cake up quite tightly. Leave the cake to cool completely in this roll before filling/decorating.

Make the coffee & amaretto syrup:

• When the cake is cool, make the coffee syrup. Place the instant coffee granules, sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirling every now and then, allow the sugar to melt completely before removing from the heat and stirring through the amaretto. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the mascarpone cream.

Make the mascarpone cream:

• Place the mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar into a large bowl, and whisk with an electric mixer until just thickened. Don't over-whip, or the filling will look curdled.

Assemble the cake:

• Once the cake is completely cool, carefully unroll it. Use a pastry brush to soak the surface of the cake in the coffee syrup, then spread over a thin layer of mascarpone cream. Grate over a layer of dark chocolate (or dust over a thin layer of cocoa powder), then carefully roll the cake back up, keeping the roll quite tight.

Decorate the cake:

• If you want your Yule Log to have a traditional 'branch', make that now. Use a large, serrated knife to cut one end off the rolled cake at an angle. Move the end piece to the side of the cake and press the cut edge against the side of the main roll (use a small amount of the mascarpone icing to stick it in place, if needeD).
• Cover the whole log (and branch) with the remaining mascarpone icing. Use a palette knife to create texture by dragging it down the length of the log, following the direction of 'growth' for the branch, right around the visible circumference of the cake. On the ends, use the palette knife to create a spiral design, to mimic the rings of a cut log.
• Add a final grating of dark chocolate/dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the cake to finish it off, then enjoy. The cake is best eaten straight away, but can be stored in the fridge for 2 days (as long as both the cream and the mascarpone are still in date).

Notes

1. 33 x 23cm is the standard size for a Swiss Roll tin. You can also use a slightly bigger tin for this recipe, which will yield a thinner sponge. This will give you a more defined swirl, but will also mean that your cake is more likely to crack. As you’ll be covering the entire thing in icing, no one will see the crack, but it’s up to you! If you use a larger tin, keep an eye on the cake when it is baking, as it will cook more quickly.
2. If you’re in the US/have access to ‘cake flour’, you can substitute the flour and cornflour for 90g total cake flour. If you don’t have access to cornflour (also known as cornstarch), you can replace it with an equal amount of plain flour.
3. Tiramisu typically has an alcoholic element, and I like the taste of amaretto here, though rum is more traditional. Feel free to use whatever liqueur you prefer, or to omit the alcohol entirely to make a child-friendly, non-alcoholic dessert.
4. Tiramisu is traditionally dusted with a layer of cocoa powder, but my family always uses grated dark chocolate instead. I’ve used grated dark chocolate in this recipe, but feel free to replace the chocolate (both inside and on top of the log) with sifted cocoa powder, if you prefer.