CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE YULELOG.

Is it even Christmas without a chocolate Yule Log? I always thought they were really hard to make, but it's something I missed at Christmas so I thought I'd give it a go & was pleasantly surprised.
It certainly didn't last long in my family, which is always a good sign (especially with my younger sister who seem to have a strong aversion to anything with a "gluten free" tag.)
Not everyone likes Christmas cake or Christmas pudding so this is a yummy, Christmassy alternative. It's really not as difficult as you may think, but always looks quite impressive. The great thing about making a yule log is that it doesn't matter if it cracks or falls apart - in fact all the better if it does - it will look even more like a gnarly piece of log!

SPONGE ingredients
125g plain gluten free flour  ( Free by doves farm or similar)
130g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder
1 level teaspoon baking powder

ICING
125g unsalted butter or to make it dairy free I use Naturli vegan block. If you can't get hold of Naturli use a margarine block like Tomor, rather than a spreadable margarine - otherwise the consistency won't be firm enough.
200g icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

  Preheat the oven to 180c
1 Whisk the eggs and sugar together - until you get a pale fluffy mixture.
2  Fold in the flour, baking powder & cocoa.
3. Lay a sheet of baking paper onto a standard sized baking tray. Spread (or pour) the mixture onto the baking sheet.
4 Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. I know I'm a broken record, but all ovens are different so the timing is just a guide.You want it firm, but springy to the touch.
5 Lay another sheet of baking paper on a clean work surface. Flip onto the  paper and peel off the lining paper it cooked on.
6  Roll up the sponge (from its longest side - with the second piece of paper inside. Shown below) leave to cool. when cool, unroll the log.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

1 Beat the icing sugar, unsalted butter & cocoa together. you may need a little water if the mixture is too stiff (or to take it up a notch, a spoonful or two of brandy).
2 When the sponge is cool, unwrap it. Spread a layer of the buttercream over the flat surface and roll it up again (not in the paper this time).
3 Cut a thick, diagonal piece off the end of the log and place it at the side of the log (to make a branch, see main picture).
4 Cover the log with the rest of the buttercream. Use a fork to make a "bark" pattern. dust with icing sugar for a snow effect and decorate with Holly.

Happy Christmas!