Directions

• Coffee Cream Cheese Filling
• Add butter and cream cheese into a bowl and whisk for a few minutes until well combined and fluffy, using a handheld whisk. Set aside.
• Into another bowl, mix instant coffee, water and vanilla extract with a spoon until the coffee is fully dissolved. Now add into cream cheese mixture together with ⅓ of powdered sugar. Mix until everything is well combined before adding another ⅓ and finally the rest of powdered sugar. Chill in the fridge until later.
• The Chocolate Cake
• Dry Ingredients
• Sift all ingredients into a bowl and mix well using a spoon. Set aside.
• Wet Ingredients
• Add eggs and sugar into a bowl. Whisk for 8-10 minutes at high speed until ribbon stage, using a handheld whisk.
• Now sift in dry ingredients 1 heap tbsp and gently fold the mixture to mix everything, using a spatula. Continue until you finish with the dry ingredients. Lastly add in melted butter and give everything one last gentle fold to mix.
• Pour batter into a 10.5×15.5 inch (27×39 cm) baking tray that has been greased and lined. Lightly shake the pan to smooth out the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 375ºF (190ºC), using upper and lower heat, on middle rack, conventional mode (no fan-assisted) for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. Don’t over bake.
• Remove from the oven and leave for 3 minutes. Dust the top generously with powdered sugar. Place a kitchen cloth on top, followed by a cooling rack and gently yet swiftly flip the baking pan. Remove the pan and the lined parchment paper.
• Dust more powdered sugar on top. Now roll the cake together with the kitchen towel and leave to completely cool before using, around 30 minutes.
• Chocolate Ganache
• Heat the cream in a pot until you see bubbles around the edges. Pour into a bowl containing the chopped chocolate. Leave for 30 seconds and then mix everything together using a hand whisk until you get a thick chocolate ganache. Leave to cool until it thickens enough to spoon (refer to video above), before using.
• Assembling
• Fill The Logs
• Unroll the cake. Cut once lengthwise and cut each piece into 2, you’ll have 4 rectangular pieces.
• Place 1 piece on a wooden table (dust it with powdered sugar first, if needed), short side facing you. Spoon small dollops of coffee cream cheese filling all over the cake surface. Spread evenly using an offset spatula. Be gentle as the cake is super tender, you don’t want to tear it apart.
• Now spoon additional filling at the beginning of the cake, creating like a small log. Then gently yet swiftly roll the cake. Wrap tightly with cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, while continuing with the rest. Leave some filling for later to act as glue.
• Shape The Logs
• Take 1 log and remove the cling film. Slice diagonally at ⅓ length of the log. Place the bigger piece on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Take the smaller piece and put some filling on the sliced side and press it against one side of the bigger piece, thus making the yule log shape. Continue with the rest.
• Decorate The Logs
• Spoon the thickened ganache on the logs, making sure you coat every surface except the open parts. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes or until the ganache is slightly firm.
• Use the tip of a knife to lightly carve the ganache in lines, imitating the bark of a branch/trunk. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Place the logs on a serving wooden table that has been sprinkled with ginger cookie crumbles. Use a thin wide spatula to move them easily. Decorate with some leaves, raspberries and dusts of powdered sugar. Serve!