The Christmas Yule Log is not something we ever had when I was growing up, but I remember seeing them in the shops and thinking they were really cool. I didn’t even make my first one until I had my cake business, and someone asked me to make one for them. I had so much fun baking and decorating it, that I’ve made quite a few since – even for myself!
For this one though, I wanted something really special, and super-Christmassy. So instead of going with the usual chocolate flavour, I opted for a Gingerbread flavoured cake and a salted caramel buttercream!
Oh. My. Goodness! It’s a whole extra level of Christmas on a plate!
Rich, decadent, and it looks amazing too!
There are actually three parts to this recipe. First you need to make the salted caramel and let it cool. Then make the dairy-free salted caramel buttercream, and finally the cake. The caramel and buttercream can be made a day or two ahead, so it’s not a super-huge baking challenge that needs to be done from go to whoa.
I’ve included the cake recipe here, but the links to the caramel and buttercream are above.
If you’re looking for more awesome holiday treats to bake, make sure you grab a copy of my Fuss-free Gluten-free Christmas cookbook to make this Christmas a merry one!
Gingerbread Buche de Noel
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Gluten-free Cornflour
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Mixed spice
- 3 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup Caster sugar
- 1 quantity Salted Caramel Buttercream see recipe
Instructions
- Grease and line a 23x33cm swiss roll tin.
- Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
- Beat eggs in a small bowl until thick and pale.
- Add brown sugar in 4 lots, beating in-between until dissolved.
- Add molasses and mix well.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
- Pour into prepared tin and bake for 12 minutes at 180oC.
- While the cake is cooking, place a sheet of baking paper on a tea towel on the bench.
- Sprinkle caster sugar over the baking paper.
- When cooked, the edges of the cake will have slightly shrunken away from the edge of the pan.
- Immediately turn the cake out onto the sugared baking paper.
- Very carefully remove the baking paper that lined the tin.
- Roll the cake up from a long edge with the sugared baking paper and tea towel.
- Leave the cake rolled up to cool.
- When cool, carefully unroll and remove the tea towel and baking paper. Don't stress too much if there is a crack or two, as the buttercream will help to hold it together.
- Spread 1/3 of the buttercream over the cake and roll it back up.
- Spread the remainder of the buttercream over the rolled cake, and decorate as desired.
