Chocolate and Coffee Yule Log

A traditional Yule log with coffee liqueur, rolled with coffee buttercream, and frosted with chocolate ganache makes a magnificent addition to the holiday dessert table.

Original recipe makes 1 (15-inch) log

Ingredients

Kahlúa Simple Syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons Kahlua® Liqueur
Biscuit Roulade:
1/2 cup pastry flour or all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
4 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
4 egg whites, room temperature
Coffee Buttercream:
1 cup water, divided
3 tablespoons ground coffee beans
1 cup fine granulated sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache:
11 ounces dark chocolate (58% cacao)
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

For Kahlua Simple Syrup: Place the granulated sugar and water in a small sauce pan over medium heat and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add the Kahlua®.
Stir to combine and allow syrup to cool completely.
For Biscuit Roulade: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter and flour parchment paper also.
Combine flour, baking powder, and cocoa in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
Beat egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating on high speed till the sugar is dissolved. Thoroughly wash and dry the beaters.
Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on medium speed till stiff peaks form.
Carefully fold egg yolk mixture into the egg whites, using a rubber spatula. Once all the egg yolk mixture has been incorporated, sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in gently just to combine.
Spread batter evenly into the prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched near the center.
Lay out a clean, thin cotton kitchen towel on a work surface; dust with confectioners’ sugar on the top, set aside.
Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, loosen the edges of the cake from the pan using a knife.
Turn cake out onto the sugared kitchen towel, parchment paper side up. Carefully pull off the parchment paper.
Fold towel over the longest side of the cake and roll up the cake with the towel inside.
Cool on a rack with the seam side down.
For Coffee Buttercream: Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and add coffee grinds; allow to steep for 5 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter into a small bowl and set coffee concentrate aside.
Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of water and sugar in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan and heat to 240 degrees F, soft-ball stage (18-20 minutes). Keep the edge of the saucepan clean by brushing it with a pastry brush moistened with water as needed.
Once the temperature reaches 240 degrees F, remove the candy thermometer and remove pan from heat.
Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Gradually pour the hot mixture in a thin stream over the whites while continuing to beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and continue to beat until a meringue forms.
Add the butter all at once, and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Increase speed to high and continue beating for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and shiny. Add vanilla extract and coffee concentrate, mix for one minute until combined. Set aside.
For Chocolate Ganache:
Place the chocolate, butter, and honey in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour cream into the chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth.
Set aside and allow the ganache to come to room temperature.
To Assemble: Unroll cake, remove towel. Using a pastry brush, "baste" the cake with the Kahlua simple syrup.
Evenly spread the coffee buttercream over cake to within 1 inch of the edges. Re-roll the cake to form the "log." Place, seam-side down, on a serving platter.
Spread the chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Score ganache with the tines of a fork to resemble the bark on a log. Decorate as desired and refrigerate for an hour to let the ganache set.