PALEO LOW CARB CHOCOLATE YULE LOG
Want to make a delicious Christmas showstopper dessert that is gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free? Follow my super easy flour-less recipe with the most amazing coconut cream frosting using Paleo and low carb ingredients.
I’ve been so busy recently and distracted by life that my Paleo Low Carb Great British Bake Off challenge has had to be put on hold. I only have one bake to go but any time I have had spare in the kitchen has been to quickly knock up some dinner in the limited time I have at home these days. But I really wanted to a get a Christmassy dessert recipe out in time for the holidays that had nothing to do with my challenge, and I couldn’t stop thinking about making a yummy gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free chocolate yule log.
Having made chocolate mini rolls a few months ago as the first bake in my Bake Off challenge I knew it was more than doable. I had the basic recipe for the sponge which just needed to be doubled for size, I was confident in my sponge rolling skills, and the rest of it was just frosting and that seemed pretty simple enough.
I hosted my family’s Christmas dinner this year which we had very early at the start of December as my sister was going to be away until January! So as I was cooking this wonderful feast of course the whole meal was to be free of gluten, dairy and sugar. For starters there was homemade pate with flaxseed crackers, the mains were (gluten free) stuffed duck breast (courtesy of M&S), roast potatoes cooked in goose fat oh yes, gluten free pigs in blankets, lots of veggies, and of course I had to make gluten & dairy free Yorkshire puddings and the chocolate log for dessert. Phew! It was A LOT of cooking and baking. Which I completely pulled off and everything came as out as I’d hoped and perfectly timed. I was very pleased with myself. Even more so when we got to the final course.
The chocolate log was heavenly! It tasted so unbelievably good. You would never know it was free of allergens or sugars. Low in carbs and high in great healthy fats the chocolate log is so very moreish – perhaps dangerously so haha.
And to make this chocolate log it really was as simple as I thought it would be. Pre-rolling the sponge while it’s fresh out of the oven helped prevent sponge crackage later on. And the frosting….oh the frosting….once again using my beloved Plamil’s dairy and sugar free chocolate and a whole load of coconut cream is just the best thing I’ve tasted all year. Well…that and the choux buns I baked on the same weekend……I’m drooling at the memory of them both. That was a yum filled weekend!!
If, like me, Christmas pudding doesn't appeal to you, then this chocolate yule log recipe is a MUST TRY. It’s so simple and even more delicious. Why am I not eating any right now?!
INGREDIENTS
THE SPONGE
½ cup Cocoa Powder
2 tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup hot water
6 large eggs, separated
3 tbsp. stevia
THE CREAM FILLING
1 carton/cup Coconut Cream chilled in the fridge
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp. Stevia
THE CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING
1 carton/cup Coconut Cream chilled in the fridge
½ cup Dairy Sugar Free Chocolate Chips or Dark Chocolate Chips
Note: if you can’t find coconut cream, place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When chilled the coconut milk separates the cream from the water. When you open the can the cream will sit at the top. Scoop this out carefully and pour the water away. With some brands of coconut milk this doesn’t work. Make sure there is a high content of coconut extract at least 80% in the ingredient list.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 170°C
THE SPONGE
Line a 14”x 10” baking tin with greased baking parchment (trim the corners of the paper so it sits better in the tin)
In a large mixing bowl sieve the cocoa powder, and add the coconut oil, vanilla extract and water mixing until well combined.
Separate the eggs and with an electric mixer whisk the egg yolks with the stevia until thick fluffy and pale in colour.
Pour the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture and mix well.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to combine and then the rest of the egg whites being careful not to knock the air out.
Pour the mixture into the baking tin making sure it sits level and smooth.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and turn out onto a clean tea towel removing the baking parchment from what was the bottom side of the cake.
It is easier to roll the sponge when it is still warm else it will crack or break. With the short side of the sponge facing you, score a line 3cms from the bottom. Then roll up the sponge and let it cool for 20 mins while in/under the tea towel.
While the sponge is cooling prepare the filling.
THE COCONUT CREAM FILLING
Whip the coconut cream and stevia together until soft and fluffy. Store in the fridge until the sponge has cooled and is ready to be spread with the filling.
Give the cream another quick whip before spreading onto the sponge leaving a little gap from the edges.
Carefully roll the sponge from the bottom end using the tea towel making sure the roll is tight.
Place the roll in the fridge to chill while you prepare the chocolate frosting. Make sure the roll is sitting on the seam to prevent it from unravelling.
THE CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a large mixing bowl mix the coconut cream and the chocolate and whip until light and fluffy. You can mix in any leftover cream from the filling if you have any.
Spread over the roll using a spatula and return to the fridge to set.
For a snowy look sprinkle desiccated coconut over the log before serving.
Another successful bake using gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, paleo and low carb ingredients. Great for people with food sensitivities or on low carb or ketogenic diets. Let me know how yours turns out :)
