White Chocolate Whipped Cream

1. 1 Place the white chocolate in a bowl.
2. 2 In a small pot, bring the 35% cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes without stirring. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours (see Chef’s tip).

Chocolate Cake

1. 3 With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 17 x 12-inch (43 x 30 cm) baking sheet with parchment paper, letting it hang over two sides. Generously butter the parchment paper and the sides of the baking sheet that are not lined.
2. 4 In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and water. Add the cake mix. Stir until smooth. Spread the cake batter out evenly in the baking sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cover with a clean dishcloth and let cool completely on the baking sheet, about 1 hour.

Cocoa Syrup

1. 5 In a small pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Let cool.

Assembly

1. 6 Use the parchment paper to lift the cake from the baking sheet. Cut the long sides of the cake slightly to straighten them out. Using a pastry brush, cover the entire surface of the cake with the cocoa syrup.
2. 7 Whisk the white chocolate cream with an electric mixer until semi-stiff peaks form (do not over whisk or the cream will turn into butter). Set one-third of the whipped cream aside. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the entire surface of the cake.
3. 8 Starting at one of the short ends, roll up the cake. Do not worry if the cake cracks slightly. Place on a serving dish.
4. 9 Cover the yule log with the reserved whipped cream, leaving the ends uncovered, if desired. Grate the milk chocolate over the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chef’s tip

For a festive touch, add vanilla or your favourite liqueur (Cointreau, Frangelico, etc.) to the whipped cream, to taste.