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Easy Dairy Free Chocolate Swiss Roll / Yule log

Equipment

swiss roll tin, 33 x 23cm (13 x 9inch) (roasting tin works OK if that's all you have)

grease and line the base of the tin.

Oven temp 200 c / 180 c fan or gas mark 6.

To Assemble

Baking paper

damp tea towel

Ingredients

3 large eggs

(large eggs are about 2 oz or 56g, so if you have mixed sizes like us, weigh them and try to get 6 oz worth!

125g / 4oz caster sugar (granulated works OK if that's all you have)

125g / 4oz plain white flour - For chocolate, replace 1tbsp flour with 1 tbsp cocoa

ICING: for just the outside... (still a generous amount!)

50g dark cooking chocolate (or any chocolate!)

100g softened butter or dairy free marge (pure or stork block works well)

200g icing sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder.

Hot water, to mix if needed.

ICING DOUBLE

Double for inside roll and outside:

100g choc

200g marge

10 tbsp cocoa

Method

1. Grease and Line 33 x 23 tin - swiss roll tin ideally, tho roasting tin will do (the deeper edges don't work so well)

OVEN- preheat the oven to 180c fan.

Dust with caster sugar and a little flour

2. Put the eggs and sugar in a large bow and whisk until well blended, if you are using granulated sugar this will take longer.

The mixiture will become pale and glossy as the sugar gets mixed in.

3. Sift and mix the cocoa and flour together

4. sprinkle half the sifted flour mix over the eggs, and fold in very lightly using a large metal spoon or plastic bladed spatula. Sift in the remaining flour and gently fold in until evenly incorporated.

5. Lightly and carefully fold in 15ml (1 tbsp) of hot water (this makes the mixture a little more runny so that it spreads more easily across the tin.)

6. Pour the mixture into the tin and tilt the tin backwards and forwards to spread evenly.

7. Bake in the oven at 180c fan for 10-12 mins until well risen and the cake springs back a little. (NB if you leave it in too long, it is hard to roll!)

Meanwhile! place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a damp tea towel, dredge paper with caster sugar.

8. Quickly turn the cake out on to the paper, and remove the lining paper. Trim off the crusty edges.

9.If you want jam filling, you can spread the cake with jam now. If you want to fill with icing as well, miss this step

10. Roll up from the short side with the aid of the paper, and if you are putting icing inside, roll up with the paper inside. make the first turn firmly so that the whole cake will roll evenly and have a good shape when finished, roll more lightly after this turn.

Allow the cake to cool, whilst making the icing.

When cold, unroll, and remove the paper, add your icing and or jam (or cream for a dessert!) and re roll.

FINALLY Ice the outside of the roll. making little strokes with your knife to imitate a log bark texture.

Decorate with sparkles, chocolate shavings, and holly leaves perhaps a marzipan or fondant Robin on top?

Enjoy the lovely chocolateyness with your bubble!! or drop off to a friend!

ICING METHOD:

Melt the chocolate a little at a time in microwave (30 sec blasts) or in a heat proof bowl over warm pan of water. stirring well between each blast.

the chocolate should be just melted.

(NB put a mug half full of water in the microwave with the chocolate to help avoid over cooking it.)

Melt the marge or butter slightly if it is block marge, 30 secs in microwave or bowl over water again.

Mix up marge with a fork or knife, and once softened slightly, start to add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa a little at a time (half first)

As it gets thick add the melted chocolate to help combine.

Add a pinch of salt if you like, and a splash of warm water if you need it softer to ice the cake. (1 tbsp probably plenty depending on how warm your marge is!)

Unroll your swiss roll, take out the paper, spread half the icing inside the cake, re roll, then ice the outside.

Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, sparkles etc, decorate with a robin or candles!!

This would make a good start to a birthday train! oreo biscuits for wheels! Use the off cuts of cake for the funnel.