Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Yule Log
Sweet peppermint frosting rolled up in fudgy chocolate cake and topped with rich ganache.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Bake Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10 Servings 1x
- Category: Cakes and Cupcakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup nondairy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder + extra for rolling
1 cup all purpose flour
For the Frosting
1 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup vegan butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon nondairy milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
pinch of salt
1/3 cup crushed candy canes
For the Ganache
1 1/2 cups nondairy chocolate chips
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and grab a 13x18 inch baking sheet. Lightly grease the baking sheet with cooking spray and lay down a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly grease the top of the parchment paper as well. Sprinkle evenly with flour and tap off excess. Set aside.
- Mix: In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, canola oil and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour the nondairy milk and apple cider vinegar into the bowl and whisk vigorously until mixture is homogenous. Add in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk again to evenly distribute the ingredients. Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and whisk until just combined. A few lumps are ok. Do not over-mix.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly using a rubber spatula. Place baking sheet on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch it lightly. Allow cake to cool for 5-10 minutes only before moving on to the next step.
- Invert: Sprinkle the top of the cake lightly and evenly with cocoa powder. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top. Lie a clean kitchen towel over the top of the plastic. Place a large cutting board on top of the towel and flip the pan over. Remove the baking sheet and gently peel off the parchment paper. You should be left with a thin cake lying on top of plastic wrap on top of a towel on top of a cutting board. Lightly dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.
- Roll and Cool: Make sure the short side of the cake is facing you. Gently roll up the cake in the towel, rolling away from you. Continue until you have what looks to be a towel log with the seam side down on a cutting board. Don’t worry if your cake starts to crack a little. Just keep rolling. Set aside to cool completely.
- Beat: While the cake is cooling you can prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and the vegan butter using an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, nondairy milk, peppermint extract and salt. Beat again until frosting comes together.
- Melt: Add the nondairy chocolate chips to a small bowl. Fill a glass measuring cup with 1/2 cup nondairy milk and add in the 1 tablespoon vegan butter. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds or until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot. Pour the hot milk and butter over the chocolate chips and allow the bowl to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Once time has elapsed, whisk until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup/agave. Set the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly before use.
- Assemble: Gently unroll the cake using the towel to guide it. Spread the prepared peppermint frosting over the cake as evenly as possible. Go all the way up to the edges of the cake. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the top of the frosting. Re-roll the cake, this time leaving the towel behind. Roll the cake up, rolling away from you, just like before. Once you have rolled up the first little bit with your fingers a strip of plastic wrap left under the cake will be exposed. Pull on this to roll the cake up the rest of the way and remove it from your final product. Remove the ganache from the fridge and spread it over the top and sides of the log. Use a fork to leave log-like marks over the cake of desired. Sprinkle with more crushed candy canes.
- Serve: I would recommend refrigerating the cake for at least 1 hour before serving to set the ganache. When ready to serve, slice a 1 inch piece from both ends of the log to even out your roll. Discard these slices. Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Yule Log will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is not a freezer friendly recipe.
*Rolling this bad boy may sound tricky but it is pretty straightforward. If you have never made a rolled cake before I would recommend watching the recipe video to get a better idea on how to execute.
*If you leave the ganache in the fridge for too long and it gets too hard, don’t sweat! Let it sit out for 15 minutes and try again. If it’s still too hard heat a pan of water on the stove. Add 1 tablespoon of boiling water at a time into the ganache, stirring after each addition until desired consistency is reached.
Find it online: https://censoredbaker.com/vegan-chocolate-peppermint-yule-log/
