Ever wondered if super expensive ingredients make a chocolate log (or any chocolate cake for that matter!) taste better? Well, it’s cheap vs steep time again, where we take a recipe and get budget ingredients up against luxury ones from a higher end supermarket.
The price comparison was crazy, a whopping 3.5 times more for the ingredients alone, not even counting what you would be left with! Here’s how to make the chocolate log, you can make it easier with a buttercream filling if you wish too but the chocolate ganache is really good!
Oh and if you like this you may want to check out cheap vs steep eggnog you can also watch this recipe video on YouTube here if you prefer
How to make a chocolate log
- First up whizz together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk for 5 minutes until pale and foamy.
- Now fold in the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder.
- Pour onto a lined baking sheet approx 30cm x 20cm and bake for 10mins at 180fan/200c or equivalent, allow to cool for a moment in the tin.
- Put a piece of baking parchment on the counter, dust with icing sugar and turn the cake onto it, peeling off the back of the paper it was baked on.
- Grab a rolling pin to help you and whilst it is still warm, roll up the cake keeping the baking parchment you dusted inside the cake, rolling the cake into a tub, leave to cool rolled up fully.
- For the ganache, melt the dark chocolate and butter in the microwave on 20 second blasts stirring in between until melted. Add in the golden syrup, 5tbsp of the double cream and the icing sugar, stir well to combine.
- Whip the rest of the double cream until still peaks form in a mixing bowl using an electric whisk and keep in the fridge until needed.
- The cake should be cooled by now, so slowly unravel it removing the paper, fill the cake with the whipped cream and carefully roll back up. Take a diagonal slice from the back of the cake and put it alongside the front to look like a branch (video shows this step well) coat well with the chocolate ganache, rake with a fork to make it look like a log and dust with extra icing sugar. Store in an airtight container.