Raspberry Yule Log

Preparation

• White Chocolate and Sweet Clover Whipped Cream

  • Place the white chocolate in a bowl.
  • In a small pot, bring the cream and sweet clover extract 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.

• Raspberry Jelly

  • In a bowl, combine the sugar and agar-agar.
  • In a small pot, bring the raspberry purée to a boil. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar mixture while whisking. Boil for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the jelly is completely set, about 2 hours.
  • Using a hand blender or small food processor, purée the jelly until smooth.

• Raspberry Crumble (optional)

  • With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
  • In a bowl, combine the butter, flour, milk powder, sugar and salt just until everything is moistened. Press the mixture together with your hands, letting it fall in pieces of varying size onto the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the crumble is cooked and starting to brown. Let cool completely.
  • Once the crumble is cool, coat in the melted white chocolate. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat and let cool until the chocolate is set.
  • Coat the crumble in the raspberry powder, if desired.

• Cake

  • With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 18 x 13-inch (46 x 33 cm) baking sheet with a strip of parchment paper, letting it hang over the two short sides. Butter the paper and sides of the baking sheet.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture has tripled in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes.
  • Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in using a whisk. Spread the batter out evenly on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

• Assembly

  • Remove the cake with the parchment paper still attached from the baking sheet. Cut the two long sides of the cake slightly to straighten them out. Cover the entire surface of the cake with the raspberry jelly.
  • Using an electric mixer, whisk the chilled white chocolate cream until semi-firm peaks form (do not over beat or the cream will turn into butter). Transfer ¼ cup (60 ml) of the white chocolate cream to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and set aside. Cover the raspberry jelly with half of the remaining white chocolate cream.
  • Using the parchment paper, roll the cake up starting with one of the short sides. Discard the parchment paper. Don’t worry if the cake cracks slightly. Place the yule log on a serving dish.
  • Cover the Yule log with the remaining white chocolate cream (you can choose to cover the sides with cream or leave them open). Pipe small dollops of the white chocolate cream over the cake. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup (75 ml) of the raspberry crumble and garnish with a few fresh raspberries, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with the remaining crumble, if desired.