Cannoli Yule Log

Tender cake rolled with a cannoli type ricotta filling with chocolate chips and candied peel all covered in decadent chocolate ganache!

Another beautiful recipe courtesy of @sugarlovespices and slightly adapted by me.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

3/4 cup (100g) flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

zest of one lemon

 

Cannoli Filling:

2 cups (500g) smooth ricotta

2/3 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

3 tbsps candied peel

 

Chocolate Ganache:

6 oz (150g) semi sweet chocolate squares

1/2 cup (130g) whipping cream

 

Garnish:

Maraschino cherries

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Icing sugar to dust 

 

First steps:

If your ricotta is watery use a fine sieve or coffee filter lined colander to drain the ricotta for about 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 10 X 15" baking pan with parchment.

Dust a clean dishtowel with icing sugar.

Once the ricotta is drained add 2/3 cup icing sugar and mix well. Then toss in the chocolate chips and candied peel. Stir together and refrigerate until needed.

Now, on to the cake. In a mixer bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Combine then beat on high for 10 minutes until foamy. Sift the flour and baking powder together and mix into the eggs along with the lemon zest. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 10-13 minutes. Once bake (hold your breath!) turn the cake out onto the dusted dish towel. Immediately and carefully peel off the parchment.

 

Take the short end and roll away from you, rolling the towel up in the cake. Let it sit with the seam side down for 20 minutes. Gently unroll (don't worry if there's a little crack) and spread the ricotta filling to 1/2" from the edges.

Now re-roll the cake with filling and sit seam side down. Set on your platter. Trim the cake ends with a nice clean cut. You could leave it as one log or cut a short piece on the diagonal and place it like a branch on the side of the log.

To make the ganache, put the chocolate, chopped into large chunks, in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan on medium heat to scalding then pour over the chocolate. Let sit 1 minute then beat until smooth. Cool at room temperature then beat on high 1-2 minutes. If you find your ganache still too liquidy add small amounts of finely grated chocolate to the mix until it thickens. Cover the cake ends with foil to keep them free of frosting and spread the ganache all over the log making it look like bark.

Finally, decorate with maraschino cherries and rosemary sprigs. Keep the foil on the ends until ready to serve to keep the ends from drying out. When ready to serve remove the foil then dust the whole thing with icing sugar for a nice snowy finish!

Serves 10

Last Christmas' showstopper from sugarlovespices.com was Stella di Pandoro. Here's the link to the recipe:

https://www.hotandcoldrunningmom.ca/2022/12/stella-di-pandoro.html

 

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