Chocolate & Strawberry Yule Log with meringue mushrooms

1 hour 30 minutes preparation, plus 50 minutes cooking

Start by making the meringues. Preheat the oven to 120°C fan (gas mark 1) and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

Put the egg whites into the very clean bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric whisk. Whisk on high until soft peaks form. Start to add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is combined with the egg whites and the mixture is stiff and glossy. Keep whisking for another couple of minutes until the mixture feels smooth and not grainy from the sugar.

Use a little bit of the meringue mixture to secure the baking parchment to the tray. Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag with a round nozzle. Pipe slightly domed circles for the mushroom caps and long meringues for the mushroom stalks. You can also use a star-head nozzle to pipe some small ‘snowflake-like’ meringues. Pipe as many as you would like with a few spares in case any break.

Put the meringues in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until they look crisp and easily lift off the baking parchment. Turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar for an hour to prevent cracking. If you don’t have time to do this just remove from the oven and cool somewhere dry.

Once the meringues are cool melt a little bit of dark chocolate, in the microwave or over a bain marie, use this to stick the mushroom caps to the mushroom stalks. Gently use a small teaspoon to make an indent in the base of the mushroom cap and then fill with a little chocolate and stick the stalk to the chocolate. Prop up somewhere to set firm.

Preheat the oven to 200° conventional (180°C fan or gas mark 6). Lightly butter a 33cm x 23cm (13 x 9 inch) Swiss roll tin and then line with baking parchment, pushing it up the edges and into the corners of the tin.

To make the Swiss roll sponge put the eggs and caster sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric whisk. Whisk on high until pale and very light. Sift the cocoa and flour into a separate bowl and gently fold this into the egg mixture in three batches. Keep folding until completely combined but be careful to not knock out the air.

Put the cake mixture into the prepared tin, encouraging it into the corners and then smooth out the top with a palette knife or spatula. Put the cake into the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until firm and springy and coming away from the side of the tin.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for just one minute. Put a large piece of baking parchment on the work surface and dust generously with icing sugar. Carefully turn the cake out onto the baking parchment with the longer side facing you and remove the parchment on top of the cake. Use a small, sharp knife to score the cake along the long side 3cm (1 inch) from the edge. Don’t cut right through the cake. Starting at this edge and including the baking parchment underneath tightly roll the cake. Rolling the cake while warm and allowing it to cool in this shape means it is less likely to crack when you fill and roll it.

While the cake is cooling make the icing. Put the icing sugar and softened butter in a food processor and blitz until quite smooth. Add the cooled melted chocolate and blitz again until you have a smooth icing. If you don’t have a food processor you can do this in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk.

Once the cake is cool gently unroll it to remove the baking parchment. Spread Mrs Bridges Strawberry Preserve with Champagne over the cake leaving a 2cm (1/2 inch) border around the edges. Then spread over the whipped cream. Re-roll the cake into a Swiss roll and gently place on a serving board or large platter. Cut a piece about 8cm (3 inches) long at an angle off one end of the Swiss roll to form a branch. Place it about halfway up the longer piece of the log.

Generously ice the cake all over with the chocolate icing. Make sure the icing is soft as it will be much easier to spread, if needed blitz (or beat) it again for a minute or two to soften. Once the cake is covered in icing use a fork or a skewer to score the icing to make it look like a log.

Lightly dust the meringue mushrooms with cocoa powder and then place on the top of the cake or around the edges. Decorate with strawberries, raspberries, mint leaves, mini meringues, edible glitter spray and icing sugar as desired.

This is best eaten on the day it is made, although the meringues, cake and icing can be made the day before and then assembled on the day. Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge and eaten within two days.

Cook’s tip: This works well with many of Mrs Bridges berry jams – try Mrs Bridges Morello Cherry Preserve or Mrs Bridges Scottish Raspberry Preserve.

For a simpler recipe omit making the meringue mushrooms, this will still be a show-stopping and delicious dessert!