Michel Roux Jr’s Yule log

Method

1. Start by making the ganache. Put the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan and bring to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate and mix until smooth and combined. Leave to cool, then add Grand Marnier to taste. Whisk until light and fluffy.
2. For the sponge, line the swiss roll tin with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Beat the egg yolks with 100g of the caster sugar until pale, then beat in the flour, cocoa, a pinch of salt and the melted butter. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the remaining caster sugar and beat until stiff (when you lift out the whisk the peaks won’t flop over). Fold or gently mix the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then pour the sponge mix into the lined tin. Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
3. Lay a clean tea towel on your work surface and carefully turn out the sponge on to it. Remove the baking paper. Dust the sponge with a little caster sugar and spread some of the ganache evenly all over it. Take the shorter side and roll the sponge up as tightly as possible into a neat log. Leave the sponge to cool, then put it seam side down on a serving platter. Cover it with the rest of the ganache, using a palette knife to add texture to the outside so it looks like a log, then leave to chill in the fridge.
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4. For the hazelnut decoration, stick a toothpick into each nut and set aside. Prepare something to stick the toothpicks into while the caramel hardens, such as a piece of polystyrene or cardboard box. Heat the sugar in a heavy based pan, without stirring, until you have a golden-brown caramel. One by one, dip the hazelnuts into the caramel, then stand them in whatever you have prepared and leave them to harden. Scoop up the remaining caramel and drizzle it in a fine criss-cross pattern over a piece of baking paper and leave it to harden.
5. Dust the log with icing sugar ‘snow’ and arrange the caramelised nuts on top. Scatter the wispy caramel over and around to look like hay.