squidgy chocolate log

There has been discussion about chocolate logs on a fb group I am on, and I have a lovely recipe to share :)

Preheat oven to GM4/180 C/350 F. Grease a baking tin, line with greaseproof paper and then grease again. The recipe book says 11.5*7 inches/29*18cm, but I use my bog standard rectangular tins and the smallest one of them is 13*9 inches and it still works fine. The important factor is that the tin is not flat, but is about an inch deep, like this:

Filling
225g plain chocolate
2 eggs, separated

Melt the chocolate with 2 tbsp water (choose however you feel happy doing this), and then beat with a spoon until smooth. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks on their own first, and then into the chocolate. Let it cool and whisk the eggs whites to stiff peaks then fold into the chocolate mixture and chill in the fridge for an hour, while you make the cake.

Cake
150g caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
50g cocoa powder

Whisk egg yolks in a bowl until they start to thicken. Add the sugar and continue whisking until it thickens slightly (at this point it says in bold but not too thick! whatever that means), then mix in the cocoa powder. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and carefully cut and fold into the chocolate cake mix. Pour into the cake tin and bake on the centre shelf for about 20-25 minutes. Leave it in the tin to cool - it will shrink but that's ok.

When it's cold, turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper liberally dusted with icing sugar, and peel off the greaseproof paper that was lining the cake tin. Spread the chocolate filling over the cake, and then cover with a layer of whipped double cream (recipe says 225ml but I just use a whole 300ml tub). Then you use the greaseproof paper to roll the cake up into a log shape - it will crack as you roll it but that's part of the charm. Don't be nervous of it - first time I made this I didn't have a clue what I was doing and ended up with it folded into thirds on top of each other... it wasn't so much a log as a pile of cake with filling in-between. It was still yummy, but definitely not "log-ish". So don't be afraid to get stuck in and roll it quite tight.

Serve it on a big plate with whatever decorations you want - holly, candles, robin figurines and swirly "merry christmas" doodahs all look great - and cut into slices with a sharp knife. Any leftovers (leftovers?!) will keep in the fridge for a few days if in an airtight container. Here's one I made 2 years ago:

Enjoy!