I think we've all seen a Yule Log cake, right? A rolled cake that is made to resemble a log? It's known for its classic swirl in the middle?
Beautiful, right? Beautiful and intimidating! Getting a swirl in a cake is no easy task! And no one has time to make two cakes if the first one doesn't come out. I mean, this is the holiday season, there are cookies to be made, presents to wrap, and carols to sing. We don't have time to worry about rolling a cake!
(Unless you're a pro at rolling cakes, then you just roll cakes to heart's content!)
This is my spin on a Yule Log cake by making it into a stump! Just as easy as making any layered cake, but I use a star tip to create perfect little ridges on the sides.
I know this might seem like a lot, a lot of ingredients, a lot of instructions, and a lot of words! But here are a few shortcuts you can take: One, buy a box mix cake! I'm partial to using my chocolate cake recipe, but a box mix is a classic (one that I've used many times!)! Two: Buy premade frosting! You can find it in the bakery section or in the baking aisle! Super tasty, super easy, and you can add any extracts or food coloring to it! Third: Just use one kind of frosting! I used a mint frosting in the middle and colored it two different colors, but you can just make this a double chocolate cake and use chocolate frosting in the inside too!
I promise that this cake is way easier than it looks and it ends up being a total show-stopper! Just take your time and whatever happens, just remember it's a stump cake, it's supposed to look rustic!
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
¾ cup of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
½ cup of oil
1 cup of boiling water
Mint frosting:
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon of mint extract
2 cups of powdered sugar
A pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons of milk
Chocolate Frosting:
2 sticks of room temperature butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
⅓ cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¼ cup of heavy cream
A pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together to fully combine the ingredients and break up any lumps.
Add in eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Stir until almost combined. There should still be some clumps of flour throughout.
Then stir in the cup of boiling water. Gently, stir in the water. Be careful! Some water may splash out on you while stirring!
Fill three cake pans evenly with the batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
While the cakes cool, let's make the mint frosting!
Whip butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar.
Once all the powdered sugar has been added, pour in milk, a pinch of salt, and mint extract.
Whip everything together.
Place half of the frosting into a piping bag. Then add a few drops of green food coloring to the remaining frosting. You want this to be super bright green!
Add green frosting to a piping bag.
To assemble, place a small dollop of frosting onto a cake plate, then place the first cake layer down. Using the green frosting, pipe a large circle around the end of the cake, then take the white frosting and pipe a circle just beside the green circle. Keep interchanging the colors until you get to the middle.
Gently use an offset spatula to smooth out the frosting. Then place the second cake layer on top, pressing down gently. Repeat the same process of frosting circles as the first layer.
Place the third layer on top and press down gently. Place in the fridge while you make the chocolate frosting.
To make the chocolate frosting, add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip up on a medium-high speed, using the whisk attachment.
When the butter looks fluffy and light, about 1 minute, turn down the speed and begin to add in the powdered sugar, followed by the cocoa powder and salt.
Then, add in vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on high speed for about 1-2 minutes to really incorporate some air into the frosting!
Add ¾'s of the chocolate frosting to a piping bag with a star piping tip.
Take the remaining chocolate frosting and spread some on the top of the cake. Take the back of a spoon and press down gently as you turn the cake to create ridges on the top of your cake.
Take the piping bag with the rest of the chocolate and make vertical stripes up the cake to act as the bark!
Once all the cake has been filled, you can add some pinecones, sugared cranberries, or powdered snow on the top!
I know it seems like a lot, but once you're doing it, it's really not that bad! Plus the final result is a super adorable cake that will leave all of your holiday guests speechless!
-Holly Michelle
Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
Very pretty!