This is a total classic and surprisingly easy to make. Also know as a Buche de Noel. One of the tricks is that once you bake the sponge, place a clean tea towel and roll it up and wrap in cling film or plastic wrap to help trap the moisture so that it doesn’t crack when you ice it and roll it. This is always a fun one to decorate and if you can serve with some cream and a cherry coulis.
Takes 35 minutesminutes
Serves 12
Ingredients
Sponge
50gvegan butter
200mlplant milk
150mlnatural tasting plant based yoghurt such as coconut or soy yoghurt
250gself raising flour
50gcaster sugar
3tbspcocoa powder
Icing
200gvegan butter
400gicing sugar
Ganache
200gdark choc
100gvegan cream or coconut cream
Decorate:
Icing sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
Into a large bowl sieve in the flour, sugar and cocoa powder and mix together. Melt the plant based butter and add to the flour, sugar mixture along with the milk and yoghurt. Mix well till you have a smooth batter.
Line a baking tray that is 33 x 23cm tin with baking parchment
Pour in the batter to the lined baking tray and bake for 20 mins
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins. Place a clean tea towel over the baked sponge and hold the baking parchment carefully roll the sponge up like you are making a swiss roll. Wrap with cling film or plastic wrap and leave to cool. The cling film or plastic wrap will trap the moisture meaning that when you roll it later it should not crack.
Leave to cool.
For the icing, sieve in the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add in the butter along with 1 tbsp of oat milk and using an electric whisk, whisk until it comes together to form a smooth buttercream. This should take approx 3-4 mins depending on your whisk speed.
For the ganache add the cream to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and add to a medium bowl. Pour over the hot cream and leave to melt the chocolate for 1 minute. Using a small whisk or fork mix until it comes together to form a smooth beautiful ganache.
To bring together, once the sponge is cool remove the cling film/ plastic wrap and take out the tea towel. Carefully ice the inside with the butter cream. If it does start to crack don’t worry the ganache will cover it. You want a smooth even layer. Roll the sponge with buttercream inside up, imagining that you are rolling sushi. You want a tight round roll.
Place on a large plate with the seam side down and carefully layer on the ganache. Ensure you have an even layer, once it starts to set take a fork and with the prongs facing down run it across the surface to make it look like tree bark. Repeat over the full outside to your liking. Sieve on some icing sugar to create a snow effect and enjoy!
We served ours with some plant based cream and some cherry coulis
