The Pan di Stelle Yule Log.
So good and easy like you’ve never tasted before.
You don’t need to be a great pastry chef to make it, and the creams are very easy and accessible to everyone.
Moreover, you can make it with the creams we are going to prepare or with others you like, which I will include here in the description.
The Pan di Stelle Yule Log is nothing more than a Swiss roll filled with mascarpone cream and then cut diagonally.
My recipe for the Pan di Stelle Yule Log includes a cocoa sponge cake prepared in a smart 14 x 14-inch pan.
To make this Yule log, we just need to spread Nutella and the cream over the sponge cake and roll it up.
Then we let it rest for a couple of hours in the fridge, and after that time, we cut it diagonally, plate it to make it look like a log, and decorate it.
An important thing is, when we take the sponge cake out of the oven, to choose the most beautiful side as the outer side.
How do we decorate it?
In my Pan di Stelle Yule Log, I used whipped cream as bark, then cocoa and sugar stars to complete everything. I found Christmas Pan di Stelle cookies and created a landscape.
But enough talk, let’s put on our apron and head to the kitchen.
Since it’s Christmas, I thought of these recipes for you:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: New Year, Christmas
- Energy 625.98 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.63 (g) of which sugars 51.38 (g)
- Proteins 7.18 (g)
- Fat 36.73 (g) of which saturated 11.45 (g)of which unsaturated 1.74 (g)
- Fibers 2.49 (g)
- Sodium 81.29 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 160 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup Nutella®
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp milk (if the mascarpone is too firm)
- 1/3 cup rum (or Strega)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Half packet vanilla sugar
- to taste unsweetened cocoa powder
- 8 to taste cocoa cookies (Christmas Pan di Stelle)
- to taste glitter sugar (stars)
The Pan di Stelle Yule Log
Tools
What we need to make the
- 1 Electric mixer or Thermomix
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Food scale
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Baking pan 14×14
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Brush silicone
Steps
Let’s go to the kitchen and first preheat the oven to 340 °F if the oven is fan-assisted, or 355 °F if it’s static, and place the cream in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer, add the sugar and beat until you get a light and frothy mixture, then add the flour gradually.
Use the spatula to avoid deflating the mixture.
Now add the cocoa and then the baking powder.
Place the mixture in a 14 x 14 inch pan lined with parchment paper and level it with a spatula.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 340 °F if the oven is fan-assisted, or 355 °F if it’s static.
Once done, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Put the cream, sugar, vanilla sugar, and mascarpone in a bowl or your stand mixer, and whip them.
If necessary, i.e., if the mascarpone is too firm, add a little milk to soften the cream and continue whipping.
Now that the cream is ready, take the sponge cake and trim the edges.
Cover the work surface with parchment paper, place the sponge cake on top, and soak it with the water and rum mixture.
Spread the Nutella without reaching the edges. If it seems too firm, warm it in the microwave or in a bain-marie.
Now spread the mascarpone and cream layer over the Nutella on the sponge cake, without coming too close to the edges.
With the help of the parchment paper, roll up the filled sponge cake.
Wrap the roll tightly like candy, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
After the resting time, gently remove the roll from the parchment paper, and, if necessary, trim the edges and then cut it diagonally.
And place it on a tray.
Whip the remaining cream, about 1 cup with 1/3 cup of sugar and half a packet of vanilla sugar, once whipped, transfer it to a piping bag.
Decorate the Yule log by simulating bark, dust it with cocoa, and then with colorful stars.
Finally, place some Christmas Pan di Stelle cookies here and there.
Here’s our Yule Log, truly scenic and perfect for Christmas tables!
Here’s a slice
The Pan di Stelle Yule Log can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and can also be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge, well covered. If making decorations that may lose color, it is advisable to do them just before serving.
Tips
For the cream of our Pan di Stelle Yule Log with mascarpone and cream, I used a layer of Nutella.
If we prefer, instead of Nutella, we can use chocolate chips, or shavings or crushed nougat, almond or walnut granules would also work well.
We can also vary the soaking liquid, for example, we can make it less alcoholic by reducing the amount of rum and increasing the amount of water, or we can make it with milk or sugar water heated on the stove, perhaps flavored with cinnamon or orange.
For variations of the creams, we can use those in this link click here to see the collection.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The Pan di Stelle Yule Log
Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes, certainly, just replace the 110 grams of all-purpose flour with 120 grams of rice flour.
