- Yule Log recipe – just 5 ingredients!
- part brownie, part meringue
- Why eating Yule log helps you lose weight
The first Christmas I spent away from home was after Alex and I moved back to Canada.
We flew to England to celebrate with his family.
When we arrived, Jamie Oliver was everywhere. He had Christmas specials on tv, his cookbooks lined store shelves and Sainsbury’s was stacked with his signature dishes and sauces… And many other Jamie Oliver-branded buy-ables.
It was 2002 and there was Jamie-O everything! Still is.
I love lots about Jamie Oliver but the recipe that will always be Christmas to me, is a photocopy of a crumpled newspaper cutting from the 1970’s given to me by Alex’s mum, Carole.
The recipe?
A Yule log.
And I want to share this 5-ingredient Yule Log recipe with you because, quite simply, Yule love it.
This Yule Log recipe is sort of a cross between a brownie and meringue.
Carole and I often bake this dessert together, so I’ll do my best to pass on the tips she’s shared with me. (Carole please feel free to correct me in the comments.)
***Recipe coming below with printable PDF***
And if you’re an animal lover there’s another treat for you at the end of this post.
Enjoy this Yule Log recipe and lose weight
I met Alex and his family just as I overcame my eating disorder. It was about 6 weeks since I’d realized I needed to “keep moving forward” after eating something I regretted.
(Rather than thinking I ruined everything and falling into the pattern of starving, bingeing and purging.)
Carrying on after a mistake was a game changer for me.
Eating ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods was also a big part of my recovery.
Making it a habit to eat 3 healthy meals healed my body and mind because:
Meeting my body’s needs regularly
prevented me from being preoccupied by hunger
sped up my metabolism
& helped me lose weight naturally.
Weight loss just isn’t as complicated as the diet industry makes it out to be!
However… when I met Alex, I still didn’t eat sweets. EVER.
I was so used to restricting.
Soon I noticed Alex ate the same healthy way I’d just started to, but… he had a healthy approach to treats.
Like he would have an ice cream cone if we walked along the seafront on Canvey Island, eat a cookie served by a friend if we popped in to say “hi” and say YES to his favorite dessert, a slice of Yule Log at Christmas.
So I decided to follow his lead and eat treats in moderation.
And I quickly discovered that eating the occasional treat STOPPED me from:
- craving sweet things
- only eating sweet food in private
- bingeing
I was SHOCKED I could eat dessert without gaining weight
If you’ve been restricting sweet food, I hope you see why eating dessert once in a while is part of a healthy relationship with food. And a great place to start is this delicious Yule Log recipe.
This Yule Log is easy to make and easy to transport if you’re spending the holidays a car-ride away from home.
Making it ahead of time and freezing it actually yields the best results. So you can get it done and icing-sugar dusted long before the BIG day.
Try this recipe out!
Yule see you can eat dessert and lose weight.
Let’s make that Yule Log Recipe!
Throw on some jingles and lets get crackin’.
Here’s the picture version of the printable PDF Yule Log recipe that follows.
Separate the yolks from the whites
Add sugar to the yolks & beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
Melt the chocolate
Pour melted chocolate into creamy egg-sugar mixture.
Beat the egg whites until stiff
When you can make peaks in the egg whites with the beaters, add a big scoop to the chocolate mixture to slacken it (make it sloppier).
Add the remaining egg whites
Now they’ll combine easily.
Pour onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
Bake for 20 minutes
Remove from oven to cool.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Dust parchment paper with icing sugar
Turn onto icing sugar.
Spread with whip cream
Roll up
Or simply fold one side toward the other.
The cracks make it look like a log and the icing sugar gives it a snowy effect.
Mines a bit of a mess!
Carole’s always looks beautiful and I’m sure Kathy, who’s a regular reader here, could make this Yule Log recipe perfect the first time! (When I clicked her name on a comment she left it brought me to a gallery of or gorgeous artwork that’s on the wall and in her kitchen.)
Wrap the parchment paper around your Yule Log
Then cover with tin foil (you can reuse).
Either leave for a day so the cream soaks into the chocolate and then freeze or just throw straight into your freezer.
Serve frozen or place in your fridge to defrost the day you’re going to eat it. I’ve also served mine RIGHT after making it.
Add more icing sugar if needed and decorate any way you like.
There’s really no wrong way to eat a Yule Log!
Yule Log Recipe
Prep: 15 minutes + 1 hour refrigerator
Bake: 20 minutes
Makes: 1 Yule Log
5 Ingredients for your festive Yule Log:
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more)
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup of whip cream (before whipping)
- icing sugar
+ parchment paper
12 easy steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
2. Line baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper
3. Separate the yolks from the whites
4. Add sugar to yolks and beat
5. Melt chocolate and add to sugar mixture
6. Beat egg whites until you can make stiff peaks
7. Add a scoop of the egg whites to chocolate mixture to slacken & then add remaining egg whites
8. Pour onto baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes
9. Cool before putting in fridge for an hour
10. Turn onto parchment paper that’s dusted with icing sugar
11. Spread on whip cream
12. Roll and wrap in the parchment paper and then tin foil
…your Yule Log is ready to serve, refrigerate or freeze!
Original Yule Log Recipe
Carole gave this page to me and the version above is based on an email Carole typed out:
Troubleshooting
- Don’t use wax paper (the wax will melt in the oven). Parchment paper is best & buttered tin foil works in a pinch.
- Egg whites don’t beat well with wet or greasy beaters so if you don’t want to clean them in between, beat the egg whites first.
- I melt chocolate by putting it in the microwave for 5 minutes at POWER 5 (out of 10).
- Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture just until they’re combined—don’t over-mix! You want to keep the batter fluffy so your Yule Log has a meringue-like consistency.
- Baking for 20 minutes in a convection oven is perfect! But if you don’t use that setting then you may need to bake a little longer.
Make Today Count
Where are you spending the holidays?
Phone them up today and offer to make this Yule Log. Better still? Print out this recipe to bring along so they can try it out too.
And when you’re baking, put a few squares of chocolate aside to enjoy as a treat after dinner tonight.
Eating something sweet occasionally is healthy and helps you curb cravings.
Build healthy eating and exercise habits. A healthy weight will follow.
Next Steps
Do you have a family gathering? Office Shindig? Book Club get-together? This time of year is full of social activities that involve food. Here’s some ideas to help you navigate holiday parties.
And… if you’re feeling like your world’s in chaos because your efforts to lose weight are DISRUPTING the rest of your life, sign up for the FIX to the biggest weight-loss mistake (below). It’s the first thing my doctor told me when I finally asked for help. Recognizing these self-defeating choices helped me get back-on-track and lose weight FOR GOOD 20 years ago.
Christmas kisses go well with this Yule Log recipe.
Even better? Serena Ryder created this song in the spirit of Christmas. “Christmas Kisses” supports the OSPCA (Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) by raising funds and awareness.
The OSPCA rescued Rocky. Now he’s our dog and we’ll always be grateful to animal shelters for all the incredible work they do for such innocent creatures.
What’s your favorite dessert recipe?
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night.
P.S. Please remember dogs cannot eat chocolate 🙂
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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Sharing what I learned makes the 10 years I STRUGGLED worth it
Oooh I’m famous! Your log looks lovely Kelly, I see that you are getting in the spirit of Christmas early. The lovely thing is that it lasts a little while as long as the cream doesn’t go off, it just all goes squishier and more delish. xx
Thanks Carole! I learned from the best 🙂 xo
Wow, Kelly! I have always admired delicious-looking Yule Logs, but have never made one. Thanks for your high praise and assurance that I will succeed, LOL! I appreciate your showing all the easy steps! I just made fudge and cashew brittle (both really easy) as appreciation gifts for a few of our peeps, but look forward to making this for my husband and I (maybe for New Years?!) Will let you know how it goes!! Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s great to hear things that YOU love. Also love the pic of that original recipe–what a FUN post!!!!! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Fudge and Cashew Brittle sounds lovely, Kathy. Yes! Please let me know how your Yule Log turns out. Merry Christmas to you too! xo
“The 10 Principles” is absolutely the BEST weight loss community on the internet. I read it almost every day, and I’m so grateful. The information you share helped me not only lose weight but keep it off. Thanks!
Thanks Dariya! When you use a healthy weight-loss approach (by eating natural food and making it a habit) you can maintain a healthy weight. So happy you’ve done this! And I’m grateful you’re part of The 10 Principle’s Community 🙂 xo