If you’ve left dessert to the very last minute but still want something that looks like it belongs in a Parisian patisserie window, this is it. Kirsten Tibballs’ Coffee and White Chocolate Yule Log is the kind of show-stopping centrepiece that feels indulgent, elegant and unapologetically festive, without requiring days of advance planning. A light cocoa sponge is rolled while warm, filled with a silky coffee-spiked white chocolate cream, then finished with crisp meringues, glossy chocolate loops and gilded bells for a final flourish that whispers Christmas rather than shouts it. It’s rich but refined, dramatic but doable — proof that even a “last minute” dessert can still steal the spotlight at the table.
Chocolate Sponge
Ingredients
vegetable oil spray, for greasing
3 whole eggs
90 g caster sugar
55 g plain flour
30 g dutch-processed cocoa powder
caster sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 240mm x 370mm baking tray with vegetable oil spray, then line the base
and sides with baking paper. Set aside until required. - Heat the oven to 190°C, fan forced.
- Place the eggs, in the shells, in a bowl of warm water to bring them to body temperature.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the sugar,
and whip until light and creamy. - Meanwhile, sieve the flour and cocoa powder onto a sheet of baking paper.
- Remove the egg mixture from the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients, a third at a time,
gently folding through after each addition. - Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and gently spread into an even layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until the sponge bounces back when gently
pressed. - Slightly dampen a clean tea towel, lay it out flat onto your workbench, and sprinkle it with
sugar. - While the sponge is still hot, flip it onto the sugar-coated tea towel and gently remove the
baking paper. - Fold the end of the tea towel over the sponge and roll it into a tight log.
- Set aside at room temperature to cool completely.
Coffee Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
4 g gold gelatine sheets, or 2 individual gelatine sheets
200 g fresh cream 35% fat (A)
1⁄2 tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch sea salt
100 g caster sugar
210 g good-quality white chocolate
40 ml coffee, Jura Espresso
320 g fresh cream 35% fat (B)
Instructions
- Soak the gelatine in a bowl of ice cold water. Once soft and pliable, gently squeeze to
remove any excess water, then set aside until required. - Place the cream (A), vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and heat until just before it begins
to boil. - Place the sugar into a separate medium size saucepan over low-medium heat and allow to
dissolve completely and caramelise. - Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully add the hot cream a small amount at a time
while mixing to combine. - Once all the hot cream is incorporated, add the pre-soaked gelatin and stir until completely
dissolved. - Pour the caramel over the white chocolate and whisk by hand until melted and
incorporated. - Use the espresso function on the Jura Coffee Machine to produce 40ml of coffee.
- Add the espresso followed by the cream (B) to the caramel ganache and whisk to
incorporate. - Cover the surface of the coffee chocolate cream with plastic wrap and chill in the
refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
Meringue
Ingredients
135 g caster sugar
3 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
75 g icing sugar, sieved
15 g cornflour (corn starch), sieved
vegetable oil spray, for greasing
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 80°C, without the fan if possible.
- Place the sugar, egg whites, and cream of tartar into a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of
simmering water and whisk until the mixture reaches 60°C. - Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip
to create a meringue. - Remove from the mixer and fold in the sieved icing sugar and cornflour.
- Transfer the meringue into 3 separate piping bags fitted with a saint honore, 8mm star, and
8mm round piping nozzles. - Lightly grease two baking tray, then line them with baking paper.
- Pipe individual drops of meringue onto the line baking tray with each of the different
nozzles. - Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until crunchy.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature before storing in an airtight container until
required.
Chocolate Loops
Ingredients
150 g good-quality dark chocolate
Instructions
- Temper the dark chocolate by placing it in a microwave-safe plastic bowl and heat in 30-
second increments, stirring in between, until it is melted halfway. Then, stir vigorously until
completely melted. - Pour some of the tempered chocolate over a 200mm x 120mm rectangle of acetate and
spread into an even layer. - Run a pastry comb through the chocolate to create individual lines.
- After a few minutes, when the chocolate begins to set, gently fold the acetate to create a
loop, pressing down to join the two ends. - Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes, then set aside at room temperature until required.
Chocolate Bells
Ingredients
200 g good-quality dark chocolate
1 tsp edible gold lustre dust
Instructions
- Temper the dark chocolate by placing it in a microwave-safe plastic bowl and heat in 30-
second increments, stirring in between, until it is melted halfway. Then, stir vigorously until
completely melted. - Transfer the tempered chocolate into a piping bag and fill each cavity of a 30mm half sphere
chocolate mould.
Note: A minimum of 10 half spheres are required, but it’s recommended to make extra.
Tap the mould on the surface of your workbench to dislodge any air bubbles, then turn the
mould upside down over a sheet of baking paper and tap the side with the handle of a metal
scraper. - Scrape the surface clean while holding the mould upside down. Then, place the mould upside
down onto a clean sheet of baking paper and allow to stand for 10 minutes before scraping
the surface of the mould one final ^me. - Place into the refrigerator for 8-10 minutes, then allow to come back to room temperature
before unmoulding. - Warm a baking tray in an oven preheated to 50°C.
- Use the warm tray to slightly melt the edges of the chocolate half spheres, then join them
together. - Place into the refrigerator for 5 minutes before bringing back to room temperature.
- Use a warmed knife blade to create a cross on top of the chocolate spheres, removing the
melted chocolate from the blade as you go. - Brush the chocolate bells with gold lustre dust, then set aside until required.
Assembly
Ingredients
100 g roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Gently unroll the prepared chocolate sponge and discard the top sheet of baking paper.
- Place the chilled coffee chocolate cream into the bowl of a stand mixer filled with a whisk
attachment and whip to a medium peak. - Spread approximately two-thirds of the whipped cream evenly over the sponge, leaving a
10mm edge at the end that you will be rolling toward. - Place the remaining cream in the refrigerator un^l required.
- Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over the cream on the sponge.
- Star^ng from the curled edge, use the baking paper to lik and roll the sponge into a ^ght log.
Place a ruler where the two ends of the baking paper meet, angle it toward the bojom of
the cake, and push it inwards while pulling the bojom edge of the baking paper to ^ghten
the roll. - Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes before removing the baking paper.
- Spread the remaining coffee chocolate cream over the surface of the chilled yule log, then
use a paleje knife to create horizontal lines through it. - Use a hot serrated edged knife to trim the ends of the yule log.
- Transfer the yule log onto a serving plate.
- Decorate the top of the yule log with the prepared meringues, chocolate Christmas bells, and
chocolate loops.
Note: Prior to decorating, the yule log can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once
decorated, serve immediately.
