Chocolate Roll — The Yule Log I’m Bringing to Gloria’s Christmas

Christmas week. The daycare has closed and I have nine days off and I am spending them with intentional presence rather than efficiency. I have my Christmas cooking and my cookies and the people I want to be with and that is the whole agenda.

Tyler and I drove to see his grandmother Vivian on Saturday. I have seen her three times now and each visit she has asked me something new and specific and assessed my answer with the precision of someone who has been watching people for eighty-three years and knows when they mean what they say. This visit she asked: are you going to be okay when things get hard? I said: things have been hard before. She said: I know. That is not what I asked. I said: yes. She said: why. I said: because I have good people and I know how to cook. She laughed, the first time I had heard her laugh, and said: that is the right answer. She said: good cooks manage. I said: yes ma'am. She patted my hand once and offered me more tea.

The Yule log is ready for Gloria's Christmas. Tyler is bringing his pecan pie again. I am bringing the Yule log and the pimento cheese and the French toast casserole materials for Christmas morning. Two kitchens, one Christmas. We are all going to be fine.

When Vivian asked me why I’d be okay, I answered with two things: good people and knowing how to cook — and this chocolate roll is exactly what I meant. It’s the Yule log I’ve already made and tucked away for Gloria’s Christmas, the thing I can carry through the door and set on the table as proof that I came prepared, that I showed up, that I know how to take care of the people I love. A rolled chocolate cake feels festive and a little bit ambitious, which is exactly the right energy for a Christmas that means something.

Chocolate Roll

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min (including cooling) | Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
• Cocoa powder or powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs and sugar. In a large bowl, beat eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 4–5 minutes until pale, thick, and ribbony. Beat in vanilla and milk.
4. Fold in dry ingredients. Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Bake. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
6. Roll while warm. Immediately turn the cake out onto a clean kitchen towel dusted generously with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment. Starting from the short end, roll the cake up in the towel. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
7. Make the filling. Beat heavy cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla together until stiff peaks form.
8. Fill and re-roll. Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread whipped cream filling evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Re-roll the cake without the towel. Place seam-side down on a serving platter.
9. Finish and serve. Dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar just before serving. For a Yule log presentation, use a fork to drag lines along the outside and add a dusting of powdered sugar “snow.” Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 240 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 105mg