Firstly, preheat your oven to 200℃/180℃/Gas Mark 6 . Line a 22 x 32cm baking tray with baking parchment.

Pop your eggs and caster sugar into a large bowl and whisk for about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or with an electric hand whisk until your mixture is light and fluffy.

 

In another bowl sift together your dry ingredients. Add the flour mix to the Egg mix and gently fold through. Try not to over mix as you will knock all the air out of your mixture. 

Pour your mixture onto your lined tin and smooth out so it covers the surface area and into the corners. Pop in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While in the oven you need to prepare a piece of baking paper. Lightly sift cocoa powder over the baking paper. Remove from oven and place the sponge onto a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

 While the sponge is still warm you need to flip the sponge upside down onto the prepared baking paper. Peel back the parchment it was baked on. Create a small crease on the short side of the sponge(don’t cut to the bottom), and roll the sponge in the baking paper. (this stopped cracking while rolling with the filling in.) Allow the sponge to fully cool.

In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts until melted, and allow to cool

Beat the butter in the bowl until soft. Add in the icing sugar in two stages beating in-between. 

Add in the vanilla and cocoa and beat until combined.

Add in your cooled melted chocolate, beat until combined.

Now it’s time to make the filling;  pop your double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk until it soft peaks.

Finally it’s time to decorate your yule log; place your yule log on a presentation board or large flat plate.

Once your sponge is cooled unroll your sponge, and spread the cream across the entire surface area of the sponge and roll back up, look at that swirl!

Spread the buttercream over the top and sides of the yule log.  
Use the Easter Sprinkles to decorate the top. Then use the pastel pearls and chocolate easter decorations to make the perfect Easter Yule Log.