chocolate caramel yule log cake

Merry Christmas everyone!

This is the dessert I made for our Christmas lunch with family, and it was a huge hit! It is ridiculously easy, and something you can make way ahead of time.

And who doesn't love a cake shaped like a log? Right?

Also, there's chocolate and caramel involved. Win win.

You may have seen Joy the Baker's peppermint version of this....which is amazing as well! I made a peppermint one and a caramel one for our party, and both were devoured by our family! Another thing I appreciate about this dessert is that it's not too sweet. You can definitely adjust how much icing sugar you add to your whipped cream, but I didn't want ours to be too sugary.

So there you have it! A simple, fun holiday dessert!

c h o c o l a t e c a r a m e l i c e b o x y u l e l o g

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream

1 tsp caramel extract

2 heaping tablespoons icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup skor toffee bits

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 package of Chocolate Wafer cookies (we used Nabisco)

Directions:

1) Whip 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 tsp of caramel extract, 1 heaping tablespoon of icing sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla. Stir in skor toffee bits.

2) Spread about 1 tablespoon of whipping cream onto each chocolate wafer, and start stacking them on top of one another. Once you have five or six together, gently tip the stack on it's side to start forming a log.

3) Continue stacking cookies and whipped cream until all your whipped cream is used up (or you run out of cookies). Both ends of the finished log should be a cookie, and not whipped cream.

4) Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least 5 hours or up to a week.

5) While your log is freezing, prepare your chocolate whipped cream.

6) Whip 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 tsp of caramel extract, 1 heaping tablespoon of icing sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. You want the whipped cream to be almost under-whipped. You want it soft and easily spreadable, not too stiff.

7) Remove the log from the freezer. Cut off a 2-inch piece diagonally from one end of the log. This will become the top bump on the log.

8) Place your frozen log onto a serving platter. Start spreading the chocolate whipped cream over the log. Press the bump onto the top of the log, and cover with whipped cream as well.

9) Use a fork to create lines down the length of the log to create bark. Place back into the freezer until firm (at least 3 hours or up to 2 days).

10) Remove from freezer about 20 minutes before serving!

The cookies soften and absorb a bit of the whipped cream in the freezer, giving it a cake-like texture!