Baileys Yule Log

Challenge set. Baileys/cake interface. The challenger... Statuo and Prestige Drinks, the baker... well, me, obviously. Last year my friend Tash bought me this beautiful Nordic Ware Yule Log tin, which has lay dormant for 12 months, until this weekend!

I had a plan. A vision. A Baileys infused chocolate cake; moist, almost fudgy, smothered in chocolate and with a little glitz on top. I detest playing with sugar paste, so I utilised the tin to make imprints of the pretty holly leaves, and put as much Bailey's in as I dared, without it being an utter wreck!

The verdict? Very happy campers at Statuo today. Cake demolished! I'll chalk that one up as a success then.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g plain flour
• 50g good quality cocoa powder - I used Green and Blacks
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200ml vanilla yoghurt with chocolate flecks - I used Muller Light
• 100ml Baileys
• 150g chocolate chips 
• 2 heaped tbsp chocolate spread
• 1 jar of chocolate spread (minus the above mentioned spoonfuls)
• Sugar paste - red and green
• Glitter. If you're feeling glitzy.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray/melted butter and dust with flour with a little cocoa mixed in.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the vanilla extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
7. Pour the yoghurt and Baileys into a jug.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
9. Stir in the chocolate spread and chocolate chips.
10. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
11. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
12. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
13. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
14. When the cake is fully cool, pop the chocolate spread into a jug and heat in the microwave to loosen it. Tip over your cake.
15. Make your berries and leaves from the sugar paste, and dip in the glitter. Pop on your log and off you trot!

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.