The Christmas recipe from Il Dolce di Alice

Today, let's discover the recipe for a characteristic and much-loved festive dessert proposed by Alice - Il dolce di Alice. What would Christmas be without a beautiful (and delicious!) chocolate-covered log? Let's see how to prepare it to impress our guests, perhaps serving it on a beautiful white porcelain serving dish. Alice has chosen our Weiss line for an elegant and refined white Christmas...

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS LOG

Time: 60 minutes Serves: 8-10 people

For the cookie dough:

• 100 g egg whites
• 20 g sugar
• 100 g egg yolks
• 90 g sugar
• 20 g plain flour
• 20 g potato starch
• 20 g cocoa
• 45 g butter

For the filling:

• 250 g fresh cream
• 180 g mascarpone
• 50 g icing sugar
• Vanilla seeds to taste
• 80 g mixed berries – currants, raspberries, blueberries

For the topping:

• 150 g dark chocolate (min. 55% cocoa solids)
• 150 g fresh cream

Preparation

To prepare the Christmas log, start with the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 185°C in static mode. Melt the butter and let it cool. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with 20 g of sugar until stiff. Set aside.

Using the same beaters, beat the egg yolks with 90 g of sugar until the mixture is very light, fluffy, and thick. Add a tablespoon of the beaten egg whites and mix vigorously, then add the rest of the egg whites and mix from the bottom up.

Sift the dry ingredients—flour, starch, and unsweetened cocoa powder—over the mixture and fold them in, working the mixture from the bottom up. Add the warm melted butter and fold it into the mixture in the same way.

Line a 30x40 cm baking tray with parchment paper, pour in the dough and level it with a spatula until it is evenly thick. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, lift the cookie dough out using the edges of the paper and let it cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Chop the chocolate and place it in a narrow, long container. Bring the cream to a boil—even in the microwave—and pour it over the chocolate, stir and mix for a few moments with a hand blender to make the texture silkier. Allow to thicken in a cool place.

Now prepare the filling: whip together the cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla seeds until you have a thick, stable cream.

When the biscuit dough has cooled, turn it over onto the work surface with the paper facing up and slowly remove it. Place the sheet under the biscuit dough, it will help you when you roll it up.

Spread the filling over the base, leaving about 1 cm from the outer edges. Distribute the berries evenly over the entire surface and start to create the log: grab the paper on one of the two long sides and roll the base onto itself, using the paper to help you tighten the roll.

Close the log like a candy by wrapping it in the paper and let it rest for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.

When the coating has set—i.e., when it has a spreadable but not too liquid consistency—remove the log and spread the chocolate ganache over the surface, using a pastry spatula or a spoon to create an irregular pattern that simulates bark.

Cut off the ends of the roll, then make a diagonal cut three-quarters of the way through the log, removing the smaller part and placing it to the side of the roll. 'Fill' the joint with more ganache and decorate with berries and sprigs of rosemary.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, then dust with powdered sugar.

My tips:

Make the ganache in advance so that you can finish decorating the log immediately after filling it.