Round off any celebratory meal with an impressive, prep-ahead dessert
Pink prosecco sugar-plum roll page 80
Pink prosecco sugar-plum roll
SERVES 8 V Pretty as a picture… delight your guests with this festive, fairytale take on a Yule log.
Hands-on time 40 mins
Total time 50 mins, plus cooling, chilling and making decorations.
For the sponge
4 medium eggs
100g caster sugar, plus
2 tbsp to dust about
¼ tsp pink food colour gel*
100g plain flour
To fill
150ml double cream
3 tbsp prosecco (pink or white), or other sparkling wine
250g seedless raspberry jam, stirred
150g raspberries For the prosecco buttercream
100g very soft butter
100g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp prosecco (pink or white), or other sparkling wine decorative toppings of your choice (we used cherries, frosted grapes and mini meringues – see box, right) gold leaf or edible glitter spray
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Line a 25 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
2 For the sponge, beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl (for about 5 minutes if you’re using a stand mixer, or up to 10 minutes using a hand-held electric whisk), until they’re really pale, thick and foamy. Add enough colouring to tint it a light pink and beat again until uniform in colour. Sift the flour over and fold in gently with a large metal spoon until incorporated, trying to knock out as little air as possible.
3 Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Place a large sheet of baking paper on the worktop and scatter with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. Flip the sponge onto the sugared paper, leave to cool for another 5 minutes, then gently peel away the base paper. Roll up from the short edge using the sugared paper to help you, rolling the paper inside the sponge. Leave to cool completely, rolled up.
4 Whip the cream and prosecco together to form firm-ish peaks. Unroll the cooled sponge and spread the jam over the surface with a spatula. Dollop the cream on top and smooth out, leaving a 4-5cm gap at the far end so that it won’t all squidge out when rolling. Scatter over the raspberries and re-roll, discarding the paper. Chill for 30 minutes to set the shape.
5 Cream the butter and icing sugar together, adding the prosecco gradually. Beat until the icing is very pale and fluffy. Transfer the Yule log to a serving plate and use a spatula to spread the buttercream over the log. Make bark-like patterns by dragging the tip of a cutlery knife down the length of the log.
6 Top with your choice of decorations and gold leaf or edible glitter shortly before serving. *Use a vegetarian food colouring if required.
