Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The traditional yule log, or bûche de Noël, is a chocolate Swiss roll cake. It’s delicious, but making a Swiss roll isn’t easy and, if you’ve ever watched a holiday baking challenge, you’ve probably seen the one vanquish some pretty talented bakers. Instead of fighting with cake, you can use the humble HoHo into an adorable miniature version of the classic yule log. The chocolate snack cakes are already filled, rolled, and covered. You’re just joining in for the fun part: decorating. They’re also pleasantly hand-held, unlike a bûche de Noël, which can be rather overwhelming. It’s quick, festive, and a fun project for the little ones.
Depending on what they’re called in your part of the country, you’ll need a box of HoHo’s, Yodels, Swiss Rolls (by miss Little Debbie), or any other boxed chocolate snack cake you have access to. Grab a jar of something akin to edible spackle, like peanut butter, canned frosting, cream cheese, or melted chocolate to help things stick. I used Nutella, which worked like a dream. Everything else is decoration, but, honestly, the details will make it superbly yule-y. I wanted little red berries on there, even though chopped logs rarely have berries, yule logs sure do. Use any red candy you like; Red Hots or M&Ms would work, but I tore off small pieces of Australian licorice, and rolled them into three little balls. I then smooshed them slightly so they’d stick together in a cluster, then stuck them on my mini log. Have some sprigs of fresh herbs ready if you’d like to add a touch of green that you probably won’t eat. I used rosemary, but thyme, or small leaves of sage would be great. Powdered sugar for dusting rounds out your ingredient list, and adds a snowy look.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Using a small serrated knife, saw off one ½-inch end of the Ho-ho, at something of a 45 degree angle. This will reveal the frosting swirl, and the angle makes it look better than a straight cut (I was tempted to write that the angle makes it “realistic,” but that’s ridiculous). Smear a small dab of your edible spackle to the closed end of the piece you chopped off, and stick it on the top or on the side of the HoHo log, so the icing swirl is facing outward.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
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Once I had my log assembled, I added a bit more Nutella to the log, and pressed the licorice berries onto it. Then I stuck a sprig of rosemary behind the berries and dusted with powdered sugar to complete the look. This might be one of the cutest things you can do to a box of HoHos, and they’re so petite that both children and adults will be compelled to have at least one. Enjoy the process, and the sugar-rush to follow.
