Vanilla, Caramel, Apple & Hazelnut Yule Log
This festive Yule log is a beautiful harmony of flavors and textures: a silky caramel crémeux, tender cooked apples, airy vanilla ganache, nutty hazelnut dacquoise, a crunchy praline base, and a glossy white chocolate glaze topped with hazelnuts. This dessert is best made ahead, as it requires multiple freezing stages. The quantities below are for a 25×9×7 cm mold. For the insert, a longer mold (e.g., 30×4 cm) can be used and trimmed to fit.
Ingredients
Vanilla Ganache
- 467 g heavy cream 35% fat
- 3.5 g gelatin 200 bloom
- 105 g white chocolate
- 2 g vanilla bean seeds
Caramel Crémeux
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 30 g water
- 15 g glucose syrup
- 65 g hot heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 130 g heavy cream
- 2.5 g gelatin gold
Fondant Apples
- 2 apples peeled, cored, diced
Hazelnut Dacquoise
- 36 g egg whites
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 26 g powdered sugar
- 22 g hazelnut flour
- 6 g cornstarch
Hazelnut Praline Crunch
- 15 g white chocolate
- 40 g hazelnut praline paste
- 20 g crêpes dentelles or feuilletine, crushed
White Chocolate Glaze
- 70 g water
- 110 g granulated sugar
- 24 g glucose syrup
- 70 g heavy cream
- 100 g white chocolate
- 6 g powdered gelatin 200 bloom + 36 g cold water
Instructions
Vanilla Ganache
- Soak gelatin in cold water.
- Melt the white chocolate.
- Heat half of the cream in a saucepan. Off heat, stir in drained gelatin.
- Pour over melted chocolate; add vanilla and mix well.
- Add remaining cold cream, mix thoroughly.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface; refrigerate overnight.
Caramel Crémeux
- Soak gelatin in cold water.
- In a saucepan, cook sugar, water, and glucose until amber caramel forms.
- Carefully whisk in the 65 g of hot cream, stirring continuously.
- In a bowl, whisk yolks and 130 g cream together.
- Gradually add the hot caramel, whisking well.
- Return the mixture to the pan and cook to 83 °C (crème anglaise consistency).
- Remove from heat; stir in gelatin. Blend if needed.
- Pour into insert mold; freeze for at least 3 hours before adding the apple layer.
Fondant Apples
- Dice apples into small cubes.
- Cook gently over low heat until soft and tender.
- Let cool, then spread evenly over the frozen caramel crémeux in the insert mold.
- Freeze overnight.
Hazelnut Dacquoise
- Preheat oven to 180 °C.
- Whip egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add granulated sugar to stiffen.
- Sift and gently fold in powdered sugar, hazelnut flour, and cornstarch.
- Spread the batter into a 26×8 cm rectangle on a baking tray lined with parchment.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool completely, then trim to 25×7 cm.
Praline Crunch
- Melt white chocolate.
- Stir in hazelnut praline, then gently fold in crêpes dentelles.
- Spread evenly over the cooled dacquoise layer.
- Smooth the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Assembly
- Whip the vanilla ganache to medium peaks.
- Fill the Yule log mold two-thirds full with the whipped ganache.
- Unmold and insert the frozen caramel/apple insert (caramel side down).
- Pipe the remaining vanilla ganache over it.
- Place the praline-crunch-dacquoise layer on top (crunch side up).
- Smooth the surface, wrap, and freeze the entire log overnight.
White Chocolate Glaze
- Soak gelatin in 36 g of cold water.
- In a saucepan, bring water, glucose, and sugar to 103 °C.
- Separately, heat the cream.
- Place chopped white chocolate in a tall container.
- Pour hot syrup into the cream, then pour over the chocolate.
- Add gelatin and emulsify with an immersion blender (avoid air bubbles).
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or use once it cools to 35–38 °C.
Finishing
- Warm the glaze to 35–38 °C.
- Unmold the frozen log and place on a wire rack over a tray.
- Pour the glaze evenly over the log.
- Decorate as desired (e.g., roasted hazelnuts, gold leaf, chocolate decor).
- Let the log thaw in the fridge before serving.
I’m Chef Mimo, a passionate pastry chef with over 17 years of experience in the world of fine desserts. I specialize in French-style entremets, refined cakes, and creative chocolate work. Pastry is not just my profession—it’s my lifelong passion. Through PastryCrafted.com, I love sharing my recipes, techniques, and inspirations with anyone who dreams of mastering the art of pastry. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned pro, you’re welcome in my sweet world.