Eggnog Chocolate Cake Roll. New Music From Marlene Oak.

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Turn Bah into Yah with this festive Eggnog Chocolate Cake Roll. (I was reaching for “Yeah” and then did a Wiki search for ‘Yah’ which yields these meanings)

Yah may refer to:

Jah, shortened form of Yahweh, the Hebrew name for God
YAH, The IATA code for La Grande-4 Airport in northern Quebec, Canada
Yazgulyam language, by ISO 639 code
“Yah” (song), by Kendrick Lamar from his album Damn

Some vocabulary expansion and a recipe! Giving you more than you bargained for. :)

The cozy spices give this chocolate cake the essence of eggnog. The silky, French style buttercream complements the flavors perfectly.

Eggnog Chocolate Cake Roll

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain malted milk powder (such as Carnation)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
French Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment and dust with some flour, tapping out the excess.

2. Whisk the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the malted milk powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Continue beating until stiff shiny peaks form then set aside.

4. Beat the vegetable oil, egg yolks and milk in a separate bowl with the mixer on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest until incorporated.

5. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and springs back when lightly pressed, 12 to 14 minutes.

6. Dust the cake with the confectioners’ sugar and spread a large clean kitchen towel on top. Invert a cooling rack onto the towel, then invert the cake onto the rack. Peel off the parchment. Roll up the cake and towel together, starting from a long side to form a 17-inch-long roll. (The towel will be removed later.) Set aside on the rack to cool completely.

7. Unroll the cooled cake and spread with 1 1/2 cups of the icing. Gently reroll the cake (without the towel) and trim the ends. Cover with the remaining icing then dust with cocoa powder.

Note: If you want to make it look like a yule log, cut a quarter of the cake off from the end on the diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end in to the middle or end of the large cake to make a branch.

Serves 10 to 12

French Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, softened
2 tablespoons plain malted milk powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Combine the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240℉, 20 to 30 minutes. (Brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush.)

2. When the sugar has almost reached 240℉, beat the egg and egg yolks in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly pour in the sugar syrup between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and beat until the bowl is cool to the touch.

3. Remove the whisk and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-high speed, gradually add the butter and beat until thick and glossy. Combine the malted milk powder, vanilla and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl then beat into the icing along with the nutmeg.

Recipes from Food Network Magazine

“In The Evening’ is new from Swedish singer Marlene Oak. Her three words to describe the song are “love, hope and chaos”. Feels like the first two words I strive for in the morning before the third word hijacks my day.

It’s a cozy tune. I’ve listened to her upcoming EP ‘Silver Moon’ and it’s really good.