Chef's recipe: chocolate and coffee yule log

Recipe provided by instructor Dimitri Béchez for an 8-person cake (mold used: Cocoon mold 8 servings)

Reconstituted praline shortbread

• 22g butter
• 22g light brown sugar
• 28g almond flour
• 22g flour
• 18g crushed almonds
• 32g praline paste
• 22g hazelnut paste
• 10g butter
• 22g 40% milk chocolate couverture

Mix the softened butter, light brown sugar, almond flour, flour, and crushed almonds.
Spread between two sheets and bake at 150°C in the oven.
Crush the shortbread, melt the milk chocolate couverture and the butter, add the hazelnut paste, and mix with the shortbread.
Press into a 16cm diameter ring and refrigerate.

Moist pecan sponge

• 125g light brown sugar
• 100g eggs
• 33g powdered sugar
• 150g pecan flour
• 0.5g salt
• 142g browned butter (beurre noisette)
• 70g flour
• 4g baking powder
• 167g egg whites
• 25g light brown sugar
  

Whisk the eggs, light brown sugar, powdered sugar, roasted pecan flour, and salt. Add the tempered browned butter, then the flour sifted with the baking powder.
Finish by folding in the egg whites whipped and stiffened with the light brown sugar.
Spread the sponge on a baking sheet.
Add pieces of pecan and soft caramel. Bake at 165°C.

Ethiopian coffee cream

• 125g heavy cream
• 125g milk
• 10g milk powder
• 10g coffee beans
• 40g sugar
• 40g egg yolks
• 21g gelatin mass
  

Boil the milk, heavy cream, milk powder, and crushed coffee beans.
Infuse for 15 minutes.
Whisk the yolks with the sugar.
Cook the cream (like a crème anglaise).
Add the bloomed gelatin and blend.
Pour into an insert mold. Deep freeze.

Caraïbe 66% Mousse

• 205g whole milk
• 255g Caraïbe 66% couverture
• 340g whipped heavy cream
  

Boil the milk. Pour over the couverture.
Whip the UHT heavy cream.
Let the "ganache" cool to approximately 40°C. Mix the two preparations, then use immediately.

Black glaze

• 225g heavy cream
• 337g sugar
• 112g water
• 112g cocoa powder
• 60g gelatin mass
• 37g olive oil
  

Bring the water, heavy cream, and sugar to a boil.
Add the cocoa powder, mix, and boil for about 2 minutes.
Add the gelatin and olive oil, blend for 3 minutes, and strain. Then let set overnight in the refrigerator before using. Use at around 30°C.

Assembly

Assemble upside down: pipe the mousse into the bottom of the mold, line the sides, then place the coffee cream insert, pipe a dot of mousse, then place the pecan sponge followed by the reconstituted shortbread. Level off and deep freeze.
Glaze the entremets using the black glaze heated to 30°C.
Pipe a whipped milk ganache using a flat piping tip in the center of the log, decorate with coffee beans and pieces of gold leaf.