Rocky road log recipe

Rocky road log is the perfect festive dessert to serve in place of a traditional Yule log. 

Soft marshmallow fluff, squidgy mini mallows, crunchy nuts, and chocolate chips, this is an easy recipe that will delight chocolate lovers. The beauty of this chocolate log (opens in new tab) is that you can mix and match the filling to suit all palettes. Switch the almonds for chopped chestnuts and the chocolate chips for sweeties or crushed biscuits – whatever takes your fancy. By all means, enlist younger family members to help but you’ll need a steady adult hand to roll the roulade. Usually a rocky road (opens in new tab) is a hard set treat, but this soft and spongy version is a real delight.

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs (separated)
• 150g caster sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 jar of Marshmallow Fluff
• 100g white chocolate chips
• 100g milk chocolate chips
• 100g dark chocolate
• 150g mini marshmallows
• 100g flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4/350°F. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper.
2. Whisk the egg whites with a couple of spoonfuls of sugar until it forms stiff peaks
3. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and remaining sugar until pale and thick.
4. Sift in the cocoa to the egg yolk mixture and combine. Add a large dollop of the egg white mixture and mix in thoroughly to loosen.
5. Gently fold in the remaining egg white taking care to knock as little air as possible out of the mix.
6. Spread evenly using a spatula onto the baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, until just cooked.
7. Leave to cool slightly before tipping out onto another sheet of baking parchment. Carefully peel off the baked paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool.
8. While the sponge is cooling melt the dark chocolate gently in a microwave in 20 second bursts until smooth to make the rocky road. On a baking paper-lined tray, roughly drizzle half the melted chocolate and add the marshmallows, almonds and chocolate chips before drizzling with the remaining chocolate. Leave to cool.
9. Uncover the sponge and spread thickly with the Marshmallow Fluff and chunks of the cooled rocky road.
10. Using the baking paper, gently roll the whole thing up to create a roulade shape.
11. Top with the remaining rocky road and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Top tips for making rocky road log

Top the rocky road log with chopped nuts, melted chocolate, sweets, or festive cake toppers.

What's the secret to rolling a sponge roulade perfectly?

The secret is at the start of the roll. Take a sharp knife and score along the edge of the cake you're going to start rolling from, as though you're cutting a long thin slices about an inch wide. Cut nearly all the way through, but not quite. Before you start the roll, use your thumbs and forefingers to roll up just this section. It will break as you go - this is the correct: you want it to break all the way along. Then you use the paper to roll up the rest.

My yule log is cracking as I roll it - what can I do?

Don't worry! Cracking is part of the charm - you want it to look like a thick log, after all. Be firm and use the marshmallow fluff to hold everything in place as you roll.

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