Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut Yule Log

First log for this Christmas 2023, classic flavors that will delight both young and old: a milk chocolate & hazelnut log, very indulgent of course 😉 For this log, I used Valrhona's Azelia hazelnut milk chocolate. If you want a more chocolaty result, you can use a milk chocolate with a higher cocoa content (like Jivara or Bahibe), the log will be a little less sweet and the hazelnut flavor a little lighter. As a base for this log, I wanted to make a giant Spritz cookie to stay in the Christmas spirit, I used Nicolas Paciello's recipe which I really like. A bit of praline crunch, a smooth ganache, and a light mousse, and you're done!
 
Equipment:
Silikomart log mold (I used the mold without a patterned mat)
Insert mold
Thermometer
Whisk
Mini angled spatula
Perforated baking sheet
Piping bags

Ingredients:
I used Azelia chocolate from Valrhona: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for 20% off the whole site (affiliate).
I used hazelnut flour and hazelnut puree from Koro: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for 5% off the whole site (non-affiliate).

Preparation time: 1h15 + 15 minutes of baking + freezing
For a 25cm log:

 The choco-hazelnut insert:

 95g of heavy cream with 35% fat content
 120g of hazelnut puree
 125g of Azelia chocolate
 25g of honey
 35g of butter
 
Heat the cream with the honey. Meanwhile, gently melt the chocolate and add the hazelnut puree.
Pour the hot cream in several additions over the melted chocolate, mixing well after each addition. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, add the butter cut into small pieces, and if necessary, use an immersion blender to homogenize the ganache well.
 
 

 
 Pour it into the insert mold, then place the mold in the freezer until completely frozen.
 
 

 
 The spritz biscuit:

 190g of flour
 35g of hazelnut flour
 1 teaspoon of baking powder
 1 pinch of salt
 100g of softened butter
 45g of sugar
 35g of brown sugar
 1 egg
 
 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
 Mix the dry ingredients: flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, and salt.
 Mix the softened butter with the two sugars.
 
 

 
 Then add the egg, followed by the previously mixed dry ingredients.
 
 

 
 Put the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a biscuit the size of your log mold, no more than 1cm thick. With the remaining dough, you can pipe individual biscuits.
 
 

 
 Lower the oven temperature to 175°C and bake the biscuit for 15 minutes. Let cool.
 
 

 
 The praline crunch:

 35g of lace crepes
 55g of Azelia chocolate
 40g of hazelnut praline
 
 Melt the chocolate, add the praline, then the crumbled lace crepes.
 
 

 
 Spread the crunch over the cooled biscuit, then refrigerate for it to crystallize.
 
 

 
 The milk chocolate mousse:

 100g of whole milk
 2g of gelatin
 160g of Azelia chocolate
 200g of heavy cream with 35% fat content
 
 Place the gelatin in a bowl of cold water.
 Heat the milk, then add the rehydrated and wrung-out gelatin.
 Pour the hot milk over the previously melted chocolate, then blend to get a homogeneous ganache.
 Whip the cream into a not too firm whipped cream.
 
 

 
 When the ganache is at 32°C, gently fold in the whipped cream using a spatula.
 
 

 
 Proceed immediately to assembly.
 
 The assembly:

 Pour half of the mousse into the mold. Add the frozen insert in the center.
 
 

 
 Cover with the mousse.
 
 

 
 Finally, add the biscuit & the crunch.
 
 

 
 Place everything in the freezer until frozen.
 
 The finishing:

 250g of Azelia milk chocolate
 50g of neutral oil
 50g of chopped hazelnuts 
 
Gently melt the chocolate, then add the neutral oil and chopped hazelnuts. When the glaze is around 35°C, unmold the log and place it on a rack placed over a dish (to catch the excess glaze). Pour the glaze to cover the log, then place it on your serving dish and let it thaw in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours before enjoying!