Provençal Yule Log (Lavender Honey, Almond & Olive Oil)

Little novelty for me this year at Christmas, I was invited to collaborate with the chocolate factory in my city, the l'Or Brun chocolate factory, to create their Christmas logs. Among the logs offered, I wanted one to highlight Provence and its specialties; that's how I made this log with lavender honey, almonds, and olive oil. If you like these flavors, I recommend making it, it is one of the easiest logs to make with its yogurt mousse, madeleine biscuit, and 100% almond ganache with almond cream instead of classic liquid cream.

Material:
Silikomart log mold (I used the mold without a pattern mat)
Insert mold
Piping bags

Ingredients:
I used almond puree and whole almonds from Koro: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for 5% off the entire site (non-affiliated).
I used Ivoire chocolate from Valrhona: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for 20% off the entire site (affiliated).

Preparation time: 1h20 + 15 minutes cooking + freezing/defrosting
For a 25cm log:

 

Almond insert:

 50g of almond puree
 10g of lavender honey
 70g of almond cream
 110g of white chocolate
 
 Heat the almond cream with the honey and almond puree. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and blend to get a smooth and shiny ganache. Pour into the insert mold.
 
 

 
 

Honey madeleine:

 53g of T45 flour
 3g of baking powder
 33g of olive oil
 20g of butter
 1 egg at room temperature
 30g of granulated sugar
 25g of lavender honey
 
 Sift the flour with the baking powder and melt the butter.
 Mix the eggs, sugar, and honey with a spatula, then incorporate the flour and baking powder. Finally, add the melted butter and olive oil. Place the batter in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
 Then, pour the batter into a frame of the right size and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160°C and let it cook for another ten minutes.
 
 

Almond & white chocolate crunch:

 45g of almond puree
 60g of Ivoire white chocolate
 30g of crêpes dentelles
 
 Melt the chocolate. Add the almond puree, then the crumbled crêpes dentelles.
 Spread the crunch over the biscuit trimmed to the right size, then place everything in the freezer.
 
 

 
 

Yogurt & lavender honey mousse:

 200g of yogurt with at least 7% fat
 4g of gelatin
 250g of liquid cream with 35% fat
 100g of lavender honey
 
 Rehydrate the gelatin in very cold water. Then drain and melt it in the microwave or in a double boiler. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of yogurt.
 Mix the melted gelatin with the warmed yogurt, then add the rest of the yogurt and the honey (melted too if it's too solid).
 
 

 
 Whip the liquid cream into a not too firm whipped cream, then gently incorporate it into the yogurt mixture.
 
 

 
 

Assembly:

 Pour 2/3 of the mousse into the log mold, and spread it up the sides of the mold. Add the almond insert.
 
 

 
 Cover with the mousse, then add the biscuit/crunch.
 Place in the freezer until completely set.
 
 

Decoration:

Approximately 80g of chopped almonds
 
 Unmold the log and let it defrost a few minutes, then roll it in chopped almonds. Let it defrost in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours before enjoying!