GEORGE TOWN: Like the bark of an old tree adorned with festive trinkets, Elizabeth Chin’s Yule log is special in more ways than one.
Baked every Christmas for friends and customers, the logs are decorated with miniature Santas, snowmen, deer, holly, baubles and edible gold beads, then dusted with snow powder – an edible, non-melting sugar – to create a wintry scene.
“Yule logs are special to me because they are meant to be shared with family during Christmas dinner,” said Chin.
She bakes thin coffee-flavoured sponge cakes, fills them with coffee cream and rolls them into a log, much like a Swiss roll.
Once cooled, she coats them with dark chocolate ganache and adds the festive toppers.
“This gives the cake a light mocha flavour. I use high-quality ingredients and 70% cacao dark chocolate, so it’s not overly sweet. It’s important to me that the cakes taste homemade, not mass-produced,” she said.
Chin, 55, finds joy in baking because it allows her to express her creativity.
Each year, the cafe owner gives out about 10 to 15 Yule logs before Christmas.
“During Christmas, my home smells of cakes and baked goods.
“Making Yule logs is a tradition I started when my daughter was little and over the years, it has become something I share with friends and a few customers,” she added.
For those who prefer lighter flavours, Chin also makes vanilla-flavoured Swiss rolls.
“If people share ideas for the decorations, I incorporate them. Otherwise, I take inspiration from nature.
“I love the process, and seeing people enjoy the cakes is the best part. Depending on the size, one cake can feed up to eight people,” she added.
Chin treasures the thought of her friends enjoying the cakes together with their families.
“When I make a Yule log, I think of family, love, togetherness and warmth, knowing it will be enjoyed on Christmas Day,” she said.
The tradition of Christmas log cakes traces back to the French buche de Noel, itself inspired by an older European winter custom.
Families once burned a large log on Christmas Eve as a symbol of warmth, protection and good fortune for the year ahead.
With the advent of modern heating, the log-burning tradition faded and the log evolved into a Swiss roll with thick cream, bark-like textures, knots and wood-grain lines.
Today, the Yule log has become a centrepiece dessert, signalling at dinner time that Christmas is arriving.
