Gluten-free Vegan Christmas Yule Log (Edit recipe)

Chocolate Sponge

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 10×15 baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. To a large bowl, mix cassava flour, coconut flour, cacao powder, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar. Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, combine avocado oil, maple syrup, coconut yogurt, and vanilla extract. Then add wet ingredient mixture to the center of the dry ingredients.
4. Stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients into a soft dough.
5. Scoop dough out onto the center of the parchment lined baking sheet. Use fingers to spread and smooth the dough out in an even layer. Then place another parchment paper sheet on top and press or roll out the dough into a rectangle shape between 1/4 -1/2 inch thick about 12 x 9 inches.
6. Bake in middle rack of oven for 14 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool uncovered for 2-3 minutes. Then cover the cake with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to cool further while you prepare the filling.

Chocolate Filling

1. In a stand mixer or food processor, combine dairy-free cream cheese or palm shortening with cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if you desire a thinner filling.

Chocolate Topping

1. In a large bowl melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 minutes in 30 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chips have melted completely and are smooth. Place into the fridge for 2-3 minutes to thicken just slightly.

Assembly

1. Once the cake has cooled, use a large spoon or scoop to spoon out dollops of the chocolate filling onto the cake.
2. Use an offset spatula to smoothly and evenly spread the filling over the cake almost to the edges.
3. From the short end of the cake, carefully lift the parchment paper and use both hands to roll the cake away from you in a gentle yet tight tuck into a log.
4. Pour or drizzle the melted chocolate over the log.
5. Slice the log so that one side is about 1/4 of the length of the cake, and the other side is about 3/4. Cut on a slight diagonal.
6. Place the main yule log seam-side down on a serving platter.
7. Position the diagonal side of the cut piece onto the side of the main Yule log.
8. Optional - use a fork to run lines down the top of the log to create a bark-like pattern.
9. Decorate the log with sugared cranberries or raspberries and sprigs of rosemary.
10. Top with sifted powdered sugar or arrowroot starch to keep the recipe refined sugar-free.