1. Gather the ingredients.

For the cake:

• 1 cup cake flour*
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp EnerG Egg Replacer mixed well with 6 Tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

For the filling:

• 1 8oz container vegan cream cheese
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance
• 2 Tbsp almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

For the frosting:

• 1/8 cup vegan margarine
• 1/8 cup vegan shortening
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

For decorating:

• powdered sugar
• marzipan
• Any other decorative elements (edible or non!)

*To make 1 cup cake flour if you don’t have some on hand, put 2 Tbsp cornstarch in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the rest with regular flour. Mix well when added to bowl with other ingredients.

2. Make and bake the cake.

3. Roll up cake.

Starting at one long side and using towel as aid, gently roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool. Because the cake is thin and spongy-you don’t want it sitting out for hours and hours unfilled and unfrosted. If you are making it hours in advance, I would recommend wrapping it up in plastic wrap or covering it to prevent it from drying out.

4. Prepare the filling.

Using an electric mixer, cream the vegan cream cheese and margarine together. Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Cover and chill about 45 minutes. This frosting will remain creamy and gooey, but should firm up a bit.

5. Assemble the cake.

Unroll cake; remove second sheet of parchment. Spread about 2 cups frosting over cake. You will likely have some filling left over — use as a decadent pancake topping, cupcake filling, etc! Starting at one long side, roll up the Yule Log jelly-roll style. Place cake, seam side down, on platter of your choosing. Starting 1 inch in from the end of the cake, turn knife on sharp diagonal and cut to remove one 3-inch-long triangular piece of cake. Spread 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of cake piece. Attach frosted side of cake piece to side of cake near end to make a branch.

6. Make the frosting.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the margarine and the shortening. Add the cocoa powder and incorporate well. Add the confectioners sugar in about 1/2 cup batches and beat well, adding a little non-dairy milk after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat 2-3 minutes. This frosting can be used immediately on the Yule Log.

7. Frost the cake.

Cover the cake with frosting. The amount that I gave in the directions gave me enough frosting to exactly cover the Yule Log. The Yule Log will look pretty and natural even if you just frost the cake by using long, wide streaks of frosting, but I liked how the log looked using the tines of a fork to create texture, so I followed the same technique.

8. Decorate the cake.

Sift some powdered sugar over the Yule Log for a snowy look. Also, marzipan mushrooms, leaves, fruits, and other creatures are cheerful additions and fun for kids to create. Non-edible figurines (like gnomes and fairies) would also be cute. The mushrooms on my cake took less than two minutes to make: Roll a piece of marzipan into a ball. This will be your mushroom cap, so take an appropriate-sized amount. Use the tip of your thumb to make an indentation on the bottom of the ball. Turn it around and around with your two index fingers (kind of like you are shaping a mini pizza) and shape it into a mushroom cap. Take a smaller piece of marzipan for the mushroom stem and roll it to desired length, making a base for the bottom. Attach stem inside mushroom cap.

Serve your Yule Log and enjoy! Makes about 12 slices.

Delicious and Decadent Vegan Yule Log

For the cake:

• 1 cup cake flour*
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp EnerG Egg Replacer mixed well with 6 Tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

For the filling:

• 1 8oz container vegan cream cheese
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance
• 2 Tbsp almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

For the frosting:

• 1/8 cup vegan margarine
• 1/8 cup vegan shortening
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

For decorating:

• powdered sugar
• marzipan
• Any other decorative elements (edible or non!)

*To make 1 cup cake flour if you don’t have some on hand, put 2 Tbsp cornstarch in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the rest with regular flour. Mix well when added to bowl with other ingredients.

Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 375°F. Put a few streaks of Earth Balance or whatever vegan margarine you are using on a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. This will hold your parchment paper in place. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; “butter” parchment. Whisk first 6 cake ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Heat non-dairy milk in medium saucepan over medium heat to 150°F. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and egg replacer in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until just blended. Gradually beat in warm milk. Pour batter into pan and spread as needed so it is even throughout the pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Spread kitchen towel on work surface; cover with parchment. Sprinkle parchment lightly with powdered sugar. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Invert hot cake onto parchment. Peel parchment off top of cake.Starting at one long side and using towel as aid, gently roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool. Because the cake is thin and spongy-you don’t want it sitting out for hours and hours unfilled and unfrosted. If you are making it hours in advance, I would recommend wrapping it up in plastic wrap or covering it to prevent it from drying out.

Make the filling. Using an electric mixer, cream the vegan cream cheese and margarine together. Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Cover and chill about 45 minutes. This frosting will remain creamy and gooey, but should firm up a bit. Unroll cake; remove second sheet of parchment. Spread about 2 cups frosting over cake. You will likely have some filling left over-use as a decadent pancake topping, cupcake filling, etc! Starting at one long side, roll up the Yule Log jelly-roll style. Place cake, seam side down, on platter of your choosing. Starting 1 inch in from the end of the cake, turn knife on sharp diagonal and cut to remove one 3-inch-long triangular piece of cake. Spread 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of cake piece. Attach frosted side of cake piece to side of cake near end to make a branch.

Next, make the frosting. Using an electric mixer, cream together the margarine and the shortening. Add the cocoa powder and incorporate well. Add the confectioners sugar in about 1/2 cup batches and beat well, adding a little non-dairy milk after each addition.  Add the vanilla and beat 2-3 minutes. This frosting can be used immediately on the Yule Log. Cover the cake with frosting. The amount that I gave in the directions gave me enough frosting to exactly cover the Yule Log. The Yule Log will look pretty and natural even if you just frost the cake by using long, wide streaks of frosting, but I liked how the log looked using the tines of a fork to create texture, so I  followed the same technique. Sift some powdered sugar over the Yule Log for a snowy look. Also, marzipan mushrooms, leaves, fruits, and other creatures are cheerful additions and fun for kids to create. Non-edible figurines (like gnomes and fairies) would also be cute. The mushrooms on my cake took less than two minutes to make: Roll a piece of marzipan into a ball. This will be your mushroom cap, so take an appropriate-sized amount. Use the tip of your thumb to make an indentation on the bottom of the ball. Turn it around and around with your two index fingers (kind of like you are shaping a mini pizza) and shape it into a mushroom cap. Take a smaller piece of marzipan for the mushroom stem and roll it to desired length, making a base for the bottom. Attach stem inside mushroom cap. Serve your Yule Log and enjoy! Makes about 12 slices.