Tie Dye Yule Log Cake

If you made our tie dye s’mores this summer and didn’t think ANY other dessert could be as colorful, allow us to prove you WRONG! Meet the TIE DYE yule log cake!!! Yule logs (or buche de noels) were never a Christmas tradition in my house but our recipe developer, Theresa, makes one each year. We couldn’t help but think how FUN it would be to make a crazy, wacky, Lisa Frank version! So we did. All the way down to the pretty pink mushrooms.

For the cake:

6 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling/frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups marshmallow creme
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the meringue mushrooms:

1 large egg white, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup super fine sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Whisk egg whites till foamy. Add in 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Continue to beat on high till stiff peaks form.
4. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, milk, oil, cake flour, and vanilla.
5. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the flour mixture. Stir to loosen the batter. Add in another quarter of the egg whites, fold till incorporated, and repeat with remaining egg whites.
6. Divide batter into 5 small bowls. Color each one with food coloring (hot pink, purple, blue, teal, and yellow).
7. Divide batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet by dropping tablespoon sized drops of the different colors randomly around the pan. Carefully spread out the batter with a small spatula to cover the baking sheet. Tap a couple of times on the counter to help.
8. Bake for about 12 minutes till set, but not too browned.
9. Once cool enough to handle, roll the still warm cake up in a clean kitchen towel and let cool completely. You can place parchment, wax, or plastic wrap between the cake and the towel.
10. For the filling, cream together the butter and the marshmallow creme. Add in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk till smooth.
11. Unroll the cake carefully and remove the towel. Spread a layer of filling over the surface of the cake, about 1/4 inch thick. Then, re-roll the cake.
12. Divide the remaining filling into 5 small bowls and color the the same as you did the batters. Frost the outside of the cake alternating between the different colors of frosting, and kind of swirling them together as you go. Using a knife, make lines in the frosting to resemble tree bark. Decorate with meringue marshmallows (see below), candies, etc.

For the Mushrooms:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg white till foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and continue to beat till soft peaks form. Increase speed, gradually add in the sugar, and beat till stiff peaks form and the meringue is glossy.
3. Divide meringue into bowls if you want to add different food colorings.
4. Place the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a small to medium sized round tip, depending on what size you want your meringue mushrooms to be. (number 3 and number 6 tips work well)
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
6. To pipe the stems, hold the piping bag straight up and down with the tip close to the parchment paper. Pipe a small amount while gently lifting the bag up to form a cone shape.
7. To pipe the caps, hold the pastry bag straight up and down with the tip close to the parchment and pipe even rounds. If you get little peaks at the top when you take the pastry bag away, use a wet finger to smooth out the tops.
8. Bake for 1 hour.
9. To assemble, using a toothpick or the end of a knife, poke a hole in the underside of the caps large enough for the tip of the stems to fit nicely in. Using a little melted white chocolate or candy melts, attach the stems to the caps. Let harden.