Chocolate & Chestnut Yule Log With Skye McAlpine Of “The Christmas Companion"

Today’s guest is Skye McAlpine. Skye is a food writer, cookbook author, and stylist based in Venice, Italy. She’s the author of several cookbooks, including “A Table in Venice,” “A Table for Friends,” “A Table Full of Love,” and her latest, “The Christmas Companion.” Skye also writes a monthly recipe column for The Sunday Times, contributes to publications like Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The Guardian, runs a Substack newsletter called The Dolce Vita Diaries, and is the founder of Skye McAlpine Tavola, a tableware and homewares brand.

Skye joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her life and career—from moving to Venice as a child and growing up between British and Italian Christmas traditions, to discovering her love of cooking and entertaining at university with nothing more than a toaster oven, to teaching herself how to cook and turning a food blog into a book deal. Then, Skye guides Jessie through her Chocolate and Chestnut Yule Log from “The Christmas Companion.” It’s a whimsical, showstopping holiday dessert made with a light chocolate sponge, chestnut cream filling, bittersweet ganache, and meringue mushrooms. 

Click here for Skye’s Chocolate and Chestnut Yule Log recipe.

Thank you to Diamond Nuts and California Prunes for their support. 

Order The Cake Issue

Jubilee NYC 2026 tickets here

Visit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, show transcripts, and tickets to upcoming events.

More on Skye: Instagram, “The Christmas Companion” book
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook