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Recipe for the Week – Bûche De Noel (Baking Partners Challenge #17)
9:12:00 am
It’s Baking Partners time again and
since its Christmas, we got a bunch of Yule Log recipes to try out. According
to Wikipedia, the Yule Log is actually a log that was burnt in the hearth as a
part of traditional Christmas celebrations in several European homes. Coming to
the modern day, since homes got smaller and large fireplaces are almost
non-existent, most people bake up their own Yule Logs and feast on them!!
Bûche De Noel is
the French name for the Yule Log and as we all agree, everything sounds fancier
in French, especially food names :-D. The recipe I chose was the one from Williams Sonoma. The cake part wasn’t all that
difficult to make, but the decoration part took a lot more time than I
expected. I even skipped out on the prescribed garnish for a Yule Log –
meringue mushrooms. To see what I used instead, read ahead !
The Bûche De Noel is a three
step process – the roll cake, syrup and frosting. I’d suggest starting with
making the frosting since it’ll take a couple of hours to cool.
Chocolate Frosting:
285 g bittersweet chocolate, finely
chopped
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Note: The original recipe asked to heat the
chocolate and cream over a double boiler. I was too lazy for that and so did it
my way :-).
1. Put the chopped chocolate in a large
bowl. Heat the cream till it begins to boil.
2. Turn off the heat and pour the cream
over the chopped chocolate. Leave it for a couple of minutes.
3. Whisk the cream and chocolate
together continuously till all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is
completely smooth. Here is my mixture with a few lumps still in it:
4. Refrigerate the mixture for about 2
hours, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is cold, add the vanilla and
salt. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the chocolate mixture
briefly until firm enough to hold a soft dollop. The mixture will continue to
firm up as it sits.
Cake:
Unsalted butter for greasing
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Note: I used salted butter for greasing,
and so skipped the salt in the mix.
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C. Grease a
15 ½ by 10 ½ inch rimmed baking sheet and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Grease and flour the paper and the pan sides.
2. Sift together the flour, baking
powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric
mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs until pale and thick, about 3
minutes. Add the granulated sugar and vanilla and continue beating until
tripled in volume, about 3 minutes more.
4. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the
eggs. Be sure not to dump it in or you’ll just flatten all the whipping you’ve
been doing for the past so many minutes :-).
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently
until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes, turn the pan around and bake again for a further 3
minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
6. Lay a clean kitchen towel on the
counter and sift confectioner’s sugar generously onto it, covering it evenly.
7. When the cake is ready, remove it
from the oven and immediately run a knife around the inside of the pan to
loosen the cake. Holding the cake in place, invert the pan onto the prepared
towel. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the paper.
8. Beginning on a long edge, roll up
the cake and towel together. Set on a wire rack and let cool.
Next is making the syrup, which needs
to be at room temperature by the time the cake cools. So I’d advise making it while the cake
is in the oven.
Syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp strong coffee (1 tsp instant
coffee mixed in 2 Tbsp warm water)
1. In a small saucepan over medium
heat, combine the water and granulated sugar and stir until the sugar
dissolves.
2. Bring to a boil and remove from the
heat. Stir in the coffee and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Final Assembly:
1. To assemble the Bûche, unroll the
cake, remove the towel and brush it liberally with the cooled syrup. Do not
overdo the brushing, because your cake will go all soggy and break when you try
to roll it.
2. Using an icing spatula, spread
one-third of the frosting over the cake. Gently reroll the cake and place, seam
side down, on the platter you intend to serve the cake on. Trying to transfer
the cake after frosting it can get really tricky!
3. Starting 1 inch from the end and
angling to bottom edge, cut off a diagonal piece; set aside.
Note: My cake pan was smaller than the
recommended size, so I made two roll cakes, used one roll whole, and cut off a
diagonal piece from the second roll.
4. Frost the top and sides of the roll
with the remaining frosting, using long, rough strokes. With the back of a
fork, make shallow lengthwise ridges for bark.
5. Place reserved cake piece seam side
down and attach to the log on the side to resemble a knot. Spread with leftover
frosting and repeat the action with the fork.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or
up to 24 hours. Let stand at room
temperature for 15 minutes.
7. Garnish with chocolate curls, a sifting
of confectioner’s sugar or any other decoration that you’d like :-). The
original recipe suggests making meringue mushrooms, but I was too tired and
skipped it. Instead, I used a little gingerbread couple that I had baked a few
days earlier and kept out of sight of my little Cub :-).
Like I mentioned earlier, the Swiss
Roll part is easy, but the decoration can be time consuming. Also, since
the frosting can get around quite a bit, and clean up is also a pain. But in
the end, you get a pretty little log, which when cut, yields some real yummy
slices that’ll make you melt into a pool of chocolatey goodness!!! Enjoy!!
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29 comments
the yule looks really good... and no mention about the cartoon at the end!!! hilarious!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteThat yule has got me all drooling , it looks soooooo yummy :D As I always say, Cub is a lucky kid :D That last cartoon strip is so funny :P
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I wonder if Cub would agree!! I know, the idea of a horse salivating after chocolate cake itself is outrageous!!
DeleteYou are one talented woman Fab! I don't have the guts to attempt this but shared this on weekend links at the blog so that others could also drool over this. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Swapna, you're a dear!!! It was challenging but fun, and it's given me the courage to try more varieties of Swiss Rolls :-)
DeleteFab... I wanted to jump into the chocolate bowl ... How I wish ... Awesome recipe for Xmas ...
ReplyDeleteHa ha, little Cub wanted to do the same!!!!
DeleteDrool Worthy Fabida !
ReplyDeletelet me tell u somethng. I was seeing ur comments but didnt know it was U
am glad I bumped in to ur blog finally :)
This post made me hungry
looks like it needs lot of patience to make it but worth ur efforts ...Yumm
Aha, so you've finally found me!! Well, the decorating did take some time, especially since I overdid the syrup thing, but like you said, it was very satisfying to see how it finally turned out :-)
DeleteI plan to visit you soon and I demand you keep this ready for aarya and me ( I wish i could invite you over, but all I can offer is an afternoon of glue and kiddo activities :D) *nom nom! Pinning it!
ReplyDeleteHa ha sure!!! But an afternoon of kiddie activities does sound like bliss too!!
DeleteYummyyyy!
ReplyDeleteThough crumbly texture of the cake but it has come out perfect. Liked the decoration the ginger cookies.
ReplyDeleteThank you!! Yes, it was really yummy though a little messy to eat ;-)
DeleteWohoo!! That looks yumm. Though I can't try it as it has eggs and I am pure vegetarian but I can say it must have been very tasty :)
ReplyDeleteOh don't worry Disha, there are eggless versions too!! Here's one: http://cookingwithsapana.blogspot.in/2013/12/eggless-french-yule-log.html
DeleteThanks for your comment. I agree with you. The sponge cake is very easy, but you must spend more time with the ornaments. Your bûche looks fantastic, as well as your little gingerbread men.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Marisa!! I was tired after the whole process and didn't feel like making the mushrooms, so I decided to substitute them with my gingerbread people :)
DeleteYule log cake looks wonderful,love this egg less version and the presentation.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Suja!! But this isn't eggless; you can get eggless versions here: http://zestysouthindiankitchen.com/2013/12/buche-de-noel-traditional-christmas-yule-log-baking-partners-challenge-18.html
DeleteI've always wanted to make one of those. That looks amazing! Would love it if you could join us for Monday Mingle again! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kristin!! I'll be sure to join again :-)
DeleteNice Bûche de Noël, Fab! Love the addition of the gingerbread couple...so cute!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina!! Yes, I thought they'd be fitting especially since I skipped on the mushrooms :-)
DeleteFabida,you made an awesome roll,also love those cartoon, I too tried of making decoration as coughing really badly. Tomorrow I am going to see the doctor, Hope I will be fine after that.
ReplyDeleteDo take care, Swathi!!! Love the different challenges Baking partners puts up every month - this is my very first attempt at a Swiss Roll and I'm inspired to try out more!
DeleteClearly you love to bake. My cakes are always a disaster. This post inspires me.
ReplyDeleteThat I do, Alka :-). I had given up baking after a series of disasters, but gradually thinks got better!
Delete