Buche De Noel - French Yule Log

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In France the traditional Christmas dessert is the Buche de Noel, This delectable rolled cake symbolizes the yule log which used to be carried in ceremoniously to burn all the twelve days of Christmas.
This dessert is not difficult to make and can be assembled well in advance

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  • 16

Ingredients

  • BASIC CHOCOLATE SPONGE SHEET CAKE:
  • 5 eggs (separated)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 c confectioners sugar
  • 3 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • CREAM FILLING:
  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • CHOCOLATE ICING:
  • Use your favorite recipe
  • BUTTER CREAM ICING:
  • Use your favorite recipe
  • Decorating bag
  • Tube 17
  • Red Food Coloring
  • Green Food Coloring

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Beat 5 egg whites until they are foamy
Add 1/8 tsp each of salt and cream of tartar
Continue to beat the whites until they are stiff but not dry.
2. Sift together 1 cup confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa and tablespoon flour. In a separate bowl, Beat 5 egg yolks with 1 tsp vanilla until they are thick and light.
3. Gently fold about one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour back into bowl of remaining egg whites.
4. Sift the cocoa mixture on top and fold the batter together until it is blended and uniform in color.
5. Grease a 10" X 15" or 12" X 18" jelly roll pan. Line it with wax paper and butter the paper.
6. Pour the batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed and is golden, in a 400 degree oven.
7. Spread out a dampened dish towel, cover it with a dry towl and dust it lightly with confectioners sugar. As soon as cake is baked, remove it from oven and invert on towel, waxed paper on top. Do not remove waxed paper. Roll cake tightly in towel to an 18" cylinder, and allow to cool.
8. Carefully unroll chocolate sponge cake and peel off waxed paper. Trim off any crusty edges and spread cake thinly with Cream Filling.

CREAM FILING:
9. Whip 1 cup heavy cream and flavor it with 2 tbsp confictioners sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.
10. Reroll, transfer the cake to a serving platter or cake roll board and refrigerate one-half hour. Cake is now ready to decorate.

CHOCOLATE ICING:
11. Make up chocolate icing using your favorite recipe.

BUTTER CREAM ICING:
12. Make up butter cream icing using your favorite recipe.

ASSEMBLING THE BUCHE
13. Spread a thin layer of the chocolate icing over the top of the roll.
14. Place remaining chocolate icing in decorating bag fitted with tube number 17 and pipe long horizontal lines on log to resemble bark. Stop pressure at end of each line to make clean edges.
15. Fill another bag with butter cream icing fitted with tube number 17 and pipe spirals over ends of cake, starting at center and working out filling ends.
16. Color a small amount of the butter cream icing green and make large leaves placing on a piece of waxed paper. Color a small amount of the butter cream icing red and make large berry like circles in center of leaves. Refrigerate the leaves/berries until set.
17. Attach set leaves and berries to log with dots of icing.
18. Refrigerate until serving time.

Enjoy!

Serves 16.

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