Buche de Noel (Christmas Yule Log)

I’ve been making this wonderful dessert for my family for at least the last 25 years. I have tried to find replacement recipes, but for my family nothing but this time- honored traditional cake will satisfy them. It’s a delicious dessert and you’re going to keep wanting more.

To start off, I would recommend making first one of each vanilla and chocolate sponge cakes. If you’re going to be feeding a larger crowd you can add as many logs as you like and just build it up.

I can’t tell you how many I make each year because each of my two married daughters ask for one for their homes for Christmas, in addition to the one I usually prepare for our Christmas eve dinner.

For a special treat get the kids involved in the decorating process and they probably won’t be able to resist having some of that delicious butter cream all on its own.

Merry Christmas!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup flour (for the chocolate  sponge cake substitute 1/4 cup flour for cocoa powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Whisk eggs until pale yellow in colour, add sugar then water and vanilla
• Add flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder if used, whisking slowly
• Line the tray (18 by 12 inch) with aluminum foil, pour the batter into the tray
• Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes or until springy to the touch
• Prepare a tea towel sprinkling it lightly with icing sugar through a sifter
• Turn the cake onto the tea towel then slowly peel off the aluminum foil
• Roll the cake with the tea towel from the larger side and leave it to cool

In the meantime prepare the buttercream:

• Mix 3/4 cups butter with 1 cup icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. For chocolate buttercream add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• When the cake is cooled, unroll it and spread the cream inside it, roll it again and cream the top as desired

Because we are a large family and most people will have several pieces of the Buche, I usually make about 5 yule logs and build them up as shown in the pics. Some of the logs will be chocolate sponge with vanilla buttercream filling, and others will be vanilla sponge with chocolate buttercream filling. Slice smaller pieces at a diagonal and add them to the sides of the larger logs to look like smaller branches. Drag the back of fork over the cream topping to create a rough surface. Decorate as you wish.

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT… BON APPETIT 🙂