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Community Corner

Chef Recipe: Buche de Noel, a French Christmas Tradition

You can make this Christmas Yule log cake this holiday season.

In many parts of Europe, especially in France and Germany, the Christmas season begins the first week of December with the Christmas Markets, or Marche de Noel  as they are called in France. The main square of towns and cities (Strasbourg, France, holds one of the largest Marche de Noel) are taken over by rows of stalls and booths selling all manner of Christmas fare, from ornaments to baked goods. And this is where you will find many varieties of Buche de Noel, the Yule log cake traditionally served during the Christmas season in France.

Besides different flavors, one can find cakes decorated with fanciful marzipan characters, meringue mushrooms, marzipan ivy, sprays of spun sugar holly, and sugar-glazed Santa Claus figures. At Mirabelle the Buche de Noel is always a favorite Christmas cake. Here is my version. Merry Christmas!

BÛCHE DE NOËL a la Chef Guy Reuge

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(Christmas Yule Log Cake)

Spongecake ingredients:

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  • 8 ounces egg yolks
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ounces sugar
  • 4 ounces egg whites
  • 3 ounces sifted bread flour

Method:

Using an electric mixer such as a Kitchenaid fitted with a whisk, whip the yolks and 1 ½ ounces of sugar until the mixture forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, whip the egg whites with the mixer until they form soft peaks and add the remaining sugar. Slowly fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. Finally, fold in the cake flour.

Cover a sheet tray with parchment paper, grease it, and spread the batter evenly. Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes, until the sponge feels just cooked under your finger.

Unmold the sponge cake onto another sheet of same-size parchment paper and cover the top with a dampened cloth dishtowel. Let the spongecake cool completely.

Chocolate Chestnut Ganache ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 1 ½ ounces corn syrup
  • 1 ½ ounces butter
  • 1 pound dark chocolate (Valhrona Manjari preferred), broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 9 ounces canned chestnut cream

Method:

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the cream, corn syrup, and butter and bring the liquid to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir the chestnut cream into the chocolate mixture and let the chocolate chestnut ganache cool to room temperature.

Mocha Butter Cream ingredients:

  • 6 ounces sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 5 egg whites
  • ½ ounce sugar
  • 1 pound softened butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon coffee extract or instant coffee

Method:

In a heavy saucepan add sugar and water and cook the sugar syrup to 243 degrees.

During this time, using an electric mixer such as a Kitchenaid, beat the whites with ½ ounce sugar until the whites hold soft peaks. Keep the machine running on fast speed and slowly incorporate the hot sugar syrup. Fold in the butter in small batches and add the vanilla and coffee extracts. Reserve the butter cream.

Assemblage:

Remove the towel from over the sponge cake and spread the chocolate chestnut ganache evenly on it. Roll the cake horizontally, making sure that the parchment paper is not rolled in it but over it. Refrigerate the roll until it is set and cold.

Cut each end of the roll on a bias and reserve the pieces. Cover the cake with the reserved butter cream. Place the 2 end pieces strategically on the cake in order to resemble a log and cover them with butter cream as well. Take a fork and dip it into a cup of hot water for a few seconds and make markings on log to resemble bark on a tree.

Garnish the Christmas log with meringue mushrooms, oak leaves made from marzipan, and any other fanciful edible decorations appropriate, and sprinkle the log with cocoa and powder sugar.

Serves 6 to 8.

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