I have
made Swiss rolls before, but I have never attempted to make a Buche de Noele.
This was a great recipe it took me ~2.5 hours from start to finish.
1.
Made cake batter and then spread on a jelly
roll pan which was lined with parchment paper
2.
Baked for 5 min 40 sec. Right after baking (within
2 min when warm), flipped the cake twice over so that the side that baked was
one top. That side is easier to roll. I placed the cake on a kitchen towel
sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and rolled it. I left it in the rolled
shape inside the towel with the seam at the bottom.
3.
After I first put the cake in the oven, I started
the making the sugared cranberries (see recipe below). I boiled simple syrup
and put cranberries for 15 min. Then laid out onto plate for ~ 1 hour. When
ready to use, tossed with sugar.
4.
While cranberries were soaking in simple syrup,
I made the frosting and put in fridge for 20-25 min. Just stirred it when took
out of fridge. I did not need to use a mixer.
5.
Made whipped filling and spread it onto the
cake. Then rolled the cake.
6.
Then cut one end of the cake off at a diagonal
(so 1 side is around 2 inches and the other is on inch). Put that to side of
the cake so it looked like a log.
7.
Frosted cake and then ran fork through top of
frosting. Tossed the cranberries with sugar. Decorated cake with sugared
cranberries and rosemary.
8.
Made the cake the night before and stored in
fridge
Bûche
de Noël Recipe (Yule Log Cake) - Mon Petit Four®
Ingredients
for the
cake
4 eggs,
yolks and whites separated
1/2 cup
sugar
1/4 cup
unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup
cake flour
1/2 tsp
instant coffee granules
1 tsp
baking powder
1/4 tsp
salt
for the
filling
1 cup
heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup
powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp
vanilla extract
for the
frosting
6 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup (need to weigh 6 oz instead of using 3/4 cup)
1.5 tbsp
softened unsalted butter
1 tsp
instant coffee granules
2/3 cup
heavy cream
1/2 tbsp
Kahlua
1/2 tsp
vanilla extract
cranberries
and rosemary for garnishing
Instructions
1.
Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a half
sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Cut a slit in the parchment paper in
each of the four corners of the pan so that the parchment paper lies completely
flat against the edges of the pan. Use office binder clips to clip the
parchment paper to the edges of the pan. Set aside.
2.
Drop the egg whites into the bowl of a stand
mixer. Whisk on high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, until wet, soft peaks
form. You want the whites to stay hanging on your whisk when they're held
upside down, but you don't want them so stiff and dry like you would for a
merengue (aim for softly curled tips). Temporarily set the whites aside.
3.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar
together until they're pale yellow. In a separate, smaller bowl, sift the cocoa
powder, cake flour, coffee granules, baking powder, and salt together. Add
these dry ingredients to the bowl containing the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk to
combine - batter will be VERY thick and hard to mix, but this is normal, so
just try your best to mix everything together.
4.
Add in half of the egg whites and use a rubber
spatula to gently fold the whites into the batter. You don't have to be extra
gentle at this point since you are merely trying to loosen up the batter with
the egg whites. Now, add the remaining half of egg whites and, this time, be
VERY gentle when folding the whites into the batter with your spatula; make
light, long folds.
5.
Pour the batter into you're prepared pan and
use your spatula to gently smooth out the batter. Don't tap the pan or move the
pan side to side - you don't want to ruin the air bubbles you created with the
whipped egg whites. Bake the cake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the cake springs
back when gently pressed by the tip of your finger (for me, it's always about 6
1/2 minutes in the oven). Let the cake slightly cool in the pan for 2 minutes -
no longer.
6.
Meanwhile, prepare a light kitchen/tea towel
by sprinkling powdered sugar all over it. Flip the cake out onto the towel and
very gently peel the parchment paper off inch by inch. Grab one of the short
sides of the cake and roll it towards the other short side, rolling the towel
with it as you go. Let the cake remain in this rolled shape until it's
completely cool. (Note: It’s important to do this while the cake is still warm
as the cake is still flexible at this point and this prevents the cake from cracking
or tearing as you roll it).
7.
Meanwhile, create the frosting by adding the
chocolate chips, coffee granules, kahlua, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract
to a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat until it’s hot but
not boiling (the edges should begin to simmer and steam should rise from the
cream). Pour this hot cream over the chocolate and contents in the bowl, then
use a spoon to stir the mixture together until it’s completely smooth. Cover
the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes - no longer.
8.
While the frosting chills, whip up your heavy
cream in your stand mixer on high speed for one minute, or until the folds of
the whisk start appearing in the cream. Add in the vanilla extract and the
powdered sugar and continue to whisk on high until the cream is thick like
frosting.
9.
Once your cake is cool, unroll your cake and
use an offset spatula to spread the whipped cream all over the surface, leaving
a very small border around the edges of the cake unfrosted. Gently roll the
cake back up just like you did before (minus the towel), with the seam side
facing down.
10.
Take a sharp knife and cut off a 2 inch slice
from one end of the cake, cutting at an angle so that one end of the slice is 2
inches and the other end is closer to 1 inch. Take this slice and place the
side of it that isn’t cut/exposed and attach it to the main cake log somewhere
near the middle of the log.
11.
Use a hand mixer to whisk the chilled frosting
for 15 to 25 seconds, or until you can see the whisk leaving indentations in
the frosting. Don’t whisk any longer than that as it’ll ruin the frosting. Use
a rubber spatula to smooth the frosting all over the cake log and it’s side
stump. It’s preferred that you don’t use an offset spatula as the rubber
spatula leaves nice streaks that make the cake look more like a log. Take a
fork and run it down the length of the cake log several times. Adorn the cake
with cranberries and rosemary for a more festive look.
Notes
If you
don't have kahlua, you can either leave it out or equally substitute with
brewed coffee.
How to Make
Sugared Cranberries - Sally's Baking Addiction (sallysbakingaddiction.com)
Ingredients
(made half of ingredients below)
1 cup
(100g) fresh cranberries (do not use frozen)
3/4 cup
(180ml) water
1 and 1/4
cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided
Instructions
1.
Place cranberries in a large heatproof bowl.
Set aside.
2.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat,
bring the water and 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar to a simmer, whisking until the
sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3.
Pour the sugar syrup over the cranberries and
stir. Cover the bowl and set aside for 15 minutes.
4.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a
silicone baking mat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries from the
sugar syrup and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to dry,
uncovered, for 1 hour. The cranberries will be quite sticky at this point.
5.
Pour remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar into a
large bowl. Toss the cranberries in the sugar, coating them all the way around.
Place the sugared cranberries on a parchment paper- or silicone baking
mat-lined baking sheet and let them dry uncovered for at least 1 hour at room
temperature or in the refrigerator.
6.
Store them lightly covered at room temperature
or in the refrigerator for a few days. If they start to look a little wet, toss
them in a little more sugar. Do not freeze the sugared cranberries because, as
they thaw, the sugar absorbs into the liquid.
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