Let's Go Traditional

The Buche de Noel is a traditional cake made in France at Christmas.  It is usually a thin sponge cake wrapped with a filling and frosted in chocolate, then decorated to look like a log.  That part I can handle.  In its über-traditional form, it also includes little meringue mushrooms.  I stay completely away from the mushrooms.  I’m not that great at plain meringue…I can’t imagine trying to make it look like any sort of object.

If you don’t mind working a little harder to impress, this cake is definitely worth the effort.  The cake is a great chocolate, and the filling is very creamy.  The chocolate frosting hardens while you’re refrigerating the cake - so don’t put it on too thick, or you won’t be able to cut it!

The next time I make it I think I’m going to cut the vanilla down by half because the vanilla flavor becomes almost too overpowering.  Also, since I made two of these this year, I’m making something easy next year.  Holly cookies, double chocolate mint chip cookies…I’m not sure what, but something easy.  This cake is not easy, even if it is totally worth it.

One more thing - make sure you start this cake a day before you need it because it has to be frozen overnight.  Also, finish it a few hours early the next day because it should be refrigerated up until the time you plan to slice it.  If it’s melted, it won’t slice worth a darn, and you’ll miss the great spiral shape of the cake.

Buche de Noel

For the cake:

1 c. cake flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 tbs. cocoa
1/3 c. boiling water
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ c. butter, softened
¼ c. vegetable shortening
1 c. granulated sugar, divided
2 eggs, separated
½ c. buttermilk

For the cream filling:

1 c. whipping cream
½ c. granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. butter, softened
½ c. whipping cream
Confectioners sugar

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 15”x10”x1” foil lined jellyroll pan.

2. For the cake, combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium mixing bowl.

3. In a small bowl, combine cocoa, water and vanilla, whisking until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening.  Gradually beat in ¾ c. + 2 tbs. sugar.
5. Beat in the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beginning with the flour mixture, alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk (three additions for the flour, two for the buttermilk), beating well after each addition.  Beat in the cocoa mixture until smooth.  I used a different cocoa for each cake I made.  One cocoa mixture was slightly runny, the other was really thick, and they still worked. 

6. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in the remaining 2 tbs. sugar until the mixture is stiff.  Fold ¼ of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture.  Carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture.  Pour the batter into the pan.  Smooth top of batter with a spatula – I prefer an offset spatula for tasks like this.  You can get them at your local craft store in the baking section, or you can find them here or here.

7. Bake 12-15 min. until the cake is slightly puffed and just begins to pull away from sides of pan.  The cake will be under done – in fact, mine never actually pulled away from the pan while it was in the oven.  It pulled away after I took it out.  Place the pan on wire rack to cool.

8. For the filling, beat cream, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. 

9. This is complicated, so pay attention: Using a knife, loosen the cake from the edges of the pan.  Butter and flour the bottom of a second jellyroll pan and place it on top of the cake in the first pan and invert cake onto the back of the second pan.  Peel off foil.  Line the original pan with another piece of foil or parchment paper and then butter and flour it.  Invert cake again into the original pan so the cake is right side up. 

10. Spread the cream filling over the cake, leaving a 1” border around the edges of the cake.  Beginning with one long edge, roll the cake up.  Wrap cake tightly with aluminum foil and freeze overnight. 

11. For the glaze, melt chocolate chips in top of a double boiler over warm water.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Beat in butter and cream.  Allow mixture to sit at room temperature until slightly thickened. 

12. Remove the cake from freezer and unwrap.  Place cake, seam side down, on a wire rack over wax paper.  Pour glaze over cake using a spatula to spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake.  Carefully transfer cake to serving platter.  Gently pull a fork over the top and sides of the cake to resemble bark.  Refrigerate until serving time.
13. Before serving, sprinkle cake with confectioner’s sugar to look like snow.  Makes 10-12 servings officially, but I think it more like 15-18.  This is one rich cake.