Buche de Noel or yule log cakes are made with a thin sponge cake rolled around a filling of whipped cream or jelly. They may look intimidating, but they’re surprisingly easy to put together with a little care. Traditionally, a Buche de Noel is decorated to look like a wooden log and is served at Christmas or Yule. But they’re delicious anytime.
On the Ingredients
- Dark chocolate has all kinds of proven health benefits dark chocolate. For instance, did you know that chocolate is actually very nutritious? A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains something like 11 grams of fiber, 67% of the RDI for iron, 58% of the RDI for magnesium, 89% of the RDI for copper, 98% of the RDI for manganese. It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Chocolate is also a powerful antioxidant, filled with organic compounds like polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins. Some studies show chocolate may help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. There’s also a possibility that it reduces the risk of heart disease. Heck, dark chocolate might even make you smarter because cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can improve brain function in the short term.
- Eggs are one of the true superfoods of the world. They’re highly nutritious and have been a significant part of the human diet since the dawn of our species. In fact, some of the nutrients found in eggs, like choline, are rare in other foods in most modern diets. They’re rich in vitamin A, folate, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin B12, riboflavin (vitamin B2), phosphorus, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B6, calcium, and zinc. Eggs are high in cholesterol but don’t adversely affect blood cholesterol. In fact, they raise DHL, the good cholesterol. (More on the health benefits)
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
You can add other flavors to this as well by changing up the filling. You could make the whipped cream coffee flavored by adding powdered coffee granules or caramel by stirring in caramel. Raspberry or other fruit compote can be added in a layer. You can get very creative and make it your own.
Classic Chocolate Bûche De Noël with Meringue Mushrooms
Servings
12
servingsPrep time
40
minutesCooking time
1
hour20
minutesTotal time
2
hoursBuche de Noel or yule log cakes are made with a thin sponge cake rolled around a filling of whipped cream or jelly. They may look intimidating, but they’re surprisingly easy to put together with a little care. Traditionally, a Buche de Noel is decorated to look like a wooden log and is served at Christmas or Yule. But they’re delicious anytime.
Ingredients
- Cake ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs (separated at room temp)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Filling ingredients
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
- Meringue Mushroom ingredients
4 egg whites
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp chocolate chips
- Ganache ingredients
6 oz dark semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
- Special equipment
12” x 17” baking pan
parchment paper
cooking spray
pastry bag with .25-inch round tip
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 12” x 17” baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper, ensuring a nonstick surface for the cake.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Using a hand or standing mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add 1/2 cup of sugar a little at a time, beating together on high speed for 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to another bowl, and use the same bowl to combine the egg yolks, the rest of the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat together on high for 3-4 minutes until they are thick and light in color.
- Add half the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture and beat on low for 10 seconds. Add the other half and beat on low for another 10 seconds. Add half the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Repeat with the remaining half. Do not over-mix the batter, it must be light and fluffy.
- Evenly spread the batter across the prepared pan. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly poked. Do not overbake the cake, or it will crack when you attempt to roll it. While the cake bakes, place a clean, thin kitchen towel slightly larger than the cake on a clean, dry work surface. Once the cake comes out of the oven, quickly run a knife along the edge and carefully invert the warm cake onto the towel. Peel the parchment paper off the cake. Starting with the narrow end, slowly and gently roll the cake and towel tightly. Allow the cake to cool entirely, rolled up in the towel (about 3 hours).
- Prepare the meringue mushrooms while the cake cools. Preheat the oven to 210° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and the meringue is glossy. Scoop the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a .25-inch round tip. To make the stems, hold the pastry bag perpendicular to the baking sheet. Start piping gently, forming a stem’s base, then lift the bag while squeezing. Make them around 1-inch tall. For the mushroom caps, keep holding the piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet and smoothly squeeze the bag. Push the meringue into a simple round shape. Once the perfect shape is obtained, stop squeezing and slowly remove the bag off to the side to avoid creating a peak on top. The caps should be around 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Be sure to have the same number of stems and caps. Dust the mushroom caps with cocoa powder to give them an authentic look, and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Carefully free them from the parchment. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water. Use a butter knife to carefully make a shallow hole in the bottom of the mushroom caps. Dip the stem’s tip in the melted chocolate and insert it into the hole. Let the chocolate harden. Repeat with each mushroom.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, place the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat on high until you have a fluffy whipped cream. Carefully unroll the cake, remove the towel, and spread the whipped cream evenly across the top, leaving 1-inch bare around the edges. Carefully roll the cake again with the whipped cream creating a spiral. It will spread towards the edges as you roll. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Put the chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat the cream on the stovetop until it’s hot, but do not let it boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Mix the melted chocolate and cream until you have a smooth ganache. Place the ganache in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until it has thickened enough to spread like frosting.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and slice a diagonal piece from one end, about 1 inch on one end and 3 inches on the other. Place the slice on the side of the cake, so it looks like a branch. Frost the outside of the cake with the ganache, creating a rough texture like bark. Decorate the outside with mint leaves or rosemary. The recipe for the meringue mushrooms can be found on our blog.
