Bûche de Noël/Yule Log Cake~ Baking Partners Challenge

Bûche de Noël/Yule Log Cake 

Baking partners challenge for this month is Christmas Cake.When  Swathi announced Bûche de Noël/Yule Log Cake I was really excited about the challenge.This month’s recipes are suggested by Tanushree of Ma Niche.There are 5 recipes she found out for us. Four of them are Yule cake, and fifth one is Nicaraguan Christmas cake.
Every celebration is incomplete without a rich food tradition.Yule log as the name suggest is sweet roulade shaped and frosted to resemble a log. In France it is served during Christmas and Yule festival . The Yule festival is mid winter festival celebrated in Germany and the tradition extended even before the origin of Christianity. Later it become part of Christmas and the Yule log or the log cake become symbolic to ancient traditions and observance. This cake is delicious with a soft sponge roll, mocha flavor filling and a dark fudge frosting.

The recipe source is from here

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Dessert, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Simon & Schuster, 2002).

Ingredients:
For the cake:
For the Sponge Cake I used Faye Levy's recipe from the book Chocolate Sensations

All purpose flour- 6 tbs

Corn starch- 1/4 cup

Egg- 4 eggs+ 2 egg yolks

Sugar - 7 tbs

Orange zest-  1 tsp (grated)
Confectioners sugar for dusting

For the syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. dark rum or coffee-flavored liqueur

For the filling

Heavy cream- 2 cup

Cocoa powder-3 tbs

Brewed Coffee- 3 tbs

Sugar- 5 tbs

For the frosting:
 Whipping cream- 1/2 cup

Sugar- 5 tbs

Dark chocolate- 4 oz.

Unsalted butter- 4 oz/ 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp

For garnish
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting, grated chocolate
and Confectioners sugar for garnish

Directions:

To make the frosting

Combine cream and sugar in a heavy medium sauce pan. Cook over ow heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and the reduce heat to low medium and simmer for one more minute.

Remove from heat and allow to cool down a bit and add finely chopped dark chocolate and let it sit for two minutes. whisk the chocolate mixture till it is completely smooth . Chill this in the refrigerator until cool. Do not allow it to set. Cream butter till it is smooth and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture little by little (in three to four addition). Mix in vanilla and refrigerate the mixture till it is ready to be used.

 To make the filling combine heavy whipping cream, cocoa and brewed coffee and beat with a electric mixture till it starts thickening. Add sugar little by little and beat till stiff peaks are formed.  Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate.

To make the syrup heat  In a medium sauce pan bring water and sugar to boil  and allow to cool down and add coffee liqueur.

To make the sponge sheet cake

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease 15 1/2-by-10 1/2- or 17"x 11" rimmed baking sheet. Line with butter paper and butter it. Shift corn starch and flour and keep aside.Beat egg yolks and 5 tbs sugar till it is thick and pale. Add the flour and fold in gently. In a separate bowl whisk egg white, gradually increase speed and beat to soft peaks. Gradually add two tbs sugar and continue beating till it is triple volume and forms stiff peaks. Fold this egg white in three additions into the cake batter.. Transfer batter into prepared baking sheets and gently and evenly spread so that it reaches all the four sides of the pan.. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cake is just firm and springy to touch.

Meanwhile, lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sift confectioners sugar generously onto it, covering it evenly. When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and immediately run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Holding the cake in place, invert the pan onto the prepared towel. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the paper. Beginning on a long edge, roll up the cake and towel together. Set on a wire rack and let cool.

To assemble the bûche, unroll the cake and brush it lightly with the cooled syrup. Using an icing spatula, spread the filling mixture all over the cake . Gently re-roll the cake,beginning with the long end like a jelly roll, roll carefully and tightly to avoid holes in between the cake roll. Using a serrated knife, trim each end on a sharp angle. You can use these to make the side bark.Frost the top and sides of the roll with the butter cream  frosting, using long, rough strokes. make lines in the frosting with a spatula or a fork to resemble a bark.Transfer the cake to a serving plate and garnish with the chocolate curls, a sifting of confectioners sugar or with meringue mushrooms. Refrigerate for an hour before serving for the frosting to set.

Try this

Hope you will all enjoy!