Recette : Bûche de Noël

Traditional French winter holiday cake

Yule Log

Rolled sponge cake

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powdered
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Powdered sugar for towel

Supplies:

• Jelly roll cake pan (1" deep)
• Grease (or PAM - spray grease)
• Wax paper
• Small bowl
• Medium bowl
• Kitchen towel (new, if possible)
• Electric mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees

1. After having greased the pan lightly, line jelly roll pan with waxed paper that is an inch longer than the pan. Then grease the waxed paper...or use PAM - spray grease.
2. In a small mixer bowl, beat eggs about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Pour eggs into medium mixer bowl; gradually beat in the sugar. On low speed, blend in water and vanilla. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt beating just until the batter is smooth.
3. Pour cake batter into the greased/wax paper lined cake pan spreading the batter to the corners.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until wooden pick in the center comes out clean.
5. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar on the new kitchen towel (to lay out the cake when done).
6. When cake is done, lift it out of the pan by wax paper edge and turn it over onto the sugared towel. Carefully peel back the wax paper and trim off any thin edges on the cake. Throw out the wax paper.
7. While the cake is still hot, roll the cake and towel from the narrow end. Cool on a rack or store in a sealed plastic bag until ready to frost. When ready to frost, slowly unroll the cake (it will usually remain somewhat rolled) and remove the towel carefully. Put the towel in wash that is separate from general kitchen towels and when clean store it separately for the next time you bake this cake. (Reduce oven to 200 degrees).
   

Frosting

Meringue italienne

Ingredients:

• 2 small egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Supplies:

• Mixer
• Medium size bowl
• Small heavy saucepan
• Cover for the pan

NOTE: The egg whites should be beaten and the sugar syrup cooked at approximately the same time. You will need an electric beater for the egg whites. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl and then put them in a medium size bowl before gradually adding the sugar syrup.

Part 1:

1. Beat the egg whites at moderate speed for a moment until they begin to foam
2. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat at fast speed until the egg whites form stiff peaks when lifted in a spoon or spatula.

Part 2:

1. Place sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and set over high heat.
2. Swirl pan - do not stir - gently until sugar has dissolved completely and liquid is clear.
3. Cover the pan and boil rapidly, without stirring, for a moment of two; condensing steam falls from the cover, preventing the formation of crystals.
4. Uncover pan when bubble begin to thicken, and boil rapidly to the soft-ball stage (about 238) (about 5 to 10 minutes on high heat).

Part 3:

1. One person beats the egg whites at moderately slow speed while the other person pours a thin stream of the sugar syrup onto the whites (careful not to spill syrup onto the beaters).
2. Continue beating at high speed for at least 5 minutes, until mixture is cool. It will be satin smooth, and form stiff peaks when lifted with a spoon.

NOTE: Save 1/4 cup of this mixture for making decorative mushrooms.

Crème au beurre à la meringue

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup chocolate (6 oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter softened
  

Supplies:

• Small lightweight sauce pan
• Electric fry pan with hot water (or double boiler)
• Wire whip or mixer

1. Unwrap the chocolate and put it in the small dish. Bing the dish to the kitchen and gradually melt it by putting the dish in the microwave one minute at a time. Lightly press on it to see it is melted.
2. Add the chocolate to the meringue italienne mixture and then add the rum and vanilla.
3. Beat in the butter.
4. Chill this butter cream chocolate frosting (Crème au beurre à la meringue) until of easy spreading consistency.
   

Meringue mushrooms (decorations)

As soon as the cake is done reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees

1. Lightly butter a small baking sheet, roll flour over the surface and knock off the excess.
2. Force the reserved meringue mixture (1/4 cup of meringue italienne) through the pastry tube (or a small baggie) with a 3/16 inch opening. Make 1/2 inch domes for mushroom caps and 1 1/2 inch stems. You should have about 6-8 of each.
3. Bake for 40 minutes until you hear the meringues crackle softly. Remove them carefully and store them in a bowl until decorating the cake.

NOTE: To avoid softening of the mixture, bake the meringue mushroom pieces as soon as possible.

Filling, frosting and decorating the Bûche de Noël

1. Carefully unroll the cake to avoid breaking it. Carefully shake the powder from the towel into the trash and then put the towel in the designated laundry sack.
2. Spread half the frosting on the unrolled cake. Roll it up after frosting it by starting at the narrow end as when you rolled it to cool it. Cut off the two ends on the bias (at an angle) to give the appearance of a sawed log.
3. Transfer the cake to a serving plate before frosting the outside.
4. Assemble the meringue mushrooms by gently rolling each piece in a small bowl of cocoa to slightly color them. Then for each mushroom gently pierce a hole in the bottom of each of the little caps, put in a little frosting in the hole and put the stem in the hole. Set aside until cake is frosted.
5. For branches put a thick swirl of frosting on a few spots and add the sawed edges to a side. Then use the rest of the frosting to frost the entire cake leaving the ends unfrosted.
6. Using a fork, design the frosting to look like bark.
7. Put the meringue mushrooms in the cake in places you would find them on a real log.
8. Just before serving use a fork to sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the log to give it a snowy effect.
9. It should serve 10-12 people.