Bûche de Noël deux fois...

We did the yule log for Epiphany this year. Dinner, followed by chocolate yule log filled with chocolate mousse, and frosted with praline frosting, followed up by the burning of the Christmas trees. M & E both got the beans this year... double-lucky!

Then, a couple days later, I did a second yule log chocolate roll, filled with mousse, covered in sweetened whipped cream and decorated with chocolate fondant.

Bûche de Noël

My sister-in-law knows that we do a Bûche de Noël every year, and so she sent me a photo from Bon Appetit, and I just had to make their version for this year. Here's the recipe online, and I especially love the meringue mushrooms!  

Cheers!!!

Yule Log 2015

I used the Heavenly Cake Roll recipe again from Smitten Kitchen this year, and some marzipan fruit that I had in the cupboard, plus a sprinkling of mini M&M's. The kids were uninterested in helping as they had a bevy of friends over for NYE.

It was tasty as usual.

Bûche de Noël... Yule Log 2014

Bûche de Noël 2012

I've been meaning to try the flour-less chocolate cake roll from Smitten Kitchen since I spotted it on Deb's blog, then I decided that it would be perfect for our annual Bûche de Noël. We've been doing them for about five years now, and the kids love to help (especially with the candy decorating...) 

The verdict? This "Heavenly Chocolate Roll" is divine – rich chocolate that's light as air, delicious cream filling with just the right amount of sweetness. Really nice, much less rich than other recipes from year's past, and it turned out looking like a pretty log without any frosting at all! 

Enjoy! 

Heavenly Chocolate Roll 

(adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen)

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbs. hot water
6 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Spray parchment-lined jelly-roll pan with baking spray, preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Melt the chips in the microwave on 1/2-power for about 90 seconds, stir, 30 seconds more with hot water, stir and let sit to cool slightly. Beat egg yolks until pale and creamy, then slowly add in sugar and keep beating until "pale and ribbony." Eventually, add the melted, cooled chocolate. 

Meanwhile, beat the 6 egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form, then add 1/4 into the yolk/chocolate mixture. When combined, fold the rest of the whites into the yolk/chocolate mixture, then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 15-17 mins. until soft and dry, but pick comes out clean. May seem undercooked. 

Remove from oven to cooling rack (in pan) and cover with a damp towel (I sprinkled mine with 360-degree Double Chocolate vodka), and let cool 10 mins. Remove towel and sprinkle with:

1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder (sift over the cake), cover with towel and flip over, then sift another 

1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa over the other side 

Then, use the towel (re-sprinkled with water or vanilla or... Double Chocolate vodka) to roll the cake up. I rolled it lengthwise to get a longer, thinner roll, but rolling from the short side would be excellent with this recipe). Let cool (rolled up in the towel) until you're ready to fill.  

Filling: 

1 c. whipping cream
3-4 Tbs. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. Double Chocolate vodka

Beat all ingredients until it holds stiff peaks.

Carefully transfer the cooled roll to a serving plate, fill with cream and decorate festively! Happy New Year!! 

Bûche de Noël - 2011

Key-lime filled, tinted-whipped-cream frosted jelly-roll Bûche de Noël this year for 2011. I decorated it solo, since the kids were busy playing games with Grammy, Ukki and Papa.

It really is the very best recipe for a jelly roll, is from Daisy Martinez, and rolls nicely from either the short or long end (I used the long end for the Yule Log). I also trim the sides before rolling, which makes everything nice and neat.

Bûche de Noël - 2010

Madeline helped decorate the Bûche de Noël this year, and enjoyed making the snow on it very much. We also decorated with a small leaf cookie cutter cut-outs of sugar-cookie flavored holiday Peeps (got two leaves from each Peep), candy berries, M&M's and fresh Lady Apples. I used the usual recipe this year, but replaced the crushed candy canes with finely chopped candied orange peel. It was fabulous.

Bûche de Noël - 2009

Here's what my Bûche de Noël would've looked like without the kids' decorating help, but Madeline pointed out that it needed more, so off we went with me teaching them how to make mushrooms out of mini marshmallows (there's a "Martha" Mama moment for ya!).

Anyway, last year and this year I used this recipe and it's excellent. I had chocolate peppermint candy canes this year (which Erik smashed in a Ziploc with a hammer) and I didn't have powdered sugar, so I used Baker's sugar (superfine) and it worked like a dream. Also used Scharffen Berger cocoa in the "frosting" this year (that Joel gave me for Christmas) which may account for the lighter color of this log.

The second Bûche de Noël is from last year (my first ever). And, the collage shows what the Yule Log looked like when the kids were done having decorating fun with it. Happy New Year!!

La Bûche de Noël

I finally made my first La Bûche de Noël (for New Year's Eve) and the kids utterly enjoyed the process. Madeline was licking the beater and E came in the kitchen. He started saying, "Oooohhh... ooooohhhh" excitedly, and I told M that I thought he might want to share the beater. She said, "OK" and pulled his pacifier out of his mouth and held the whisk out for him to try. He tossed his milk on the floor and dove right in. He was literally buzzing with happiness.
Later, after chilling time for the "log" as Joel called it, and a short hike and time at the playground for us, I assembled and decorated the La Bûche de Noël while everyone else in the house napped. Yep, I'm crazy. While my family slept, I fashioned tiny mushrooms out of mini marshmallows. It was fun. It's not really that bad. I did several other things too instead of napping, but this was the most fun. Here's the recipe, although I made some changes (two candy canes instead of five and 1 Tbs. of peppermint syrup). This recipe makes a lot of extra filling, so you could cut back on that (maybe just 1 cup of whipping cream), have to go to sleep now since E is finally settled again and it's way late, hmm... or way early I guess. Happy 2008!!