Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel) Foodie Friday
Rolled, filled cake can be served any time of the year but is special at Christmas time when made to look like a Yule Log.
Buche de Noel (Yule Log) (Prep. time about 1 hour. Serves 12 more or less, literally depending on how you slice it)
Yellow cake mix
6 eggs (twice what the instructions on the box call for)
½ C. water
½ C. vegetable oil
8 oz. heavy cream
1 C. confectioner’s sugar
¼ C. cocoa
Chocolate butter cream frosting
Preheat oven to 350. Line a sheet pan with parchment, spray with no-stick cooking spray and dust with flour or a little cocoa. Chill the metal mixing bowl and whisk beater in the freezer while you make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs for five minutes to incorporate as much air as possible in the eggs. Stir in the water and vegetable oil. Fold in the cake mix until the dry is totally combined with the wet. Spread the batter evenly in the sheet pan. Bake about 10 to 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set on a rack until it is cool enough to touch. Place a clean towel on the counter or on top of an inverted second sheet pan. Gently roll the cake long-ways around the towel, being careful not to press too firmly, and set aside to cool. While the cake continues to cool, get the cold mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer and attach to a stand mixer or electric mixer. Pour in the heavy cream and beat on high until the cream forms stiff peaks. Slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa on low. Refrigerate if the cake isn’t cool yet. When the cake is cool, carefully unroll it. Remove the towel and place cake on a serving platter. * Spread the cocoa cream inside the cake and carefully re-roll, again, without pressing too firmly. With the cake totally cool you can Ice everything but the ends with the chocolate butter cream. Use the tines of a fork to make the grain of the bark in the frosting. *If you want some branches on the sides of the log, cut a thin strip from the end of the cake before spreading the cocoa cream and save a little of the filling for the branches. Once the main log is iced, spread the filling on the pieces for the branches and roll those pieces up. You may have to cut one end at an angle for a smooth attachment to the log. Ice the branches and make the bark texture with the fork, making sure the grain of the bark is consistent with direction of the bark on the Yule Log.)
Sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve over the cake to simulate snow. Decorate around the cake with cranberries, artificial holly or other greens (some real plants are toxic.)
Merry Christmas!
(Other times of the year, you can spread jam in the middle of the cake and serve it with no icing but powdered sugar sprinkled heavily on top or frosting without the bark texture and serve it as a jelly roll. Feel free to use any flavor of cake and complementary flavors of jelly or jam.)