French Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel)

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How to Make Buche de Noel - French Yule Log Cake

Time:
Complexity: hard

The French Yule log cake has enjoyed a well-deserved popularity since the early 19th century. The recipe was developed by the renowned Parisian patisserie Laduree. There are probably a million variations of this cake in France, but they all share three basic components: the base (an unusual roll), the filling, and the icing.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Glaze

Semi-sweet chocolate – 340 grams
Butter - 8 tbsp.
Heavy cream - 2/3 cup

Meringue

Sugar – 10 tbsp.
Water - 1/4 cup
Egg whites - 2 pieces
Citric acid - 2 pinches
A pinch of salt
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp.
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup

Roll

Softened butter - 2 tbsp.
Bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped) – 230 g.
Heavy cream - 1 tbsp.
Egg whites – 7 pieces
Sugar - 2 tbsp.
Dark rum – 2 tbsp.

Filling

Semi-sweet chocolate – 100 gr.
Sugar - 6 tbsp.
Egg yolks – 3 pieces
Butter - 12 tbsp.

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, cream, eggs, cream of tartar, vanilla extract, cocoa, powdered sugar, rum

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preparing the roll.

Preheat oven to 190 C. Line a 35 x 25 cm baking pan with parchment paper and grease with butter.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream, crumble in the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Cool.

Beat the egg whites until foamy, add sugar, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix with the chocolate mixture.
Spread the batter evenly over the pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
Preparing the glaze.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, then remove from heat. Let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the glaze thickens (do not refrigerate).
Preparing the meringue.

Preheat oven to 200 C.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water, cover, and bring to a boil. Uncover and continue cooking for about 4 minutes.
Using a whisk or mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy, add citric acid and salt, and beat until the mixture begins to form stiff peaks.
Slowly pour the cooled sugar syrup into the whites, add vanilla, and continue beating until shiny.
Using a pastry bag, pipe mushroom cap and stem shapes (of various sizes) onto parchment paper. Let sit for 5 minutes. Bake the meringue for about an hour. Turn off the oven and let the meringue cool in the oven until dry and crisp (one hour).
Cut a hole in the center of the mushroom cap, coat the stem with icing, and push it onto the cap. Dust with cocoa powder. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
Preparing the filling.

Melt the chocolate in a water bath, add sugar and cook until dissolved.
Beat the yolks until pale yellow (3 minutes), add the softened butter, continue beating until thickened and smooth.
Mix with chocolate and set aside.
Assembling the Yule Log.

Place the sponge cake on parchment paper, drizzle with rum, add the filling, and smooth it out. Grasp the edge of the parchment paper and carefully roll it up, turning it toward you and peeling off the paper.
To form the stumps, you need to cut off pieces (diagonally) from the Yule log.
Place the Yule log on a serving platter and carefully spread the glaze over it, using a spoon to imitate tree bark. Garnish with mushrooms and dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!