Buche de Noel Cake Recipe

Buche de Noel Cake Recipe Instructions

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 ½ tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• cooking spray/oil
• 1 tbsp powder sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cocoa powder to unmould

• 3 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar

• 1 stick butter at room temperature
• 10.5 oz. chocolate - 50 % cacao, chopped
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

• 5 oz. 50% cacao chocolate, grated

• 1 egg white
• 4 tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven at 380F.
2. Butter a large rectangular pan and line it with parchment.  Brush the parchment with butter. Reserve.
3. With an electric hand mixer whip the eggs with the sugar and salt until they are very pale and thick. Add the maple syrup, mixing slowly with a wire whisker. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture, and mix very gently. Pour the dough on the prepared pan and  spread evenly with a silicone spatula.
4. Bake for 7-10 minutes.  If you can easily lift the dough off the parchment, then it's ready. If you can't, leave it 3 minutes more. When it is easy to lift, the dough is cooked.
5. Have a parchment sheet ready on a working surface, covered with the mix of powder sugar and powder cacao. Place the dough top and take the parchment off. Roll the dough on the longer side, then wrap in film and reserve. 
6. For the filling, beat the heavy cream and sugar together until thick
7. Unwrap and unroll the dough, spread the good amount of the filling evenly, and roll again. Cut off 1/3 of the roll on a diagonal angle - this will be the branch that juts out-  and place the long roll on a platter.
8. Use 2 tbsp. of whipped cream to "stick" the short "branch" on the side of the long one, forming the classic yule log shape. Cover with plastic film.
9. For the frosting, whip the butter until creamy and reserve. Divide the cream into two parts; whip one part until thick but smooth and reserve. Heat the other half of the cream, without boiling it. Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl, and pour the cream over it, mixing until melted. Once warm but not hot, pour in the butter, mix to incorporate, then add the whipped cream.  Reserve in the fridge for 15 minutes.
10. Take the frosting and spread over the yule log. With the tines of a fork, make marks to give the look of bark. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate and decorate. You can make one day ahead and keep the fridge.

1. With an electric hand mixer beat the egg white until stiff, then add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until you obtain a very white and stiff meringue.
2. Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Place the meringue in a piping bag with a round tip (about 3/8") pipe rounds for the mushroom heads. For the stems, pipe up so that it looks like an elongated candy kiss or cone, about 1 inch high. Play around with different shapes so that you have mushrooms of different heights.
3. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until dry. Let cool, then assemble the mushrooms by spreading a bit of melted chocolate at the bottom of the rounds. Gently press together rounds and stems, and place upside down on a baking sheet to dry and the chocolate to set.