Title: Buche de Noel
Ingredients:
- 1/2 butter
- 4 sugar
- 1 1/2 water
- 3/4 rum
- 8 instant coffee crystals
- 2 hot water
- 2 powdered sugar
- 1 flour
- 1 cocoa powder
- 1/2 cornstarch
- 1 1/2 butter
- 2 1/2 eggs
- 1 sugar
- 3 powdered sugar
- 1 1/2
Instructions:
1. In addition to the ingredients, you will need a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan, parchment paper, and a clean white flour-sack towel.
2. Put the jellyroll pan on a flat countertop and make sure that it is not warped; if you can wiggle it, bend it flat, otherwise the cake will burn.
3. Starting with the filling, cream the 2 sticks of butter until light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are pale in color.
5. Combine the 1 1/2 cup sugar with the 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan.
6. Stir to dissolve, then cook without stirring until it reaches 230 degrees (or until it forms a small thread off of a spoon).
7. While beating the yolks, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup in and beat until thick and cool (~5minutes).
8. Beat the eggs into the creamed butter until smooth and uniform, then add the rum (You can replace the rum with 1/2 tbs almond extract and 1 1/2 tbs water).
9. Set aside 1/4 cup of the buttercream mixture in a small bowl.
10. Blend the instant coffee with the hot water, and stir into the 1/4 cup of buttercream.
11. Add the cup of powdered sugar slowly until the coffee buttercream is spreadable and not runny.
12. Melt the chocolate and blend it into the large bowl of buttercream.
13. Put both the chocolate and the coffee buttercreams in the refridgerator to chill.
14. Now, on to the cake!
15. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
16. Line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper; use a little butter to stick it to the pan and lightly grease the paper.
17. Sift the flour, cocoa, and cornstarch together.
18. Melt the butter.
19. Beat the 3 eggs briefly, then add the sugar.
20. Continue to beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the mixture.
21. Gently fold in the flour first, then the butter (Don't try to make it perfectly smooth; you want some air still in the mixture).
22. Pour into the jelly roll pan and spread to the edges.
23. Bake for 5-8 minutes; the top should spring back when pressed with a finger.
24. Spread the flour-sack towel on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
25. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake, then invert it onto the towel.
26. Remove the pan and the parchment paper.
27. Fold the towel up over the cake and roll the cake along the long side (you want a long, thin roll instead of a short fat one).
28. Set it seam side down to cool.
29. When the cake is cool (~30minutes) unroll it gently, remove the towel from the inside surface, and spread half of the cooled chocolate buttercream over the inside surface.
30. Roll the cake up tightly (without the towel), wrap it in tin foil, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
31. Slide waxed or parchment paper over a serving platter and place the cake on the paper (the paper prevents frosting smudges on the platter).
32. Slice off both ends of the cake and reserve.
33. Frost the cake with most of the remaining chocolate buttercream.
34. Do not frost the ends.
35. Use a fork to add"bark ridges.
36. "Put the ends of the cake somewhere along the long axis and frost the sides (the idea is to look like stubs of branches).
37. Use the coffee buttercream to frost the ends of the log and branches.
38. If you really want to get fancy, make mushrooms.
39. Use my meringues recipe (#33411).
40. In addition to domed meringues, make small pillars to be the"stems.
41. "When cooked, push"stems" into"caps.
42. "Dust with cinnamon and push into the frosting.