Buche de Noel
I made Buche de Noel, or yule log for Christmas dinner dessert. It was my first attempt at making it, and though I did not take the time to decorate this very much I think it turned out pretty good, a nice finish to the Christmas meal.
I had a lot of fun making Christmas dinner today because we all chipped in. My mom made homade bread the day before, and I made cranberry sauce last night. Then today I made the stuffing, turkey breast and gravy. My sister made roasted vegetables, and my brother in law made mashed potaotes. Yes, we sometimes got in each others way, but thankfully my kitchen is big enough we could all work together without too much trouble, and we had a lot of fun doing it :-)
and in case you were interested, here is the recipe I used for the Buche de Noel:
Ingredients:
Cake:
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons water
Filling:
1/2 pint whipped cream
2 tablespoons icing (confectioners') sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peperment extract
Icing:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups icing (confectioners') sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peperment extract
Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan, and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper.
Mix flour, soda, and salt together.
Beat eggs in a small mixer bowl at high speed, until thick and light - about 5 minutes
Gradually add the sugar, and beat until thick.
Melt the chocolate and water together, and add to the egg mixture.
Fold in the dry ingredients, and mix gently but thoroughly.
Spread in prepared pan, and bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Remove from oven and turn out immediately onto a tea towel that has been sprinkled generously with icing sugar.
Remove waxed paper, and trim of any crisp edges of the cake.
Begin at the narrow end, and roll up the cake and the tea towel together. Allow to cool
Filling:
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Stir in icing sugar, vanilla, peperment extract and whip until stiff.
Unroll the cake when cool, and spread the top with the whip cream.
Re-roll, without the towel.
Cut a thin slice off of each end of the roll, to make them even.
Icing:
Soften butter. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and of good spreading consistency.
Use the centres of the ends you sliced off the cake to make "bumps on the log": Use a little of the icing to affix the bump to the side of the cake - one on each side.
Ice the entire cake with the icing, including the ends and the bumps.
Run a fork along the icing so that it resembles tree bark.
Sprinkle with icing sugar, and decorate with holly or other Christmas decoration leaves.
Store in refrigerator.
I had a lot of fun making Christmas dinner today because we all chipped in. My mom made homade bread the day before, and I made cranberry sauce last night. Then today I made the stuffing, turkey breast and gravy. My sister made roasted vegetables, and my brother in law made mashed potaotes. Yes, we sometimes got in each others way, but thankfully my kitchen is big enough we could all work together without too much trouble, and we had a lot of fun doing it :-)
and in case you were interested, here is the recipe I used for the Buche de Noel:
Ingredients:
Cake:
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons water
Filling:
1/2 pint whipped cream
2 tablespoons icing (confectioners') sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peperment extract
Icing:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups icing (confectioners') sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peperment extract
Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan, and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper.
Mix flour, soda, and salt together.
Beat eggs in a small mixer bowl at high speed, until thick and light - about 5 minutes
Gradually add the sugar, and beat until thick.
Melt the chocolate and water together, and add to the egg mixture.
Fold in the dry ingredients, and mix gently but thoroughly.
Spread in prepared pan, and bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Remove from oven and turn out immediately onto a tea towel that has been sprinkled generously with icing sugar.
Remove waxed paper, and trim of any crisp edges of the cake.
Begin at the narrow end, and roll up the cake and the tea towel together. Allow to cool
Filling:
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Stir in icing sugar, vanilla, peperment extract and whip until stiff.
Unroll the cake when cool, and spread the top with the whip cream.
Re-roll, without the towel.
Cut a thin slice off of each end of the roll, to make them even.
Icing:
Soften butter. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and of good spreading consistency.
Use the centres of the ends you sliced off the cake to make "bumps on the log": Use a little of the icing to affix the bump to the side of the cake - one on each side.
Ice the entire cake with the icing, including the ends and the bumps.
Run a fork along the icing so that it resembles tree bark.
Sprinkle with icing sugar, and decorate with holly or other Christmas decoration leaves.
Store in refrigerator.