"On n’éclaire les esprits qu’avec la flamme des bûchers, et la vérité ne saurait luire de sa propre lumière." "We enlighten the spirits only with the flame of stakes, and the truth could not gleam with its own light. " "L'Ingénu de Voltaire - VoltaireMost of you who read this blog are well aware that baking is my favorite sport and greatest passion. In honor of National Bake Day, held tomorrow on December 23rd, I wanted to share a recipe synonymous with enlightening the spirits. This year I chose the Buche de Noel not only because it is the perfect edible centerpiece for Christmas tables, but because the recipe was inspired by ancient solstice traditions.
Chocolate Buche de Noel
In ancient times, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with large bonfires and the log became a symbol of the festivities. With the advent of Christianity, the image fused with Christmas symbolism, and the Buche de Noel became the iconic French Christmas cake. You can omit the chocolate to make a vanilla cake, if you desire. If you are making the cake for the first time, I recommend preparing the frosting a day or so in advance, just to cut down on preparation on the day of baking.
Makes: 1 log
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
For Genoise Cake:
Butter, for greasing
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 recipe Mocha Buttercream Frosting
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Mocha Buttercream Frosting
Makes approximately 4 cups frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup organic unsalted
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cold espresso
4-6 tablespoons milk
Orange zest, for garnish, if desired
Chocolate or colored sprinkles, for garnish, if desiredChocolate covered espresso beans, for garnish, if desired
To prepare the Cake:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease and line a 12x9-inch jelly roll pan. Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture is very light and foamy (up to 10 minutes). Fold in the flour and cocoa. Pour into the pan and bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Turn out onto parchment paper sprinkled with sugar. Peel off the lining parchment paper. Roll up the cake in the parchment and allow to cool.
In the meantime, make the frosting:
Preparation of Frosting:
In a large bowl, mix butter, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa, vanilla, espresso, and 2 tablespoons of milk together until incorporated on low speed using electric beaters.
Increase speed to high and whip icing until it is smooth and glossy. If it seems too thick, add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
When sponge is cool, unroll it, spread it with 1/3 of the frosting, and roll back up.
Frost the cake and use a fork to make log marks. Sift powdered sugar over the top to resemble snow.
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