Hey did you know today is the winter solstice? My friend told me that yesterday and I feel like it works out perfectly with this post. I didn’t plan that but hey, sometimes life just works out like that.
My apologies if this post is a little rushed. I didn’t start writing it until this morning, I’ve been so focused on exams and such. But all that’s over now because it’s officially WINTER BREAK. I woke up this morning at 6 AM and then realized I could go back to sleep and proceeded to sleep until 8. I feel like that might just be one of the best feelings ever.
Although exams are technically over, I sort of feel like they aren’t. I won’t be able to know my grades until mid January. Not a fan of that at all, but I’m trying to just push them out of my mind. I have lots of baking stuff to catch up on so that should take my mind off of it.
The next few days are gonna be pretty busy for me. Today, I have to start testing my New Years recipe. I’m hoping it will go well today so I can wrap it up tomorrow. Then on Monday, I have my annual cookie box planned out. I’m making five different cookies and I’ll probably post a video about it on TikTok and Instagram so stay tuned.
Speaking of the socials, I have to say I’m getting a little stressed about this whole TikTok situation. It figures that as soon as my videos are starting to get views the app is going to be banned. I’m not quite sure what the plan is because I use the editing software in TikTok to make my videos. So there might be a little blip at the beginning of the year where I won’t be posting any videos, but I’ll still keep my Instagram active with pictures and updates.
Anyway lets just focus on todays recipe. This is my take on a Bûche de Noël, more commonly known as a Yule log. Yule logs are a traditional French Christmas cake, typically made with rolled chocolate sponge cake filled with sweet vanilla cream and topped with ganache. This is a little bit different on the flavor front, but I think my version has the perfect wintery and festive flavors.
Describe This Yule Log to Me
Taste: The sponge cake is full of warm and cozy spices, which perfectly compliment the toasted hazelnuts. There’s a little punch from the bourbon, but it all works so well together. The filling is light and slightly sweet, dotted with vanilla bean. The ganache on top adds a little bitterness to cut through the sweetness of the cake, and the spices with that chocolate make a perfectly festive treat.
Texture: The creamy vanilla filling ensures the sponge cake doesn’t get too dry, and creates the perfect balance of textures in this cake. The ganache on top really adds the perfect melt in your mouth texture while the cranberries add a little crunch.
Ease: This isn’t the simplest cake to make, but in terms of decoration it’s actually much easier that a layer cake. The scary part is rolling the sponge but I find that even if the cake cracks, you can usually just cover it up with ganache and no one will know.
The Sponge
This sponge is quite unusual in the fact that it uses ground up nuts in the batter. You would think this would compromise the stability and texture of the cake and make it dry, but thanks to that soft and creamy filling, this cake stays moist. In addition to the hazelnuts, there are complimenting wintery spices and a Tablespoon of bourbon. I think the bourbon makes this cake taste extra festive and celebratory.
The Filling
This filling is such a simple recipe but it’s so delicious. It’s pretty much just vanilla bean whipped cream with crème fraîche. I find the addition of the crème fraîche adds this delicious tang that balances really well with the flavors in the cake. It’s a pretty loose cream, but that’s helpful because the sponge soaks some of that moisture up to prevent a dry cake.
The Toppings
To make this look like a log and add a bitter note to the flavor palate, we top this off with a spiced ganache. Bittersweet chocolate mixed with vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger flavors works so well with the rest of the cake, and adding little marks to make it look like wood is a bonus. I like to decorate it with some sugared cranberries and rosemary, whatever festive fruits and what nots I have lying around, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar snow.
Spiced Hazelnut Bûche de Noël
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spread the hazelnuts out on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the hazelnuts in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a food processor. Grind the hazelnuts to a fine powder, roughly the texture of almond flour. You should have about 1 cup of hazelnut powder. Set aside.
- Keep the oven at 350℉. Grease a 12×17 inch rectangular baking pan with butter, line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together ¾ cup of the ground hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and ½ of the sugar on high speed to stiff peaks. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks, remaining ½ cup of sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and bourbon on high speed until pale and fluffy.
- Add half of the whipped egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed for just 10 seconds. Then add half of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed for just 10 seconds. Repeat with the second half of the egg whites and dry ingredients. If there are any uncombined spots, carefully fold together with a spatula. You don't want to overman this, or else you'll deflate the egg whites.
- Spread the batter in an even layer in the previously prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly poked.
- Using a sieve, dust a clean countertop with cocoa powder. Place a clean kitchen towel on top, and dust that with cocoa powder too.
- As soon as the cake is done baking, invert it onto the towel and remove the parchment paper. Starting at the narrow end, carefully roll the hot cake up with the towel. Then, wrap the roll up in cling wrap (to prevent cocoa powder from getting all over your refrigerator) and place the rolled up cake in the fridge to cool for 2 and a half hours.
- Place ½ cup of sugar in a large shallow bowl. Set aside. In a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat, mix together the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the water. Cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once dissolved, add the cranberries to the syrup and toss them to make sure they are all evenly coated before pouring the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. The syrup should now be in a bowl and the cranberries should be in the sieve. You don't want the cranberries to sit in the syrup for any longer than 30 seconds. Toss the syrup soaked cranberries in the granulated sugar in the shallow bowl until evenly combined. Pour them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. Dip the rosemary sprigs in the sugar syrup until evenly coated, and then toss in the sugar on the baking sheet with the cranberries. Let the rosemary and cranberries dry before using them on the cake.
- Place the crème fraîche, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high speed to medium/stiff peaks.
- Remove the cooled cake roll from the fridge and very carefully unroll it. Spread the cream on top, leaving an inch border on one of the short ends. Once filled, roll the cake back up very carefully and place on a serving plate. Cut a roughly 4 inch long piece of log on a diagonal and place on the side of the roll as a branch. It won't sit straight, that's ok the ganache will cover it. Place in the refrigerator while we make the ganache.
- Begin bringing the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat safe mixing bowl. Pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes before mixing to combine. You should have a thick, glossy ganache. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Make sure to evenly cover the uneven parts of where the branch attaches. Use a fork to make textured lines resembling bark. Top with sugared rosemary and cranberries and dried oranges. Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar as snow. Let the cake set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
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