The Christmas log (Bûche de Noël) is a delicious and traditional Christmas dessert that is made with sponge cake filled with cream and chocolate, simulating a log. Discover how to do it at home easily.
The Christmas holidays are, in almost all homes, the ideal time to bring out the culinary arts, through the preparation of the most succulent and traditional delicacies, something that varies enormously between countries, regions and even families. Sometimes it is also an opportunity to try dishes from other cultures, especially in the case of desserts.
The Christmas log or “Bûche de Noël” is a traditional sweet that is made during the Christmas holidays in countries such as France and Belgium, in the French-speaking regions of Switzerland and Canada, and in several former French colonies. As can be deduced from its name, it is a dessert that imitates the shape of a log ready to be placed in the fireplace. This is reminiscent of an old custom where I used to keep a slow-burning log in the hearth from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.
The traditional log is prepared with a sponge base, filled with pastry cream or chocolate cream, rolled on itself and covered with a chocolate ganache, butter cream or chocolate whipped cream.
Traditional Christmas log recipe
Ingredients (for 8 people)
For the cake:
- 4 eggs
- 80g sugar
- 50g of flour
- 50g potato starch
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- 1 grated lemon rind
For decoration:
- 2 yolks
- 25 g of starch
- 50g sugar
- 200 ml of milk
- 50g fondant chocolate
- 250 ml of cream for desserts
- 100 ml of chocolate
Preparation:
- Beat the yolks of 4 eggs with the sugar until you get a clear and sparkling appearance, after which we will add the flour and the starch, a pinch of baking soda and the lemon.
- Add the previously whipped egg whites to the mixture.
- Place baking paper on the bottom of a baking tray, pour the mixture obtained and level as much as possible. Bake the sponge cake at 180º C for about 10 or 12 minutes.
- Place baking paper on the work table and turn the cake over on it to carefully peel off the paper used for baking. Cover the pasta with a new sheet of paper and roll it up while it is still hot.
- In the meantime, to prepare the chocolate pastry cream, beat the 2 egg yolks with the sugar until a clear and foamy mixture is obtained, add the sifted starch and continue mixing until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Add the milk and incorporate it into the mixture, after which we will transfer it to a thick-bottomed pot, where the cream will be cooked over a very low heat, stirring constantly until the appropriate density is obtained.
- Turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips. Mix vigorously until complete dissolution of the same and leave to cool.
- Spread the cream over the entire surface of the cake, but leaving a couple of cm on the edges. Carefully roll up, wrap the “trunk” in parchment paper and leave in the fridge for an hour.
- Meanwhile, whip the cream and add the cold melted chocolate.
- Once the roll has cooled, cut the two ends crosswise and reserve them.
- Place the main portion of the trunk on a tray and cover it with chocolate cream, after which we will glue the previously cut ends to give it its characteristic shape.
- Also cover these pieces and grate the whole with a fork, to imitate the crust.
- Dust the log with granulated sugar and place it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Additionally, you can also decorate the tray or fountain where the trunk is served with some Christmas accessories, such as red fruits, pineapples, etc.
