Bûche de Noël

It doesn't get more classic than a Buche de Noel for dessert on Christmas Day. This is a pretty straightforward recipe adapted from an old Hershey Cookbook recipe from 1993. I usually bake the cake on Christmas Eve, along with the meringue mushrooms (don't assemble them until the day you're using them.) Then on Christmas morning I make the Chocolate Frosting, the Mocha filling and assemble everything. You could do it all on Christmas Eve and refrigerate the cake if you like to get things done ahead of time. Just save the assembly of the mushrooms for last because if you refrigerate them, they'll get soggy.

You can simplify by skipping the mocha frosting and using lightly sweetened whip cream to fill the cake. If I do this sometimes I spread the cake with a layer of raspberry jam or marmalade. You can also add berries or toasted, chopped nuts to the filling (hazelnuts are my favorite although the original recipe calls for almonds.) You can take this cake in all kinds of directions and use whatever flavors you like. When it's all assembled I like to add real folliage from outside and dust it with a cocoa and then powdered sugar, tapped from a sieve to resemble dirt and snow on the forest floor. If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Instagram or comment below!

For the cake:

1 cup cake flour, sifted

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 

1/8 teaspoon baking powder 

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, separated 

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tsp rum extract (can substitute vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 15” x 10” x 1” sheet pan with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil. Set aside. Combine cake flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks and 2/3 cup sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes.) In a separate bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Add flour mixture alternately with water to egg yolk mixture, stir in melted butter and rum extract. Carefully fold in beaten egg whites. 

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan 5 minutes, invert onto dish towel sprinkled with powdered sugar or cocoa. Carefully peel off foil. Immediately roll cake and towel together starting from narrow end for a thicker, shorter cake or longer end for a skinnier, longer cake (this is what I do.) Place on wire rack to cool completely. 

Prepare Mocha Filling and Chocolate Frosting (recipes below.) Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with all but 2 tablespoons of Mocha Filling to within 1/2” of edges. Carefully reroll cake. Cut off 1” from each end and reserve to use as “stumps.” Place cake roll seam side down on serving plate. Use reserved mocha filling to attach “stumps” to the side of the cake roll. Frost log and stumps with Chocolate Frosting. Run fork tines over frosting to resemble bark. Chill 2 hours before serving. Decorate with Merengue Mushrooms (recipe below.)

Mocha Filling

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules 

2 tablespoons hot water

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Cream butter in a mixing bowl, add powdered sugar and cocoa, beating until smooth. Dissolve coffee granules in hot water; beat into mixture until of spreading consistency. Stir in orange zest and almonds. 

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter at room temperature 

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup cream

Cream butter in a mixer bowl. Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; add alternatively with cream until desired consistency. It should be spreadable and not runny. If it’s to thin, add more powdered sugar, if to stiff, add more cream, a teaspoon at a time. 

Meringue Mushrooms

2 egg whites at room temperature 

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or lightly grease it.

In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, beat until stiff peaks form. 

Spoon meringue into large pastry bag fitted with plain tip. Pipe 15 mounds on to prepared sheet pan, making each mound about 1 1/2” in diameter to resemble mushroom caps. Pipe remaining meringue into 15 upright 1” lengths to resemble mushroom stems. Bake for 1 3/4 hours. Without opening door , turn off oven; let meringues remain in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on cookie sheet. 

When ready to assemble, use the tip of small knife to scrape a small hole in underside of mushroom cap. Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave. Place small amount of chocolate in hole and spread underside of cap with chocolate. Attach stem to cap by inserting pointy end into chocolate filled hole. Repeat with remaking caps and stems. Let dry upside down until chocolate is set, 1-2 hours.