Name: Ellie Landowne
Class Year: 1956
Country of Residence: U.S.A.
Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory?
One taste will tell you why! I make it with my grandson every Xmas and New Year’s since he was little. Now he’s 13 and makes it on his own.
Bûche de Noël (Yule Log)
Serves 10. Takes approx. 2 hours.
Ingredients:
6 eggs separated- whites in large bowl
6 rounded Tb granulated sugar,
2 tsp vanilla
3 level Tb flour,
4 heaping Tb sifted cocoa,
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ pint whipping cream
For the meringue mushrooms
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
For the chocolate frosting
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ stick softened butter
¼ cup of milk
¼ cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
Instructions:
Chocolate roll
Beat yolks until light and thick, then beat in the sugar, vanilla, flour, sifted cocoa and baking powder.
Beat whites stiff but not dry with a dash of cream of tartar and fold in chocolate mixture.
Pour into a greased and wax papered jelly roll pan. Tip and tap corners to spread evenly.
Bake at 350F. for 12-15 min, loosen sides, turn out onto damp dish towel, peel off paper, roll up with the towel and allow to cool.
Unroll cake, spread with the cream whipped with a little confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, reroll without the towel.
Meringue mushrooms
Beat the 2 egg whites with the cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in the cup sugar, the vanilla, the almond extract and beat until very stiff and glossy.
Use a ½ inch tip on a pastry tube and a greased cookie sheet. Squeeze out an equal number of rounded tops, and short stems. Use a wet finger to flatten the point in the middle of the tops. Bake at 225 F for 1 hour, turn off oven and leave them in a half open oven until cool.
Use a sharp knife to cut the pointed tip off the stems, dust the tops with a little cocoa powder, spread a little frosting on the underside of the tops, and press the stems into place.
Chocolate frosting
Beat together the confectioners’ sugar, the softened butter, the cocoa powder, the salt and the vanilla and then gradually add up to ¼ cup of milk until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Final assemblage
Cover rolled cake with frosting streaked to look like bark but save some frosting to connect the mushroom tops and stems.
Decorate with the meringue mushrooms. Decorate around the cake with holly or other branches, use raspberries for red berries between the leaves.
Source: Family recipe
