Buche de Noel (Yule Log) is a traditional Christmas cake in many European Countries. This is a new style vertical Buche de Noel cake perfect to impress your guests in the Holiday season or Christmas day!Soft sponge chocolate cake filled with creamy Mascarpone coffee frosting and decorate with homemade chocolate barks to simulate a true log.
500 g(1 pound)Mascarpone cheesechilled, or cream cheese
400 g(2 cups)whipping creamchilled
120 g(1+2/3 cup)powdered sugar
2 tspinstant coffee powder
2 tbspwateroptional: it's just for dissolving the instant coffee, You can skip it or substitute it with milk.
Chocolate Decoration
130 g(4,5 oz)bittersweet or dark chocolatechopped
some melted chocolatefor sticking the chocolate shards
powdered sugar
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge Cake
In a medium size bowl sift and mix together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and set aside.
In a very large bowl mix eggs, sugar and vanilla for a long time with a hand mixer until triple in volume and become thick and very pale.
Add flour mix in three times into the egg mix; start mixing with the hand mixer, then gently fold with a spatula until combined.
Equally divide the cake batter in two lined and greased baking sheet (31x37 cm-12x14,5 inch).
Bake in preheated oven at 180°C-350°F for about 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool down for 5 minutes.
Dust the cake sheets top with powdered sugar, place a parchment paper on top, invert the cake onto the working surface and remove the bottom parchment paper. Cool the cake sheets down completely.
Mascarpone Frosting
In a large bowl place Mascarpone, sugar, whipping cream, coffee and mix with an hand mixer until creamy: don't overbeat!
Assemble the Cake
Trim the edges of the two cakes and get two identical rectangle.
Cut every cake rectangle in three strips about 10x33 cm-4x13 inch; you'll get 6 strips.
Soak the strips with some simple sugar syrup (30g sugar-30g water, boil for 3 minutes) or with unsweetened coffee.
Spread a thin layer of Mascarpone Filling over the six cake's strips.
Roll the first cake strip.
Roll the first rolled strip into the second cake's strip. Continue rolling into a spiral until all strips of sponge are used.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to set.
Chocolate Decoration
Melt 100 g of chopped dark chocolate in the microwave or over bain marie.
Add 30 g of chopped dark chocolate into hot melted chocolate to temperate it.
Spread chocolate evenly on a parchment paper into a thin layer.
Roll the parchment paper and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
Unroll the parchment paper and the chocolate will break into shards. Shape them or make them smaller if required.
Stick every shard to the cake's sides using melted chocolate.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 15 minutes to set.
Dust some powdered sugar on top and serve it.
Video
Notes
You can store it in the fridge for about 4-5 days.