Sweet 'n' Savoury: Bûche de Noël/Yule log

Its Christmas and I am with family in Allahabad. For days together, me and Vishal have been shopping for gifts in Kolkata trying to find suitable ones for each and everyone. The run down to Christmas has been so much fun. Very sadly, the only person not with us on Christmas will be Vishal. He will join us for the New Year cheer but we will miss him terribly at Christmas. Distance makes you realize how much we take each other for granted. Vaanya, our daughter, has been missing her Papa and remembers him from time to time.

My baking run down to Christmas is the traditional Yule log which also happened to be our December month challenge at Baking partner's suggested by Tanushree Khandai of Ma Niche. With a host of recipes to choose from, I decided to put my hands on the easiest sounding one. I have adapted the recipe to suit availability of ingredients and personal taste. This yule log is a basic sponge cake slathered with dark chocolate ganache and frosted with it too. I tried my hands on the meringue mushrooms for the very first time and completely loved the experience. The cake was a hit at home and got over in no time.

This recipe is also shared in my 'Sweet day' list to celebrate the most beautiful date of our lives -24, the day Vaanya was born and brought unlimited love and joy to our lives.

Yule log/Bûche de Noël (BOOSH duh noh EHL) is a traditional cake which signifies the celebration of winter solstice by burning a wooden log in the hearth. This cake is made to look like a piece of bark with meringue mushrooms and marzipan leaves thrown around.

Ingredients: For 6-7 servings

Sponge cake:

2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar, powdered
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Filling and Frosting:

145 gm chocolate, chopped

1 cup cream (I used Amul)

1 tbsp butter

Meringue Mushroom:

1 egg white

1/4 cup sugar, powdered

Procedure :

Sponge cake:

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Grease and line a jelly roll pan.

Take egg whites in a clean bowl and whip with an electrical beater for 3-5 mins till you get soft peaks. Now add sugar in batches and keep whipping till stiff peaks form(5 mins).

Take egg yolks in another clean bowl and whip for 5 mins till they are pale coloured. (I used the same electrical beater). Stir in vanilla essence.

Pour egg yolks over the egg whites and very gently fold them in till just combined. Do not beat vigorously as that will remove all the air bubbles from the eggs.

Fold in flour little by little in the form of rain and gently incorporate in the batter till just combined.

Pour batter in the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean.

Invert the cake on a damp towel and roll the cake immediately(along with the towel). Allow to cool.

Filling and frosting:

Take cream in a pan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate and butter and mix well till the chocolate dissolves. Keep aside.

Meringue Mushroom :

Preheat oven to 100 degree Celsius and line a baking tray with aluminium foil.

Take egg white in a bowl and beat with an electrical beater. Add a tbsp of sugar at a time and keep beating till soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Beat till all the sugar is added and you get stiff peaks.

Fill a piping/ziplock/plastic cone with it and snip off the end. Make round shaped as in the mushroom caps with half the quantity and stems with the other half. For the stems, hold piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet and squeeze 3/4" high cone which is wide at the base and narrow at top.

Bake for 30 mins or till firm and with a sharp knife make a small hole in the underside of each mushroom cap and insert the stem. Place mushrooms caps down and return in the oven for 10 minutes or till dry.

Store in an airtight container.

Assembly :

Remove the towel from the rolled cake and spread the cake. Spread the filling generously and re-roll the cake. Do not worry if there are any cracks.

Cut an angled slice of cake from one end and keep on the side of the cake

Frost the entire cake and allow to set.

Using a fork draw lines on the frosting to resemble a bark.

Arrange the meringue mushrooms on sides and top and dust with little cocoa powder to resemble dirt.