bûche de nöel

Yule log cake. I made this in February so mine is called bûche de février, and that breaks the rules.

There are no rules.

The log is a rolled genoise type cake made of flour and sugar and salt folded into warmed beaten egg white for its structure. A plain sponge cake designed to soak up liquid flavors. That takes a bit of technique that I did not understand at the time. Here is a video. It is in French, but eh, so what. He shows you his mise en place, and that is easy enough. He forgoes beating egg white separately, rather, he beats whole egg over moderate heat to lighten the whole thing and warm to the touch. This is to strengthen the egg as an incomplete sauce. Then beats it for a long time until it changes color to pale. For a very long time, say five or seven minutes. Maybe even ten minutes. It will double in bulk. Then folds in the dry ingredients. You can see he does the fast careless way for he does not care. He is an insouciant chef #idon'tcare.

When baked It puffs like a soufflé.

For a bûche, a log, you need a large thin rectangular cake baked on a sheet pan. So, that must be carefully prepared first with parchment paper, butter and flour so it can be lifted without damage. It is rolled with the parchment still on. Cooled a bit in the shape of a roll. then carefully unrolled and frosted and rolled up again.

I did not do all that, for I too do not care. I used a box cake mix and prepared frosting. What a cop out. It is not the real deal, and in France you will be mocked for such a pathetic effort as if you know nothing important at all.

Then little mushrooms made from meringue in two parts, caps and stems glued together with frosting or ganache and set all around and stuck onto the log, as if mushrooms exist outside in winter. This is a fairy tale cake where such things can happen. Scraped with a fork to suggest bark. Dusted with powdered sugar for snow. I used cocoa powder because my snow is quite dirty. There used to be high pollution where I live and it is a form of silent protest.

People put holly and holly berries, pinecones, pine needles and other things to evoke the idea of an actual log, Sometimes they become quite ridiculous with cookies, and fruit, and jellies chocolate curls, candy, candy canes, train sets, elves and presents and ribbons and bows, wreathes, woodland creatures and other holiday things improbable to find on a log. Even chocolate signs in exquisite handwriting that say, "Merry Christmas!" Or, "Happy Holidays!" Or "Joyeux Nöel." So there is no chance of being faked out and your cake tossed onto the fireplace fire mistaken for a genuine log.

But now people in France and in French Canada have become jaded about the whole thing but not burnt out entirely on bûche de nöel so their cakes have developed a more elegant style. And there goes all the kiddy holiday fun that started it off. Now they are coated with smooth ganache, or made to look like cushions with buttons of silver dot nonpareilles, so-called because they are so perfect that nothing parallels them. Sprinkles. Kiddy sprinkles. Sometimes they have layers of crunchy wafers inside. These are highly stylized logs, not fantasy logs.

Doesn't this look like fun? 

It is not fun. It is serious business. But your kids will not know that. They will have fun. Lots and lots of fun being silly with cakes and spending time with you because that is the most important thing to them in the whole world, and then eating it. 

Larger photos and more description here.