127 – Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) Recipe

Ingredients :

Ingredients for the Sponge Cake

• (1) cup – Flour
• (1/2) cup – Sugar
• (4) Egg Whites (make sure there is no trace of egg yolk in whites)
• (4) Egg Yolks (large eggs)
• (1) Large – Egg
• (2) Tsp – Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt

Ingredients for Pastry Cream

• Refer to video on how to make pastry cream. The difference is instead of flavoring with vanilla extract, going to flavor with (2) tablespoons of orange blossom water and a zest of a large orange.

Ingredients for Butter Cream

• (4) oz Dark Chocolate
• (3) large Egg Yolks
• (8) Tablespoons – Butter (Soft/Room Temperature)
• (1/2) cup – Sugar
• (1/4) cup – Water

Directions :

Step 1 – Making the Sponge Cake
1. Beat egg whites until you get firm white peaks. Make sure you get no trace of egg yolks in whites and be sure beaters are clean and dry
2. Mix egg yolks with the sugar until you get a whitish mixture.  Once mixture is creamy and whitish, add one more (whole) egg
3. Use spatula to mix vanilla extract and salt to egg yolk mixture
4. Sift in the flour
5. Add egg whites to egg yolk mixture
6. Prepare baking pan (using a 15” pan in video)
7. first, Butter the baking pan
8. then, Place parchment paper on pan
9. finally, butter the parchment paper
10. Pour mixture on the baking pan and spread evenly
11. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
12. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done
13. The cake is ready when you touch the top of the cake it should feel firm.
14. Next step is to roll the cake.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on clean towel
15. Flip cake on towel and gently remove parchment paper
16. Dust powder sugar on top of cake
17. Place cake at edge of towel when the cake it is still hot, then gently roll cake with towel (has to be tight)
18. Let cake cool down in towel. The steam will make the cake go soft.
19. By rolling it, now you have the yule log shape.

Step 2 – Preparing the Pastry Cream
1. In the pastry cream recipe, the last step calls for adding the butter and vanilla extract, but in this recipe, going to add the butter, (2) TBL spoons of orange blossom water and a zest of a large orange
2. Cover top surface of cream with plastic wrap so it doesn’t create a film, then let it cool down in refrigerator

Step 3 – Making the Butter Cream
1. In a saucepan, cook sugar and water on medium heat until you get a thick syrup
2.In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and slowly pour in the sugar syrup over the egg yolks
3. The bottom of the bowl is warm.  Keep beating the egg yolks mixture until bowl becomes cold
4. When the egg yolks cools down, beat in butter little by little.  The butter should be soft.
5. Now we are going to melt the chocolate – You can melt in either in a bain-marie or microwave. If you do heat I the microwave, be sure not to burn the chocolate, so heat in 30 second shifts, and stir from time-to-time
6. Mix chocolate with the butter cream

Step 4 – Assembling the Yule Log
1. Gently unroll cake
2. Fill cake with pastry cream and gently roll back the cake
3. Cut the sides of cake and place one of the slices on top of cake
4. Spread chocolate cream all over (top) of the cakse
5. Use fork to make stripes on the log
6. Place cake in a plate and decorate with meringues, orange sticks or other candy of choice
7. Put yule log in fridge for a few hours before serving.
BON APPETIT!!!!