In honor of the ancient festivities known as "Yule"...which begin on the Winter Solstice to celebrate the return of increasing daylight, and interestingly lasts for twelve days...
When asked for a
holiday dessert that is really unique to Christmas, I really had to search the
old memory banks for something kind of distinctive. Then it came to me while contemplating the
accent over the e in “bête”: “Bûche de Noël”…or kindly translated to English, a
Yule Log!
As I rifled through old
papers to find my recipe, I recalled the fact that this was, in fact, the first
“complicated” pastry I ever made, (as a project for my seventh grade French
class). As I reviewed Mm. Agati’s recipe
sheet, I stumbled upon the history of the “Yule log”:
“In pre-Christian Scandinavia, large bonfires were burned during the Jul
(Yule) festivities, which honored the God Thor and celebrated the winter
solstice. As Christmas replaced Yule
celebrations, the yule log no longer carried religious significance, but it
still carried the traditions and superstitions associated with it.
In France, the log
was to be cut only by the male members of the family, and was never cut or
supplied by someone outside of the household.
Much pomp and circumstance surrounded the lighting of the Yule log,
including singing and the pouring of wine over the log before it was lit. Once lit, the log was used to cook Christmas
Eve supper. Ashes from the burned log
were believed to have special powers, ranging from healing, to promoting crop
growth, to increased fertility!
When, in time,
fireplaces and logs became scarce in larger French cities, the practice of
baking log shaped cakes was begun, to allow those without a fireplace to carry
on the tradition.”
While this hasn’t been
a tradition in my house in some years, I hope that it may be included in your
family’s Yule celebrations this year.
Yule Log
(Bûche de Noël)
Yield: 1 Yule Log
SPONGE:
1 EA egg
white
5 OZ./ almond
paste
6 EA eggs,
separated
5 OZ/ granulated
sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
extract
2 OZ/ cake
flour
1
½ OZ/ unsweetened
cocoa powder, sifted with the flour
FROSTING:
4 OZ sweet
butter, at room temperature
4
OZ plain
or butter flavored Crisco
8 OZ confectionary
sugar
8-10 OZ sweet
dark chocolate, melted, and warm to the touch
FOR
DECORATION:
Marzipan holly
berries and leaves (optional)
Melted
sweet, dark chocolate (optional)
Confectioner’s
sugar
1).
Pre-heat oven to 425°F. 2). Gradually
mix the egg white into the almond paste to soften it. 3). Whip the egg yolks with 1/3 of the sugar
until thick and ribbony. Add the vanilla. Very slowly, add the egg yolk mixture to the
almond paste; if you add it too fast you will get lumps. 4). Whip the egg whites until foamy and
gradually add the remaining sugar. Whip
the whites to stiff peaks. 5). Sift the
flour and cocoa together. Carefully fold
the egg whites into the egg yolks. Fold
in the dry ingredients. 6). Immediately
spread the batter onto a baking paper-lined 9”x11” jellyroll pan, taking care
not to “overwork” the batter. 7). Place
the sponge in the pre-heated oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until the cake
springs back in the middle when lightly pressed. Dust a piece of baking paper with flour and
invert the cooked sponge on top, (this prevents the sponge from overcooking and
becoming dry). Let cool. 8). While the sponge is cooling, place the
butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric mixer until
combined and there are no visible lumps.
Gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until the frosting is
light and fluffy, (it will double in volume and become very white). Place 1/3 of the buttercream in a separate
bowl, and quickly mix in the melted chocolate.
Still working quickly, add this back into the remaining buttercream. 9). Once the sponge is cooled and the
frosting complete, spread approximately 2/3 of the frosting over the sponge,
leaving a ½” border on the short sides, and a 1” border on the long side of the
sponge closest to you, (or else the frosting will ooze out the sides as you
roll it). Roll the sponge like a
jellyroll starting with the top long edge, working towards you, using the paper
to help you. 10). Remove the paper, and
refrigerate the rolled sponge, seam side down, and covered until the
buttercream is firm. 11). Once the
frosting is firm, cut off 2 ½ inches from one end of the log, and attach the
“branch stump” to the log with some of the remaining buttercream. Proceed to frost the sponge-roll to resemble
the bark of a log. At this point you can
just sprinkle powdered sugar over the log to resemble snow and prepare to eat
your very own Bûche de Noël, or you can get fancy and decorate with marzipan
berries and leaves, (available from most reputable bakeries), and create bark
patterns and wood grain with the melted chocolate. Joyeux Noël!!!
