Buche de Noel: Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies
Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and Lindsay and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!
Way back in 8th grade, my French teacher made us different French treats throughout the year. She made this delightful buche de noel cake for our class Christmas party. It’s similar to a homemade Swiss cake roll, and you can customize the filling with mint or other flavors. I love it because it’s a great Christmas / holiday dessert that isn’t your standard cookie. It also takes about 25 total minutes from start to finish. The cake is a light spongy cake and bakes up really quickly. Be sure to keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t bake too long and dry out. You can whip the cream while the cake is baking in the oven.
The trick to creating the log shape is to roll the cake up in a clean towel as soon as it comes out of the oven. Be careful and take your time because the cake is delicate and can crack or break. Since the buche de noel is a chocolate cake, use cocoa powder to keep the cake from sticking to the towel instead of flour. You unroll the cooled cake and fill it with a tangy cream filling. Then you roll the filled cake back into the log shape. From there, you can coat the outside of the coat with either a rich chocolate ganache or a creamy chocolate buttercream.
PrintBuche de Noel: Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, for the pan
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- Optional: Chocolate Ganache topping
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch jelly roll pan and line with parchment; butter the parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl.
- Beat the egg yolks, vanilla, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light yellow, 3 to 4 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites (with clean beaters) on medium-high until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add ½ cup of the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the surface. Bake until the cake springs back lightly when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder on clean towel that is roughly 9×13. Transfer cake parchment-side up to towel. Peel back parchment and discard. Carefully roll up cake in towel to cool completely.
- Whip the heavy cream, sour cream, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Unroll the cake. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, leaving a 2-inch border along one of the short ends. Starting at the other short end, roll up the cake toward the uncovered border (letting the parchment fall away as you roll). Place the cake seam-side down on a serving platter.
- Optional: Drizzle the chocolate ganache over the top; let set for 5 minutes.
Twelve Days of Christmas cookies link-up: Recipe index | Sugar cookies | Decorated Christmas cookies | Nut cookies | Traditional cookies | Chocolate cookies | Peanut butter cookies | No bake recipes | Non-cookie treats | Candy cookies | Family favorites | Gingerbread | Santa’s cookies
