For me Christmas isn’t complete without one these wonderful things: Bûche de Noël, Christmas yule log, a traditional French Christmas cake. I have made it a habit of making (at least) one each year, trying different flavours and combinations. It’s rolled up sponge, shaped as a log, filled with cream and covered with butter cream. You can go completely wild with your decorations: adding small trees and mushrooms, santas and reindeers, stars and Chirstmas balls and of course some icing sugar snow. As you might have noticed, I kept mine quite simple 😉 This version is for me a classic: chocolate flavoured bûche served with a fruity raspberry coulis. As the bûche itself is quite sweet, it needs a fresh sauce to go with it. And let’s be honest: chocolate and raspberry is a match made in culinary heaven! Sure, it’s not the easiest nor the quickest of recipes, but it will without any doubt make a show-stopping center piece for your Christmas dinner and you’ll enjoy every single bite! Allons-y!
Chocolate ganache
- 175 ml double cream
- 250 gr dark chocolate
Raspberry sirup
- 100 gr raspberries
- 50 gr sugar
- Juice from half a lemon
Chantilly cream
- 250 ml double cream
- 50 gr fine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sponge
- 75 gr flour
- 25 gr cacao powder
- 100 gr sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter cream
- 250 gr butter
- 200 gr icing sugar
- 50 gr cacao powder
Raspberry sauce
- 150 gr raspberries
- 100 gr sugar
- 50 ml white wine
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
Directions
- Start with the ganache. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour it over de chocolate. Leave for 5 minutes and then start stirring until you get a smooth mixture and all the chocolate have melted. Set it aside to cool (not in the fridge).
- For the sirup, blend the raspberries into a puree. Place all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Once the suiker have completely melted, remove from the heat and pass through a sieve. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
- Make the chantilly cream. Whisk the cream until it starts to stiffen, Add the sugar and then the vanilla extract. Keep whisking until the cream is firm enough. Set in the fridge.
- preheat the oven at 180ºC. For the sponge, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy and pale. Add the vanilla extract. Pass the flour and cocoa powder through a sieve and then whisk into the mixture. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm and peaks start to form. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and spread the batter thinly on it. Bake it for 15 minutes. On a clean working space spread a wet teatowel. As soon as the sponge is ready, take it out of the oven and place it on the teatowel. Sprinkle some sugar over it and roll it immediately and wrap it with the teatowel. Leave to cool.
- For the butter cream, whisk the boter until pale and fluffy. While whisking add the sugar in steps. Sieve the cocoa powder and add it to the mixture.
- Once cool, roll out the spong and drench with the sirup using a brush. Spread a thin layer of ganache and top that with the chantilly cream. Carefully roll the sponge into shape. Transfer the butter cream into a piping bag and make equal stripes of cream to cover the bûche.
- Cut both ends off and transfer the bûche onto a serving plate. Keep in the fridge.
- For the raspberry sauce, blend all the ingredients, transfer them into a pan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve. Mix the potato starch with a bit of cold water and whisk it into the sauce. Breng the sauce to a boil until it reaches the required thickness.
- Take the bûche out of the fridge about half an hour before serving. Cut thick slices and serve with a bit of the sauce. Joyeux Noël!
