Yule Log - the glass monocle

A creamy, light Christmas dessert. Also known by its French translation, Buche de Noël.

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time15

Cooling Time30

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Christmas, roulade, sponge cake

Servings: 8 slices

In the first large bowl*, combine heavy cream, and the first portions of confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and vanilla
*If you only have one glass bowl, don't use that one yet.
2 cups heavy cream, 2 oz confectioner's sugar, 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Use an electric mixer to whip until thick and stiff and the mixer's tracks remain; a couple of minutes on high
Refrigerate the mixture
Clean the mixer's beaters, because we'll need them again soon

Preheat oven to 375°F
Line at least the bottom of a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper
Get the second and third large mixing bowls (one of which should be glass)
Crack the 6 eggs and separate the whites into the glass bowl and the yolks into the other one.
(If they're both glass and different sizes, put the whites in the larger one.)
6 eggs
Add sugar to the yolks
4 oz normal, granulated sugar
Use the electric mixer to beat them until thick and pale yellow, but still liquidy -- a couple of minutes on high
Add in the salt and the second portions of cocoa and vanilla
1 oz more unsweetened cocoa powder, 1-½ tsp more vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp salt
Blend with the mixer until the ingredients are well incorporated
Clean the mixer's beaters again
In the large glass bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks, a couple of minutes on high
While still whipping, gradually add more sugar, and continue whipping until the mixture forms stiff peaks and mixer's tracks remain, another couple of minutes on high
2 oz more granulated sugar
Fold the yolk mixture into the whites and mix with the spatula until well mixed
Spread the batter somewhat evenly into the prepared pan, on the parchment -- uneven parchment paper can trick you, around corners and ends

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched
Don't worry if it raised a little -- it will drop back down
Lay out the clean dish towel
Using a sifter, thoroughly dust the clean dishtowel with confectioners' sugar
1 oz more confectioner's sugar
After the cake dropped back down, run a knife around the edge of the pan to free it
Turn the warm cake out onto the towel, parchment side up
Peel off and discard parchment paper.
Some cake will come off and it won't look nice but that's okay -- this side ends up rolled up on the inside
At one of the short edges of the cake, fold the towel about an inch over the cake to start, then roll the entire cake up with the towel as the filling and cover
Cool for 30 minutes

Take the filling out of the fridge
Unroll the cake
Spread most of the filling to within 1" of the edges, leaving like a fifth of the filling for later, to ice the outside
Roll the cake back up with the filling inside
Place seam side down onto a serving plate
Spread the rest of the filling on the outside of the cake
Trim a little off one end so it's clean cut, and eat the trimming
Cut about 3" off the other end and place it on top of the log, with the clean cut side facing up and about a third of the way from one of the ends, so it resembles a cut branch on the log
Fix the icing as needed and clean it off the plate around the log, with a paper towel or something
Rake the icing with a fork to resemble log bark
Mount chocolate bark onto the filling to resembled cracking bark on the log
some chocolate bark
Place 3-4 Maraschino cherries on the log to resemble wild berries
3-4 Maraschino cherries
With the green frosting, make leaves around the cherries
some green frosting
Using the sifter, dust with 1 oz confectioner's sugar to resemble snow
1 oz even more confectioner's sugar

Curious why this recipe uses weights for dry measures? See the Weights page.