Buche de Noel
Kelly and I make this dessert every Christmas Eve. It’s got it all – cake, whipped cream, chocolate, cherries – and it’s fun to make the frosting look like bark. – Terry
Source: Betty Crocker’s Baking Classics cookbook
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chilled whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons powdered instant coffee (optional)
Cocoa Frosting - ⅓ cup cocoa
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
- Red and green candied cherries or chopped pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375⁰ F.
- Line jelly roll pan, 15½ x 10½ x 1 inch, with aluminum foil; grease.
- Beat eggs in small mixer bowl on high speed until very thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes.
- Pour eggs into large mixer bowl; gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
- Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth.
- Pour into pans, spreading batter to corners.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Loosen cake from edges of pan; immediately invert onto towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove foil and trim stiff edges of cake, if necessary.
- While hot, roll cake and towel from narrow end.
- Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.
- Cocoa Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat cocoa and butter on low speed until thoroughly mixed. Beat in powdered sugar until thoroughly mixed. Beat in vanilla and enough of the hot water until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.
- In a chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and the coffee until stiff.
- Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread whipped cream mixture over cake then roll up from narrow end.
- Optional: for tree stump, cut off a 2-inch diagonal slice from one end of the cake. Attach stump to one long side using 1 tablespoon frosting.
- Frost with Cocoa Frosting. Make strokes with tines of fork to resemble tree bark.
- Decorate with holly rope made from cherries or sprinkle with nuts. Store in refrigerator. Makes 10 servings.
