Celebrating the end of 2021 (and a Buche de Noel)

Chocolate Log

At the end of a very interesting and challenging year – to say the least – we want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, safe and delicious festive season. We hope you can each take some time out to reflect, relax and reboot.

One of our all-time-favourite Monday Morning Cooking Club recipes is the Buche de Chocolat (aka Buche de Noel at this time of year!!) The recipe is in our first book, but we’ve shared it here so you can make it RIGHT NOW. It is an exceptional, do-ahead dessert for the holiday season. Or any time really!

Happy cooking, and happy holidays to all. Let’s hope 2022 is a better year for all.

Lisa and the MMCC gals xx

 

xmas buche de chocolat 2

Buche de Chocolat

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Sweet Things
Cuisine French, International, Jewish
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g dark chocolate , chopped
  • 1 tsp Instant cofee
  • 80 ml boiling water
  • 7 whole eggs , separated
  • 230 g caster sugar (Superfine)
  • 300 ml pure cream (35% fat)
  • 2 tsp icing sugar
  • 1 whole Vanilla bean , scraped
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line the base of a 38 x 26 cm swiss roll tin with baking paper. You will need a few dressmaking pins to secure the cake.
  • Melt the chocolate with the coffee and water in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the melted chocolate. Fold this mixture into the egg whites and spread it out into the prepared tin.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. When the cake is cool, cover with a tea towel and put in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Beat the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla seeds until thick, and set aside.
  • Remove the cake from the fridge. Sift the cocoa powder over the cake, then cover with a piece of baking paper and turn it over. Remove the tin and the baking paper that was on base of the cake.
  • Place cream in the middle third of the cake, along its full length, and make a large long log as follows. Lift up the two long sides of the cake and bring them over to meet in the middle, sliding one side under the other to encase the cream. Using dressmaking pins to secure the package, join the paper and fold down, holding the paper tightly around the log to help hold its shape. Put the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.

 

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