buche de noel

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the kitchen
the smell of baked cake filled the nose of a kitten
The monthly Daring Baker's challenge was given to her
Twas to create a yule log, for sure, for sure !

Not difficult at all, it came right together
the meringue whipped up, light as a feather
the butter cream frosting was coffee in flavor
the genoise cake was primed to be savored

Coffee tequila doused the inside of the cake
a thin layer of chocolate spread on it to make
a crisp thin layer so each bite would crunch
and butter cream icing was spread over the bunch

Then all rolled together the cake formed a log
the perfect little treat to go with egg nog.
Meringue mushrooms were placed on the top with care
in the hopes to get eaten by everyone there

The hosts of this challenge were Ivonne and Lisa
they are two of my favorite people.
Please visit their sites so you can see
how they made this wonderful scrumptious recipe !

Buche de Noel Recipe
Sources: Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri and The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert
Serves 12

Plain Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
¼ cup cornstarch

one 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy (I used Patrón XO Café Liqueur)

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Find good tips for butter cream gone wrong on baking911.

Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.

3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper. (Then I brushed the cake with Patron XO Cafe Liqueur and spread a thin layer of melted chocolate all over the cake before I added the coffee butter cream icing)

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you want to use).

5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end. (I just trimmed one end and placed that on top)

8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.

10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.

11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

Meringue Mushrooms:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3-1/2 ounces/105 g.) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1-1/3 ounces/40 g.) icing sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1.Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip. In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the icing sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.

2.Scoop the mixture into the bag. On one baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each ½ inch (12 mm.) wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, ¾ inch (2 cm.) tall, and spaced about ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1-1/4 inches (3 cm.) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm.) high, also spaced ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

3.Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50-55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the sheets.

4.Garnish your Yule Log with the mushrooms.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

I stumbled upon this cheesecake recipe not because I was looking to make a sweet potato cheesecake, but because I was looking for something else to make instead of pumpkin pie. I don't really love pumpkin pie, so in my quest for a substitute I saw a picture of a mouthwatering sweet potato cheesecake on the Homesick Texan blog and I thought aahhh that is it! I've always been a little intimidated by making cheesecake, but I have overcome my fear with this new recipe. This is now my "go to" dessert for any holiday party. I've changed the recipe slightly to come up with my own version of sweet potato cheese cake and I've made this recipe several times and it has not failed me yet.

On a side note...when I was at the farmers market buying supplies I pondered the ongoing question of sweet potato vs. yam. I've always thought that the yellowish light colored thin skin potato was a sweet potato and the darker orange thicker skin potato was a yam. Not knowing which one would make for a better cheesecake I ended up buying both. After some research I found out that they are both sweet potatoes and not yams at all. The darker skin orange variety was introduced to the US several decades ago and is sweeter and less dry than the lighter skinned one, and often referred to as yams. A true yam is a tuber from a tropical vine and not even related to the sweet potato. I'm sure many of you already know this, but I finally resolved the quandary for myself, I think.... open to comments... Now the recipe...


Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe:
Crust:
apprx 55 ginger snaps, crushed (I like a thick crust)
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
7 TB butter, melted

Cheesecake:
1 1/3 c mashed sweet potato, I used 1 large of each variety
4 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1 generous tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 TB plus 2 tsp flour
2 TB plus 2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Topping:
8 oz container sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
1 TB brown sugar
3 TB maple syrup

1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325°.
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into several large pieces. Place in pot of water and bring to a boil for about 20-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Remove, drain, mash and allow to cool. I pressed the sweet potatoes through a large strainer to get rid of the little stringy parts.

Meanwhile prepare the crust. Combine smashed ginger snaps, chopped pecans, and melted butter in a bowl. Scrape the mixture into a buttered 10" spring form pan and press evenly over bottom of pan. Cover and place in refrigerator until needed.

Make the batter
Measure out the brown sugar, spices and flour in a bowl and set aside.
Place the room temp cream cheese and eggs in a bowl and beat together until well blended and smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar /spice / flour mixture, maple syrup and lemon juice and mix on low until well blended.

Take spring form pan out of fridge and wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides of pan. Pour batter on top of crust and place in oven for 50 minutes. (Yes, there is no water bath etc... trust me it will work)

The cake is done when sides are set and center is slightly jiggly when gently shaken. Turn oven off, leave cake inside with oven door open for about 20/25 minutes. Remove and set on rack to cool completely before covering and putting it in the refrigerator. Chill about 3 hours before serving. This is a great one to make a day ahead. It could even be made 2 days ahead but any sooner the crust will start to get soggy.

Topping
Mix together sour cream, spices, sugar, maple syrup and lemon juice cover and put back in refrigerator and save until serving time.

When serving, spread sour cream mixture over the cake. Unmold from spring form pan. Place on serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Slice and serve. Delicious.