Belated Birthday Retry

Due to popular demand (or my incessant demand), Lisa was convinced to remake the wonderful Bûche de Noël (Yule log) she made for my birthday (link), this time with pictures for all to enjoy. If you end up making it and liking it, or liking it and wanting it made, comment below (no guarantees, though). There are a lot of steps, but it's well worth the wait. Anyway, here it goes.

Bûche de Noël

Along with the other ingredients, make sure you have:
Wax/parchment paper
Flour
Cocoa powder
Powdered sugar

Cake ingredients:
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites (save the 2 extra egg yolks for the frosting)
8 T sugar (6 for the yolks, 2 for the whites)
1 T vanilla
1/8 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 C flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Grease a jelly roll pan, cover it with wax paper, then grease and flour the wax paper.
3. Separate the egg whites and yolks.
4. Beat the egg yolks until creamy, adding 6 T sugar gradually, then add 1 T vanilla.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with 1/8 t salt until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Add 2 T sugar and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
6. Fold two mixtures together with 1/2 C flour and 1/4 C cocoa powder until smooth.
7. Pour mixture into jelly roll pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
8. Bake it for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick test comes clean.
9. Dust the cake lightly with cocoa powder, cover with wax paper, and let it cool until warm.
10. Flip the cake, and peel off the wax paper that was originally on the bottom. Dust it with cocoa powder, cover with a new sheet of wax paper, and roll it up.
11. Set the cake aside and let it cool.

Frosting ingredients:
6 egg yolks
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C water
3 sticks (1 1/2 C) butter, softened
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 T vanilla

1. Beat egg yolks until creamy. Have this and a mixer ready for step 3.
2. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and boil until it reaches softball stage (238°F).
3. Immediately pour the water/sugar mixture into the egg mixture with the mixer running, and beat until cool.
4. Mix the butter, chocolate, and vanilla with the egg mixture.

Assembling the yule log:

1. Unroll cooled cake and remove the top sheet of wax paper.
2. Spread half of the frosting on the top of the cake.
3. Reroll the cake, removing the outer sheet of wax paper.
4. Cut a small diagonal piece off one of the ends of the roll (to be the branch).
5. Put the main cake on a plate and frost its outside.
6. Place the small diagonal piece perpendicular to the main cake and frost it as well.
7. Scrape the cake with the prongs of a fork to make it look like bark.
8. Dust the entire cake with powdered sugar.

Cake Pictures


(Thomas cracking. Eggs, that is.)


(Mixing cake egg portions)


(Adding cocoa powder)


(Lisa spreading the batter onto the jelly roll pan)


(Baked cake with wax paper on top)


(Cake flipped, removing wax paper)


(Cake rolled)


Frosting Pictures


(Lots of butter)


(Butter/chocolate mixture)


(Sugar/water mixture boiling)


(Adding sugar/water mixture to eggs)


(Adding butter/chocolate mixture to eggs)


Assembly Pictures


(Branch removed from log)


(Frosting the cake)


(Almost done...)


(There you go at last!)


Enjoy!