I will be making this again this year, I am hoping to get to it before the end of the day but I haven’t started moving yet and still have to go to the store. I think having a lazy Sunday on a day where I usually prep for things is not serving me very well this morning.  

If you are looking for something actually quite easy to make with fabulous taste, plus maybe wow your family and friends; you should think about making this. I was always in awe of them but figure they were above my skill level when in reality they are actually quite easy, a little different than some other desserts I’ve made but very doable.  Give it a try and tell me what you think.

I have my grocery shopping list and as soon as I finish writing and posting I am off to shower and start to get things done. Christmas eve for us is generally game night for the fam. We have some food, I plan on making pizza and something sweet, hoping to make some cookies and just play, probably dominoes. It seems to be the easiest things my 90+ year old in-laws can deal with. The days of trivia games I think has left the building for them. Their processing times have slowed down quite a bit but they do love playing dominoes and my mother-in-law still gives us a run for our money. 

Mocha Yule Log aka Buche e Noel

Donna Clark - Cooking at Clark Towers

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Ingredients

  

• 5 large eggs separated
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
• Filling
• 1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• Frosting
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tablespoon brewed coffee cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

• place egg whites in a small bowl and yolks in a large mixing bowl. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350'F. Line bottom of a greased 15"x10"x1" pan with parchment; grease parchment. sift flour, cocoa and salt together twice. Beat the egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating on high speed until thick and lemon-colored about 3-4 minutes. Fold in the flour mixture.
• Add cream of tarter to the egg whites and with clean beaters, beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beating on high after each addition until the sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form. Fold a fourth on the whites into the batter then fold in remaining whites. transfer to prepared pan, spreading evenly.
• Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, about 12-15 minutes. be careful to not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes. invert onto a clean tea towel dusted with cocoa. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Roll up the cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with the short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Filling; in a bowl, dissolve coffee granules in the cream. beat until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Unroll cake and spread the filling over the cake to within 1/2 inch of all the edges. Roll up again, without the towel, trim the ends. Transfer to a platter, seam side down, refrigerate, covered until cold.
• Frosting: beat all the ingredients until smooth. spread over the cake. Using a fork, make lines in the frosting to resemble tree bark. Refrigerate until serving.

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home test kitchen

This blog won’t feel complete unless I share what I found about the history of the Buche de Noel. The tradition dates back to medieval times, one of many pagan rites competing with Christmas traditions. A log of wood—often from a fruit tree to ensure a successful harvest in the year to come—would be brought home and placed in the hearth, which at the time functioned as the epicenter of every family’s activity. Depending on the region and its various beliefs, salt, wine, or holy water—among other ingredients—were sprinkled atop the log before lighting it on fire. Sprinkling wine, for example, was yet another way to guarantee the following year’s grape harvest would be bountiful.

Once lit on Christmas Eve, the log had to burn for at least three days for good luck—ideally until the New Year. That was just the start: ash from the log provided protection against lightning strikes, and coals were used throughout the year in various medicinal potions. It is believed that it turned into a cake looking like a log around the 20th century.
There are so many variations out there, this recipe had me at mocha – I LOVE mocha!