BÛche De NoËl Filling Frosting Marzipan Mushrooms Recipes

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• Make chocolate genoise and mousse, ganache icing, and meringue mushrooms.
• To assemble cake, carefully unroll genoise on the back side of a baking sheet (discard the plastic wrap and waxed paper, but keep the towel). Spread chocolate mousse evenly on cake to within 1 to 2 inches of one long end. Reroll cake, starting from other long end, using towel to help roll it. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Place cake, seam side down, on a serving platter; tuck parchment around it to keep platter clean while decorating.
• Whip ganache at medium speed until it has the consistency of soft butter. Cut two wedges off ends of cake at a 45-degree angle; set aside. Ice log with a thin layer of ganache. Attach wedges on diagonally opposite sides of log. Spread ganache all over log, using a small spatula to form barklike ridges. Chill until ganache is firm, about 30 minutes.
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate until smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread melted chocolate 1/8 inch thick over parchment. Refrigerate until cold, 10 to 15 minutes. Roll paper back and forth until chocolate splinters; sprinkle over cake. Chill cake until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, arrange meringue mushrooms around and on cake, and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• In addition to the ingredients, you will need a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan, parchment paper, and a clean white flour-sack towel.
• Put the jellyroll pan on a flat countertop and make sure that it is not warped; if you can wiggle it, bend it flat, otherwise the cake will burn.
• Starting with the filling, cream the 2 sticks of butter until light and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are pale in color.
• Combine the 1 1/2 cup sugar with the 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan.
• Stir to dissolve, then cook without stirring until it reaches 230 degrees (or until it forms a small thread off of a spoon).
• While beating the yolks, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup in and beat until thick and cool (~5minutes).
• Beat the eggs into the creamed butter until smooth and uniform, then add the rum (You can replace the rum with 1/2 tbs almond extract and 1 1/2 tbs water).
• Set aside 1/4 cup of the buttercream mixture in a small bowl.
• Blend the instant coffee with the hot water, and stir into the 1/4 cup of buttercream.
• Add the cup of powdered sugar slowly until the coffee buttercream is spreadable and not runny.
• Melt the chocolate and blend it into the large bowl of buttercream.
• Put both the chocolate and the coffee buttercreams in the refridgerator to chill.
• Now, on to the cake!
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper; use a little butter to stick it to the pan and lightly grease the paper.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, and cornstarch together.
• Melt the butter.
• Beat the 3 eggs briefly, then add the sugar.
• Continue to beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the mixture.
• Gently fold in the flour first, then the butter (Don't try to make it perfectly smooth; you want some air still in the mixture).
• Pour into the jelly roll pan and spread to the edges.
• Bake for 5-8 minutes; the top should spring back when pressed with a finger.
• Spread the flour-sack towel on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake, then invert it onto the towel.
• Remove the pan and the parchment paper.
• Fold the towel up over the cake and roll the cake along the long side (you want a long, thin roll instead of a short fat one).
• Set it seam side down to cool.
• When the cake is cool (~30minutes) unroll it gently, remove the towel from the inside surface, and spread half of the cooled chocolate buttercream over the inside surface.
• Roll the cake up tightly (without the towel), wrap it in tin foil, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Slide waxed or parchment paper over a serving platter and place the cake on the paper (the paper prevents frosting smudges on the platter).
• Slice off both ends of the cake and reserve.
• Frost the cake with most of the remaining chocolate buttercream.
• Do not frost the ends.
• Use a fork to add"bark ridges.
• "Put the ends of the cake somewhere along the long axis and frost the sides (the idea is to look like stubs of branches).
• Use the coffee buttercream to frost the ends of the log and branches.
• If you really want to get fancy, make mushrooms.
• Use my meringues recipe (#33411).
• In addition to domed meringues, make small pillars to be the"stems.
• "When cooked, push"stems" into"caps.
• "Dust with cinnamon and push into the frosting.

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and stiff. Refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale. Blend in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and salt. In large glass bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until whites form stiff peaks. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Dust a clean dishtowel with confectioners' sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Unroll the cake, and spread the filling to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll the cake up with the filling inside. Place seam side down onto a serving plate, and refrigerate until serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

BûCHE DE NOëL WITH MARZIPAN MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• For filling:
• Bring milk to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in small bowl until well blended; whisk in flour. Whisk hot milk into egg mixture. Return to same saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until custard thickens and boils, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to processor; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Add marzipan; process until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in butter 1 piece at a time, then both extracts. Cover and refrigerate filling at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment. Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla and salt in large metal bowl. Set bowl over pot of simmering water. Whisk until just warm, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Sift flour over; fold in until just combined. Gently fold in butter (do not overmix, or batter will deflate). Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over towel. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Turn hot cake out onto towel. Peel off parchment. Starting at 1 long side and using towel as aid, gently roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool. Unroll cake. Spread filling over. Reroll cake; place cake, seam side down, on platter. Refrigerate cake while preparing frosting.
• For frosting:
• Bring cream and butter to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to melt butter. Remove from heat. Add both chocolates; whisk until melted. Transfer to medium bowl. Let cool at room temperature until thick enough to spread, about 1 hour.
• Starting 1 inch in from each end of cake, cut on diagonal to remove one 3-inch-long piece of cake from each end. Attach 1 cake piece at sides of cake near each end. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake and pieces. Using tines of fork, draw concentric circles on cake ends to resemble tree rings. Draw fork along length of cake to form bark design. Garnish with Marzipan Mushrooms.