French Recipe: How To bake the Perfect Bûche De NoËl!

Christmas is the time of indulging in rich gourmandises (sweet treats) and this French recipe is no exception. The ‘bûche de Noël’ is a traditional dessert, dating back to the Middle Ages, that usually concludes the Christmas dinner in francophone countries. Although the original recipe calls for a plain sponge cake covered with chocolate buttercream, it can be adapted to appeal to every taste, for example by using a chocolate sponge cake, mixed berries, or even mousse au chocolat. How very French!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Serves: 4

  • 4 eggs
  • 140g sugar
  • 100g flour
  • 11g baking powder
  • 250g chocolat
  • 200g butter

Method

  • First, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Then whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and three tablespoons of warm water until the dough resembles a mousse. Add the flour and baking powder bit by bit.
  • Whisk the egg whites into soft peaks before adding them gently to the other dough.
  • Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius.
  • Pour the dough into a long and flat spring form or baking tray which has been laid out with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough has a light brown colour.
  • After taking it out of the oven, place a damp towel over the dough and roll it before putting it aside to cool down.
  • Break up the chocolate into pieces and melt it. Once it has melted completely, add the butter and stir to mix both ingredients.
  • Roll out the dough and spread ⅔ of the chocolate on it. Then roll it again.
  • Cover the dough with the rest of the chocolate and gently run a fork through the chocolate to make it look like the bûche is covered in bark.
  • Keep the bûche in the fridge until you serve it.

Enjoy!