Better Late Than Never ... Buche de Noel

This holiday season I set one simple goal for myself, to make a buche de noel or traditional yule log cake for the first time. I did not get a chance to work on it before Christmas so I decided to tackle it on New Year's Eve. I figured if I got it in before year end I would feel good about being able to accomplish something.

I searched high and low for the perfect recipe and even borrowed a couple from our new friend and customer, Lorraine. In the end I used a cake recipe that I liked, the filling I used in my almond tiramisu and milk chocolate ganache. At the end of the three hour effort, we had a delicious but very unattractive Christmas Cactus. I will try again next year. Here's a recap of the fun!

Gathering the key ingredients

The Cake Batter

Batter Before Baking

Cake Out of the Oven

Coating the Cake with Amaretto

Filling Made with Mascarpone, Whipped Cream, Powdered Sugar, Amaretto and Almond Extract

Spreading the Filling

Rolling the Cake. This was a Nail Biter!

The Log Before Being Frosted

Ganache or Grout for Cake according to Carolyn

Adding the Bark

The Final Log with Sliced Almonds ... not exactly a Yule Log ... more of a Christmas Cactus