Mom's Kitchen

BUCHE DE NOEL (Christmas Log)
click to enlarge

Bake at 350 for 15 min. Makes 8-10 servings

5 eggs, separated

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons flour

10x (confectioners' sugar)

Mocha butter cream (recipe follows)

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon 10X (confectioners') sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Grease a 15x10x1 inch jelly-roll pan; line bottom with was paper; grease paper again and lightly flour; tap off any excess.

2. Beat egg yolks in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy; gradually beat in granulated sugar and continue to beat until thick and pale in color. Beat in cocoa and flour at low speed.

3. Beat egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form; fold into yolk mixture until no streaks of white remain. Spread batter evenly in pan.

4. Bake in moderate oven (350°) for 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Remove from oven; cover with wax paper and cool thoroughly on wire rack.

5. Sprinkle an 18 inch long piece of wax paper lightly with confectioners' sugar. Loosen edges of cooled cake from the pan and invert on to paper. Peel off paper. Trim edges and reserve 1/4 inch from narrow edges of cake. Spread cake thinly with 3 tablespoons of Mocha Butter Cream.

6. Whip cream with 1 tablespoon 10X sugar and the vanilla in a small bowl until stiff. Spread evenly over cake on top of Mocha Butter Cream.

7. Roll lengthwise, using wax paper to aid rolling. Transfer to serving platter, seam-side down.

8. Frost roll with remaining Mocha Butter Cream. Form the trimmed edges into 3 or 4 various sized coils and arrange on "log" to resemble trimmed limbs. Frost coils and ends of log: sprinkle with sifted 10X sugar to resemble snow.

Mocha Butter Cream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup 10X (confectioners') sugar

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon powdered instant coffee

1 teaspoon water

Dissolve instant coffee with water, set aside. Beat butter in a small bowl, until fluffy. Beat in sugar, cocoa and coffee mixture.