French Christmas Log (Bûche de Noël)

The festive French rolled sponge cake, filled with whipped cream and cloaked in rich chocolate ganache.

🍳 Cook: 7 min

Ingredients

2.7		eggs, separated
66.7 g		caster sugar
26.7 g		all-purpose flour
33.3 g		unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 tsp	3.3 ml	baking powder
1/6 tsp	0.8 ml	salt
160 + 106.7 g		whipping cream
116.7 g		dark chocolate
2/3 tsp	3.3 ml	vanilla extract
1 tbsp	15 ml	butter
83.3 g		icing sugar, plus extra for the towel

Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip. Whip on speed 10 until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Put the egg yolks and caster sugar in the mixer bowl fitted with the wire whip. Mix on speed 4 until light in color.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until everything is combined.
Add 1 large dollop of the whipped egg whites to the yolk mixture and mix on speed 2 for one minute.
Now that the mixture is loosened up, fold in the rest of the egg whites by hand.
Spread the batter over a silicone baking mat (20 cm x 30 cm) and bake for 7 minutes in a 220°C preheated oven.
The cake should be fully baked but still soft to the touch.
Generously sprinkle icing sugar over a clean, dry towel.
Transfer the baked cake onto the towel and remove the silicone mat. Roll the cake onto itself and let it cool completely.
Heat the 240 g whipping cream. In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate, vanilla extract and butter.
Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and stir until everything has melted and combined. Let cool completely.
Put the remaining cream in the mixer bowl fitted with the wire whip. Add the icing sugar and whip on speed 8 until peaks form.
Unroll the cake and spread the whipped cream over it. Roll it up again, this time without the towel.
Cover the log with the chocolate topping and decorate to your taste.