Recipe Archives->Holidays->Buche De Noel 01

Chocolate, Orange and Macadamia Buche de Noel

Cake

4 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper.  Beat
eggs, yolk, and sugar at medium speed until stiff peaks form.  Sift
in flour and cocoa.  Add orange peel; gently fold together.  Spread
batter evenly in prepared pan.  Bake until cake is springy to the
touch and begins to pull from sides, about 7 minutes.  Cut around
edges to free cake.  Turn out cake and paper to work surface and
let cool.


Buttercreams

1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups water
5 egg yolks
6 tablespoons orange liqueur
2 1/4 cups butter, softened
4 1/2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
4 1/2 ounces unsweetenend chocolate, melted and cooled

Bring sugar and water to boil in heavy saucepan, stirring until
sugar dissolves.  Continue boiling without stirring until thermometer
registers 240F (soft ball stage).

Beat yolks until thickened.  Add liqueur; gradually beat in hot
syrup.  Continue beating until cool, about 5 minutes.  Add butter
3 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition.  Mix in orange
juice concentrate.  Transfer 3 1/4 cups buttercream to a small
bowl; mix chocolate into remaining.

Invert cake onto sheet of plastic wrap.  Carefully remove paper.
Spread orange buttercream over cake, leaving 1 inch boarder on one
long side.  Sprinkle with macadamias.  Roll up jelly roll fashion,
starting with long side and rolling toward side with uncovered
border.

Trim to make ends even.  Cut 2 inches off each end of roll at 45
degree angle.  Transfer roll to platter using plastic as aid and
arranging seam side down.  Spread some chocolate buttercream on
cut ends of 2 inch pieces.  With buttercream touching cake, place
one piece atop cake off-center and the second on one long side to
resemble tree stumps.  Transfer 1 cup chocolate buttercream to
pastry bag fitted with 1/4 inch plain tip.  Spread remaining
buttercream over cake.  Pipe buttercream in spirals over ends of
buche and stumps, starting at center of each.  Run fork tines
through buttercream to simulate bark.

Arrange holly and cranberries decoratively on buche.  Garnish with
Meringue Mushrooms right before serving.


Meringue Mushrooms

1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon egg white (paste)
unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 150F.  Line baking sheet with wax paper.  Beat
whites, and pinch of salt 1 minute to blend.  Combine 2 tablespoons
sugar and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.  Add to whites in 3 additions,
beating for 20 seconds after each.  Continue beating until meringue
is stiff and glossy.  Transfer mixture to pastry bag fitted with
1/2 inch plain tip.  Pipe about fifteen 1/2 to 1 inch domed rounds
on prepared sheet for mushroom caps.  Smooth top of each with damp
finger.  Pipe about fifteen 1/2 to 1 inch high peaked mounds on
prepared sheets for stems.  Bake until meringues are dry and
beginning to color, about 1 3/4 hours.  Let cool completely.

Using small knife, cut small hole in bottom of each mushroom cap.
Dip peaked end of stem in sugar paste and push into hole in mushroom
cap.  Repeat with remaining caps.  Dust mushrooms with cocoa powder
before serving.

Printable version: buche-de-noel01.txt.