Christmas log. Christmas recipe

How to make a Christmas log . Although in recent years it is possible to find this dessert in the windows of pastry shops on Christmas dates, the reality is that it is not a recipe for tradition in Spain.

It is a custom originating in the neighboring country, France, where each year they prepare this sweet on Christmas Eve.

The Christmas log or Buchê de Noël  consists of a gypsy arm made with a Genoese sponge cake plate that is filled with chocolate cream, nougat or pastry cream, according to the tastes of each house, which is covered with chocolate cream and it is decorated in the purest Christmas style.

The origin of this custom is very old, families gathered on Christmas Eve around the fireplace to enjoy the party together. They chose from among all the logs, the most beautiful, largest and best wood to be the one that warmed them all night.

That was the one they decorated with Christmas bows and decorations and used to fuel the fire. Over time and the appearance of charcoal stoves, the wooden log was replaced by a pastel log with the intention of continuing, in some way, maintaining the tradition.

The resulting cake is worth preparing, although it may seem that its preparation is very complicated, I encourage you to dare to do it. The steps are actually very simple and the result surprising.

I am sure that at home your family will be delighted with such a beautiful and Christmas dessert . And if you want to cook more typical desserts of these dates at home, be sure to visit our special Christmas recipes .

Preparation of the Genoese cake

1. We separate the whites from the yolks and put the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a bowl. With a stick blender we mount the whites with a pinch of salt until they are very firm.
2. Add the sugar to the whites in several batches and continue beating until it is completely integrated. We will have a firm and shiny meringue.
3. On the other hand we beat the yolks and add them to the bowl of the mounted whites. With manual rods we integrate the mixture with enveloping movements to prevent the whites from falling.
4. We sift the flour and repeat the operation of integrating all the ingredients with delicate and enveloping movements.
5. While the oven is preheated to 180º C, place on a tray suitable for the oven, a sulfurized paper. We can stick it to the base with a few drops of the sponge cake mix or with a little butter. I have used a 30 × 35 cm tray. but you can use a bigger one, we just have to take into account that this way the cake plate will be finer.
6. We spread the dough of the cake on the surface of the tray already covered, trying to make it everywhere the same thickness.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 180º C. Once the cake is removed from the oven, and still hot, we cover it with a damp cloth.
8. We turn it around and roll it up on itself. We let it cool like that folded. We can leave the cake stored in the fridge from one day to the next with the shape of an arm.

Syrup preparation

1. In a saucepan we put all the ingredients, sugar, water, orange and lemon peel and a splash of Amaretto. We can use any other liquor that we like.
2. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar has diluted. Remove from heat and let cool. We reserve until we are going to use it.

Preparation of the filling

1. We put the gelatin leaves in a bowl with water for 10 minutes until they are hydrated.
2. We assemble the cream with a stick mixer until it is very firm and store in the fridge. It is important that the cream is very cold so as not to have problems when assembling it.
3. In a saucepan, heat the milk with sugar, mixing well until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is very hot. Remove from the heat and incorporate the already hydrated gelatin leaves, stirring delicately.
4. In a large bowl, crumble the soft nougat until it remains as sand. Add the whipped cream and mix well with a spatula. We will have a cream with mini pieces of nougat, if you want that they are not noticed at all what you can do is pass this mixture through the mixer, but in my opinion it is not necessary.
5. Pour the milk with the gelatine already dissolved and mix well until it is integrated with the rest of the cream. We keep the filling in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Coverage and final assembly of the Christmas tree

1. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it boils and remove it from the heat. We add the chocolate in pieces and with some rods stir until it has melted and is fully integrated with the cream. We let the mixture cool down before using it.
2. We unroll the Genoese cake leaving it on a sulfurized paper and with a kitchen brush we wet it all over its surface with the syrup. The paper will facilitate the operation of rolling up and transferring it to the service tray.
3. We spread the nougat cream in a thick layer on the surface of the cake leaving two fingers free of one of the shorter sides.
4. We roll the cake with the help of the sulfurized paper and store in the fridge. We line the tray in which we are going to present the Christmas log with transparent film paper or aluminum foil. Leaving the central part free so that it is easier for us to remove it later.
5. We cut our gypsy arm 1/3 of its entire length and place the largest part on the tray already lined. We attach the small arm part to one side of the large trunk, as if it were a branch.
6. Cover the trunk and branch heads with transparent plastic wrap or aluminum foil to protect them when extending coverage.
7. Spread the covering chocolate over the entire surface of the Christmas log, leaving the heads of the trunk and branch free. We keep in the fridge until the chocolate coating has hardened.
8. With a fork or a punch we make grooves in our trunk as a decoration so that its appearance is like that of a tree trunk.

Although it may seem like a very laborious and laborious dessert, it is not so much. With a little dedication we can enjoy a typically Christmas dessert that will surely surprise your family, and that is also delicious.

Be sure to enjoy all the Christmas sweets that we have in our dessert recipes , I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.