Buche de Noel (Chocolate log!)

Well. Mr B was probably the most impressed by this cake than any other I've made. It takes about half an hour if you're quick, no more than an hour if you're a little slower around your kitchen.

This is a Christmas chocolate fest with many different adaptations: chestnuts are often referred to in recipes, as is chocolate buttercream. I chose to make the chocolate sponge roll filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries (frozen would also be ace in this) and cover it with ganache. Below is a list of my recipe, and alternatives if you would so wish!

This size fed 10 people along with the giant profiteroles, but I have no doubt smaller numbers would see no problem in dealing with this cake...!

Sponge:

40g cocoa powder

65g Self raising flour

100g caster sugar

4 large eggs

Filling:

I used 300ml double cream, whipped, with a handful of raspberries scattered in

You could also use whipped cream with chestnut puree folded in, chantilly cream, or buttercream of any variety, and add anything you like (cherries, rum soaked raisins or orange zest spring to mind)

Icing:

300g dark chocolate ((NOT fancy chocolate - standard plain chocolate with a cocoa content of 45 - 50%)

300ml double cream (well it is Christmas!)

Method:

This is alarmingly simple.

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a swiss roll tin (30 x 20 cm or a little bigger) with non stick paper.

Plonk your eggs and sugar into a mixer and whisk until really pale, light and leaves a trail when you lift the whisk out (this will take a few minutes). Then fold in the sifted flour and cocoa very gently so you don't knock the air out - don't worry if there's the odd lump. I won't tell if you don't.

Pour and gentle spread the mixture into the tin - if it's a little bit of a struggle to get it even then err on the side of uneven as opposed to knocking the air out of your mix. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until risen and springy. When it's out of the oven, take the cake out still attached to the paper and roll it lengthways while still hot-ish into a sausage, then leave to cool still coiled up on it's paper like an odd christmas cracker.

Meanwhile, make the ganache - Break up or chop the chocolate into smallish bits, then heat the cream into a pan until it's slightly ouchy to keep your finger in it for longer than a few seconds (technical, I know). Remove the cream from the heat and plonk in the chocolate and stir until smooth, glossy and delicious in every way. Set aside somewhere cool-ish to thicken.

By now your cake should be pretty cool - whip the cream, then gently unroll the cake and peel it away from the paper. spread the cream and splodge a few raspberries into it, then re-roll (don't worry if it looks messy, it'll still look ace later!) and put onto a serving plate on it's seam so it stays rolled.

You can at this point do some lumberjack work if you like: I cut a piece off my log at an angle and put it next to the bigger piece to look like a branch, or you can leave your log just as it is. Up to you!

Then, when the ganache is a bit thickened but still reasonably workable, spread a layer using half to 2/3 over all sides of your log. As you work it will thicken, so once you've got a layer covering everywhere, the last 1/3 or so of the ganache will be nice and thick, so blob it on and use a fork to create bark. Use your creative licence (and maybe google images!) to create a neat or messy log, complete with icing sugar snow if you like. 70's holly optional.

Keep in the fridge until you eat it - I wouldn't make this in advance as the fatless sponge may dry a bit, but I've never resisted one long enough to find out :)

JB x