Buche de Noel: recipe for the sophisticated French Christmas dessert (to prepare the day before)

Bûche de Noël, or as it is spelled in German – Buche de Noel, is a typical Christmas dessert from France. The Swiss roll with delicious chocolate cream is the perfect addition to the Christmas menu, but can also sweeten the run-up to Christmas. And perhaps best of all, the roll can be easily prepared in advance and then served chilled for family lunch.

Recipe for Buche de Noel with chocolate cream: the preparation and the ingredients

The French call it Buche de Noel, but in this country the delicious dessert is still known as a Christmas tree trunk. The name refers to a long tradition - until the beginning of the 20th century, a large tree trunk was burned on Christmas Eve. In honor of this custom, the dessert was created in the middle of the last century.

Nowadays it is very popular in French-speaking countries, but has now spread to other European countries as wellChristmas dessert established. In recent years it has also gained popularity in Germany. If you can make the roulade yourself, then you will definitely find the step-by-step instructions in the article helpful. But first let's list the necessary ingredients:

The necessary ingredients:

1. For the cream:

  • 110 g butter, soft
  • 215 g cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  • 76 g Mascarpone

2. For the dough:

  • 64 g Cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
  • 32g powdered sugar

3. For the ganache:

  • 170 g extra whipped cream (fat content over 30%)
  • 130 g chocolate shavings

Preparing the Christmas dessert “Buche de Noel”: instructions

Step 1: Firstthe fillingprepare. To do this, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl. You can use both a stand mixer and a hand mixer for this purpose. Then add cocoa powder, salt, milk and vanilla and mix well. It should have a creamy consistency. Then add the mascarpone and stir it in. Cover with cling film and chill.

2. For theBisquitteigFirst preheat the oven to 200° without fan circulation. Then mix cocoa, salt and flour in a small bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until fluffy. Then gradually add the cocoa mixture and fold in, stirring constantly. Line the baking tray with baking paper and place the dough on it, spreading it evenly and smoothing it out. Bake for about 9 minutes, then remove from the oven and remove from the baking tray. Line the work surface with a cloth and turn the biscuit plate onto it. Peel off the baking paper.

3. Spread the biscuit plate with 2/3 of the chocolate cream and roll it up from the shorter side with the cloth. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight). Then take it out of the fridge, remove the cling film and cut about 1/3 of the roll diagonally. Assemble the tree trunk as shown in the photo - use the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate cream for this purpose.

4. DieGanacheprepare. To do this, first melt the chocolate shavings in a water bath. Then put it in a bowl and mix well with the whipped cream. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10-15 minutes and then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then spread the ganache over the Swiss roll and draw lines on it with a spoon. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh fruit.

Tips for preparation

Do not press when rolling the biscuit plate. Use a smooth tea towel to roll up. First sprinkle the cloth with powdered sugar to make it quicker.

You can freeze the Swiss roll wrapped in cling film straight away if you want to garnish it after a few days.

You can vary the filling as you like. The quickest and easiest way to make buttercream is to make it. But you can also add fruit and even season the filling with alcohol.

Perhaps the best thing about dessert is that it can be made the day before the festive occasion. The Swiss roll has to sit for 12 hours anyway so that the cream sets. So you can put them together in advance, pack them in an airtight container (the cream quickly absorbs smells from other dishes) and store them in the fridge for a day. Alternatively, you can also freeze the roll. However, it takes about 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator.

You can also prepare the filling a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator, covered with cling film.

The shelf life of the roulade varies depending on whether it is prepared with or without eggs. The next recipe contains eggs, so you have to eat the Christmas tree trunk within three days.

Buche de Noel is a dessert,where the chocolate loverswill definitely get their money's worth. It's easy to make a few days before Christmas and can be frozen. The preparation itself is time-consuming, but extremely easy. You also have longer breaks between the individual stages and can do other tasks around the house or in the kitchen in between. The end result will definitely be worth it and will earn you compliments.