Buche de Noël (literally a Christmas Log, a rich chocolate cake)
Ingredients:
for the cake:
150 g sugar
3 eggs
100 g flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
for the icing:
Bitter cooking chocolate melted in a little milk.
Preparation:
Separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Mix sugar, egg yolks, flour and baking powder well. Then beat the egg whites until stiff and add gently into the mixture. Take a rectangular baking tray with edges and grease it with butter, followed by a scattering of flour. Pour the dough mixture on to this baking tray. Bake in a moderately hot oven (about 190o C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Take the baking tray out of the oven, and slide the cake on to a damp cloth, and scatter with castor sugar. While still warm, spread the chocolate cream on the cake, and roll it up, like a 'swiss roll'.
When the cake is cool, cover with remaining chocolate and decorate as an old log with holly leaves. You can add little meringues as 'mushrooms', or other decorations, such as elves, a Father Christmas, etc.
Photograph (c)2008 Hélène Vergé
