For many decades, the Christmas Log cake was prepared by housewives from France, Italy and other European countries professing Catholicism. Today, this magnificent dessert is increasingly found on the festive tables of our compatriots. We will tell you about the secrets of cooking this cake in our article.
Dish history
The Christmas Log Cake, the recipe of which we will tell you today, has a very long history, rooted in pagan times. The ancient Celts had a tradition of burning large logs of cherry, elm or oak on the day of the winter solstice. This personified the return of the sun and an increase in the length of the day. In the Middle Ages, a similar pagan tradition was transformed into a Christian rite and overgrown with various beliefs and signs. So, they began to burn logs in the oven on Christmas Eve. It was believed that his embers protect the family from evil. In the 19th century, another transformation took place. The log turned into an amazing dessert that can decorate any festive table.
What is this cake like?
The classic recipe for "Christmas log" involves the preparation of a roll of biscuit dough with cream. At the same time, the slice of the cake looks like a cut of a tree. The dessert itself is made out in the form of a dull log: the cream is spread so that it looks like a tree bark. It is customary to decorate this cake richly: it is sprinkled with powdered sugar (creating the illusion of snow), berries, figurines of biscuit or meringue mushrooms, marzipan, chocolate, etc. In this case, every housewife gets unlimited scope for imagination.
So, we bring to your attention several options for preparing this delicious dessert.
Luxurious Christmas Log: Recipe
Of course, it will take a lot of time and effort to prepare this magnificent holiday cake, but the result will be above all expectations. Your household and guests will be delighted with the original dessert.
What do we need
This recipe for Christmas log suggests a variety of ingredients. So, to prepare the dough, we need 60 grams of flour and the same amount of potato starch, 150 grams of granulated sugar and 4 chicken eggs. For the filling, we will use 250 grams of chocolate, 4 egg yolks, 150 grams of butter and the same amount of granulated sugar, two teaspoons of cognac or rum and a couple of spoons of strong black coffee. In order to prepare a cream for decoration, you will need 100 grams of butter, 2 egg yolks, 75 grams of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of cognac, 2 teaspoons of strong coffee and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee.
Cooking process
We take four chicken eggs and gently separate the proteins from the yolks. Turn on the mixer at medium speed and beat the proteins until lush foam is formed. We increase the speed and gradually pour 75 grams of sugar. Beat until a dense foam is formed. Add the remaining sugar to the yolks and whisk until white. Pour the third part of the whipped proteins with sugar into the resulting mass and mix. Then add 60 grams of sifted flour and 60 grams of potato starch. Pour in the remaining protein mass and continue stirring until we get a smooth biscuit dough.
We take a baking sheet, the dimensions of which should be approximately 40 by 35 centimeters. Cover it with pre-greased baking paper. Gently spread the dough on the baking sheet, evenly distributing it on the surface, and send it for 15 minutes to the oven preheated to 170 degrees.
Cooking stuffing
While the biscuit is baking, we will do the filling. Add 150 grams of granulated sugar to four egg yolks and whisk with a white mixer. We crumble the chocolate and melt it in a water bath. Do not forget to constantly stir. To the melted chocolate, add coffee and heat until the mass thickens. Then pour in whipped egg yolks, cognac or rum and spread the softened butter. Beat with a mixer until a lush and smooth chocolate mass is formed.
We take out the finished biscuit from the oven and put it on a clean towel. Carefully remove the paper and roll the dough into a roll. Cover with a towel and leave to cool.
Cooking cream
While our biscuit is cooling, let's take a cream. We mix natural and instant coffee and add cognac or rum to it. Beat two egg yolks with white sugar. We combine this mass with coffee and cognac, and also add softened butter. Beat until smooth cream.
Collect our cake
So, our Christmas log log is almost ready. Expand the cooled biscuit and spread the chocolate filling on it with an even layer. Turn the roll again and cover it with coffee cream. Using a fork, we apply grooves on the surface of the cake to resemble the bark of a tree. We send our dessert in the refrigerator for 1-1.5 hours.
Chilled cake must be decorated. To do this, cut it obliquely on both sides and transfer it to a dish. We lay out the sliced pieces on the cake, so they will serve as knots. We decorate our dessert with meringue mushrooms, chocolate leaves and sprinkle with fried chopped nuts. Great dessert on the festive table is ready!
Christmas log cake: recipe with dried apricots filling
To prepare this great holiday dessert, we need the following ingredients: 615 grams of white chocolate, 575 ml of cream (33% fat), 12 grams of gelatin, 150 grams of sugar, 160 ml of water, 30 grams of egg yolks, 110 grams of egg whites, one chicken egg , 100 grams of dried apricots, 20 grams of butter, 60 grams of lemon juice, 120 grams of apricot jam, 3 grams of pectin, 30 grams of powdered sugar, 30 grams of almond flour, 15 grams of plain flour, 55 grams of coconut or cocoa butter, 30 grams of coconut shavings and 50 grams of ku uruznyh flakes.
Cooking process
Grind corn flakes with a pestle or rolling pin. It is most convenient to do this by putting them in a plastic bag. Mix the flakes with coconut. Melt 55 grams of crushed white chocolate and cocoa butter. We add this mass to the flakes and chips and mix well. From parchment paper, cut a rectangle measuring 28 by 8 centimeters. We distribute the coconut mass along its entire length and send it to the refrigerator until it completely hardens.
We cut 60 grams of dried apricots into small pieces and put in a small saucepan. There we add 7 grams of sugar, 7 grams of butter, lemon juice and apricot jam. Heat the mixture in a saucepan and bring to a liquid state. In a separate container we combine three grams of pectin with three grams of sugar. Add them to the apricot mass, stir and send to cool in the refrigerator.
A pre-cooked form for the log itself is covered with cling film. We also stock up on parchment paper, suitable in size. In a water bath, melt 285 grams of white chocolate. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the mass does not boil. Cool and distribute it over the entire surface of parchment paper. If everything was done correctly, the chocolate will begin to solidify at room temperature. We put it in a baking dish and send it to the refrigerator.
Cooking Biscuit
Sift both types of flour (plain and nut). Using a mixer, beat the egg with powdered sugar at high speed until the mass doubles in size. Pour 50 grams of protein into a separate container. Add 10 grams of sugar and beat well until a lush foam is formed. The resulting mass is added to the egg mixture and mix gently, gradually pouring flour. Melt 16 grams of butter and add them to our mixture, mix well and put in a cooking bag. On parchment paper, draw a rectangle measuring 28 by 15 centimeters and fill it with dough. We bake a biscuit in an oven heated to 200 degrees for 7 minutes.
Filling
“Christmas log”, the recipe of which we are describing, is not so easy to prepare, but the result will justify all the effort. So, go to the filling. Bring to a boil a syrup of 90 grams of sugar and 30 ml of water. At the same time, whisk 60 grams of protein until a soft and lush foam is formed. Pour in a thin stream of syrup and beat well.
Soak gelatin in 120 grams of cold water and let it swell. Heat 110 ml of cream without boiling them. Melt 275 grams of white chocolate in a water bath. Add cream, gelatin and syrup with proteins. Beat well. Beat 465 ml of cream separately and add sugar syrup with water to them.
The cooled biscuit is cut lengthwise into two equal parts. Squeeze the mousse onto the chocolate in the baking dish from the culinary bag, put the half of the biscuit on top, add the mousse, dried apricots, coconut mixture again, the mousse again and the second part of the biscuit. We send everything to the refrigerator for the night. The next day we turn the cake over and decorate it at our discretion (for example, pieces of dried apricots and meringue mushrooms).
Today we brought to your attention recipes for a delicious dessert called "Christmas log." We hope that such cakes will become a worthy decoration of your festive table and will appeal to both your household and guests.