Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Bûche de Noël
CBC Life | Posted: March 11, 2019 5:58 PM | Last Updated: March 11, 2019
This beautiful Bûche de Noël is soaked with Brandy syrup and filled with chocolate whipped cream and cherry jam.
The recipe comes from Vandana Jain, Star Baker for Holiday Baking Week on The Great Canadian Baking Show.
Ingredients
Pinecones:
- ¼ cup 35% cream
- 4 oz dark chocolate
- ½ cup sliced, skin-on almonds
Chocolate Sponge Cake:
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 6 large eggs, separated
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup superfine sugar, divided
- ¾ tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup icing sugar
Cherry Jam:
- 1 cup chopped cherries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp butter
Chocolate Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup 35% cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa
Chocolate Icing:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups icing sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
Brandy Syrup:
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp brandy
Decorations:
- Cherries
- Mint leaves
- Icing sugar
Preparation
Pinecones:
In a small saucepan, scald cream over a medium heat. Pour over chocolate in small heat-proof bowl and let stand for 1 minute before stirring to completely melt chocolate.
Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until firm. Form into four rounded-pyramid-shaped balls. Press almonds into balls to resemble pinecones. Chill in fridge until ready to use.
Chocolate Sponge Cake:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 17 x 12-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray and line with parchment.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low with remaining salt and cream of tartar until frothy, about 1 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and whip until soft peaks form. Add ¾ cup sugar, 2 tbsp at a time. Whip until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
In the same stand mixer bowl, whip egg yolks with remaining sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Fold into whites. Sift dry ingredients over egg mixture and fold in.
Spread onto the prepared pan.
Bake until sponge is puffy and springs back when pressed, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
Sift icing sugar onto a clean tea towel and invert cake onto towel. Peel off the parchment. Starting at short end, roll up tightly with towel. Place seam side down on cooling rack.
Cherry Jam:
Combine cherries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 7 minutes. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir water with cornstarch in a small bowl to combine. Stir into cherries and simmer for 1 minute until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Chocolate Whipped Cream:
Using a hand mixer, whip ingredients in a medium bowl until stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Chocolate Icing:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy and pale in colour, about 3 minutes. Stir in icing sugar 1 cup at a time until combined. Add cocoa. Increase speed and beat until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream, vanilla and salt; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Brandy Syrup:
In small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minutes. Stir in brandy.
Assembly:
Unroll cake onto cutting board and remove tea towel. Brush with warm brandy syrup. Spread with cherry jam, then chocolate whipped cream; both to within 1/2-inch of edges. Starting at one short end, roll up tightly and place on serving plate, seam side down.
Spread roll evenly with chocolate icing. Using a fork, run tines along roll to create wood grain texture. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with cherries and mint. Add pinecones before serving.
Preparation Time: 70 Minutes
Servings: Makes 10 servings