Recipe for coffee yule log cake

The French holiday classic, Bûche de Noël Café – coffee yule log cake – looks seriously impressive but it’s actually quite easy to make with this mouth-watering recipe from the experts at the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts. Plus you can make it ahead of Christmas though it may not survive temptation until the big day!

Recipe for coffee yule log cake

Serves 6–8

Active time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Storage: Up to 1 week in the refrigerator

Equipment

Silicone baking mat
Electric hand beater
Instant-read thermometer
Stand mixer
Pastry bag fitted with a large, serrated, basketweave tip
Paper piping cone

Ingredients

GENOISE

½ cup (3.5 oz./100 g) sugar
⅔ cup (5.25 oz./150 g) lightly beaten egg (about 3 eggs)
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (2.75 oz./70 g) flour
3 tbsp (1 oz./30 g) cornstarch

SOAKING SYRUP

½ cup minus 1 tbsp (110 ml) water
½ cup (3.5 oz./100 g) sugar

COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

Scant ½ cup (100 ml) water
1 ⅓ cups (9 oz./250 g) sugar
Scant ½ cup (3.5 oz./100 g) lightly beaten egg (about 2 eggs)
2 sticks plus 7 tbsp (11.5 oz./325 g) butter, diced, at room temperature
2 tbsp (30 ml) coffee extract

DECORATION

Green food coloring

Method

Making the Genoise

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C/Gas mark 8). Lay the silicone mat on a baking sheet. Using the electric beater, whisk the sugar and eggs together in a bowl over a pan of hot water until the temperature reaches 113°F (45°C). Remove the bowl to a work surface and whisk until cold. The mixture should be pale and thick and when you lift the beaters the batter should fall off in a thick ribbon that stays on the surface for several seconds. Sift the flour and cornstarch together and, using a spatula, lightly fold in until just combined, taking care not to deflate the mixture. Pour onto the silicone mat, spread lightly in an even layer and bake for about 5 minutes until just springy to the touch.

Making the Soaking Syrup

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves and then bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

Making the Coffee Buttercream

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and, when the sugar has dissolved, heat to 243°F (117°C). Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl until pale and frothy. When the syrup is ready, pour it onto the eggs in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until the mixture cools to 68°F–77°F (20°C–25°C) and then beat in the butter until smooth. Spoon about ½ cup (3.5 oz./100 g) of the buttercream into a separate bowl. Stir the coffee extract into the rest and spoon this into the pastry bag with the basketweave tip.

Assembling the Log

Brush the syrup over the sponge to moisten it thoroughly. Using a spatula, spread it with a very thin layer of coffee buttercream, about 1/16in. (2 mm) thick, and roll up from one short side like a jelly roll. Cut a diagonal slice at 45 degrees off each end and lay the slices, cut side down, on top for knots. Spread plain buttercream over the ends and knots, with a dab of coffee buttercream in the center. Pipe the rest of the coffee buttercream in lines down the length of the log to cover it in a thick layer. Roughen the surface with the tines of a fork dipped in ice-cold water to resemble bark. Warm the blade of a knife and smooth the ends and knots neatly. Color the remaining plain buttercream green, spoon it into the paper cone and pipe a winding green stem with ivy leaves down the log. Add decorations of your choice such as fir trees, holly leaves, and snowflakes

Extracted from French Pâtisserie: Master Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts by Ferrandi (Published by Flammarion, £45). Photography © Rina Nurra 2017.