Yule Log (Bûche De Noël)

SAH mom, dear husband, dear daughter, dear twin sons, floppy eared fur-baby. Love to teach, garden, cook, sew and craft, occasional computer geek for children!!

One of my holiday traditions is to make a Yule Log. Every year they are a little different and I play with the flavors. This year I went with a cherry and ricotta filling rolled into a cocoa sponge and covered with espresso buttercream. It is delicious. Sugaring cherries for the decor and making meringue mushrooms make this rolled cake a show-stopper. This classic French dessert is elegant and beautiful, and a fun way to serve cake at Christmas. The Yule Log look adds whimsy and the flavors and decorations can be tailored to your liking. Make some extra cherries to serve on the side, since they are super easy, delicious and gorgeous on the table.

subheading: Cocoa Sponge Cake:

¾ cup (90g) cake flour

¼ cup (295g) dutch-processed cocoa

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

5 large eggs, separated

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175g) granulated sugar, divided

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting towel

subheading: Cherry Chocolate Chip Ricotta Filling:

½ cup whole milk ricotta

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 ¼ cups frozen cherries (dark sweet or sour) thawed and drained

¾ cup mini chocolate chips

subheading: Swiss Meringue & Espresso Buttercream:

1 cup egg whites from about 8 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups (400g) granulated sugar

1 ½ pounds 6 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 2-tablespoon sized pieces, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon espresso powder

subheading: For Decorating and Finishing:

Chocolate ganache for mushrooms

Gold edible luster dust optional

Silver gold, and white dragees and/or large nonpareils optional

Fresh cherries brushed with pasteurized egg whites and dusted with sugar (optional)

Directions at zoebakes.com

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