Saturday, April 04, 2015

Eggless Yule Log Cake | Buche De Noel



Yule Log Cake or Buche De Noel is a speciality cake made for Christmas. The recipe emerged in the 19th century, which has a soft and mosit sponge sheet cake which is iced with whipped chocolate cream frosting, rolled into a cylinder and again frosted ont he outside with delicious chocolate ganache. Then, with a fork, rough lines are drawn to resemble the bark of a tree. It is also very nicely presented by cutting one end off and placing that on top or by the side to get the real 'Log' look. 


Traditionally, the sponge cake is made without flour and uses a lot of eggs. I was so much fascinated by this cake when Gayathri posted this recipe and decided to give it a go. It looked so gorgeous. But, I was little skeptical when I went through the recipe - it called for 1/2 cup Egg replacer powder which was a huge amount as compared to the 2-3tsp which I usually use in my Muffins and Cakes. I very well know Ener-G Egg replacer works like a magic and is a boon to those baking Eggless and Vegan. But,I thought too much of this may make the sponge cake bland. I was wrong, the cake came out so spongy and tasty too, especially the whipped cream filling and a generous amount of rich and delicious Chocolate Ganache on top made it really heavenly. 

As always, I do such special cakes only if there is a possibility to share with friends. And, Christmas Party in my office with a potluck came as the best chance to try out this yummy cake.This cake consists of four preparations : 1. Baking the Sponge Cake, 2. Preparing the Chocolate Ganache, 3. Whipped cream for filling and 4. the sugar syrup for brushing. I did the sponge cake and whipped cream on a weekday night which extended past midnight. Then, prepared the Ganache and set it to chill in the fridge and woke up next morning, whipped up the Ganache, did the frosting and assembling and quickly set off. Hence, could'nt even take better pictures of the cake. My colleagues,(all of who eat cakes with eggs) went Ga-Ga over this Eggless Yule Log Cake and complimented a lot. They said it tastes way better than the usual Eggy ones. Why wait for Christmas? Do celebrate any occasion with this Eggless Dessert and Enjoy!

Preparation time : 30-45mins
Baking time - 20-25mins
Assembling the Log Cake - 30mins

Prepare the Chocolate sponge (Sheet Cake): I used 11" square pan

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour - 1cup
Cocoa powder - 1/3cup
Baking powder - 1tsp
Ener-G Egg Replacer powder - 1/2cup
Water - 1cup
Sugar - 2/3cup
Vanilla extract - 1tsp
Butter - 1/2tsp (to grease the pan)

Method:-

1.  Pre-heat oven to 150C.(Note that since we are baking a thin layer cake, the temperature for this sheet cake is low as compared with regular cakes / bakes which are mostly baked at 180 C) Whisk together flour, Cocoa powder and baking powder. Set aside.



2.  Take Ener-G Egg replacer powder and 1cup water in a bowl and beat with an electric beater for about 2-3mins until frothy.


3.   Now, add sugar and Vanilla extract and beat for another 6-8mins till the volume is doubled. This is a very essential step in getting a good spongy cake.


4.  Add the flour mixture to this and fold gently so as to incorporate evenly. DO NOT beat.


5.  Line the pan with parchment paper and grease with 1/2tsp butter and pour the Cake batter into it.


6.  Spread the batter evenly with a spatula and gently tap the pan on the counter a few times so that a thin layer spreads evenly throughout the pan.


7.  Bake at 150C for 20-25mins until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You can see the spongy, neat, sheet cake in the below picture.

8.  Let the cake cool down. To flip the cake, place another cake board or anything flat like a parchment paper on the pan so that it covers the pan completely. Now, flip the pan gently.


  This is how it looks once you take out. 



Prepare the Chocolate Ganache for Frosting:-

Ingredients:-
Dark Chocolate Compound - 200gm (I use Tulip brand)
Whipping cream - 3/4cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2tsp
Corn syrup - 1tblsp (for the glossy look, optional)

Method:-

1.  Weigh the Chocolate into a bowl and add in the whipping cream. Using a double boiler, heat the mixture until the chocolate melts. Make sure that you place a tall utensil so that the water does'nt get into the chocolate-cream mixture.


2.  Remove from heat, add the corn syrup and Vanilla extract and whisk well for a minute so that there is no lumpy chocolate mass.

3.  Refrigerate for 2-3hrs. You can see how it looks after refrigeration in the second picture below.


4.  Now, with an electric beater, whisk well for 3-5mins until it turns creamy and stiff, just perfect for frosting.


I used the Whipped Cream for Filling. You may wish to use the same Chocolate frosting for the filling as well. But, I thought the white filling would give a good contrast and show up well when rolled, hence used 'Whipped Cream Frosting'. Will sure share the detailed recipe with all the tips and tricks in a separate post soon.


Prepare the Sugar Syrup:-

Ingredients:-
Sugar - 3tblsp
Water - 3tblsp
Vanilla extract -  1/4tsp

Bring sugar and water to boil and turn off once it becomes sticky. Add Vanilla extract and keep aside. Use this syrup for brushing the cake.


Assembling the Yule Log Cake:-

Ingredients:-
Prepared Sponge Cake 
Whipped Cream for filling
Chocolate Ganache for frosting
Sugar Syrup
Cherries - 2-3tblsp, chopped

Method:-

Brush the cake with the sugar syrup.


Spread the cherries on the cake


Using an angled Spatula, spread a layer of Whipped cream on it. DO NOT make it too thick.


Start rolling the cake gently (make sure to lift it off the paper).


Do not worry if there is one or two cracks while rolling. As long as the Roll keeps well, no need to fuss about these.


Now, use the parchment paper and roll over it to make it a tight log.Refrigerate for atleast 1hr. 


After refrigeration, see how well set the Log cake is!


Fill the ziplock bag with the Chocolate frosting, make a small cut and start piping the frosting atop the cake.


Cover the cake completely with frosting.


Now, make a slightly slanting cut and place it by the side so that it looks like the branch of the tree being cut-off.


With a fork, draw lines which look like a tree bark. Just do it roughly and keep it uneven for a natural look.


This is how it looks once done. So rich and creamy, isn't it??



Decorate with some cherries and pipe green leaves with a leaf tip. I also piped some mushrooms with a Round tip. Enjoy this yummy Eggless Yule Log Cake now!



21 comments :

  1. I feel that yule log cakes look like cute pieces of art. Your version also looks good.

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  2. Wowwing here, eggless yule log cake is just stunning.. Totally am in love with yours..

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  3. That is a beautiful chocolate log. Wish I could eat it from the screen :)

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  4. Wow Suja this is beautiful yule log, and I see the details and efforts you have put in, lovely attempt ...brings in early christmas feel. btw, on the chocolate topping to make the bark look, you may try liberally spreading the chocolate ganache on top and once it starts setting in, use a fork to run through it and get t he same effect, saves a lot of time and mess

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    1. Thanks for the idea Pradyna. Yes, it would save time and the mess of transferring the Ganache to the Ziplock bag.

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  5. great piece of art, and a yummy cake... looks like Xmas is here once again :-))

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  6. It looks so beautiful.Great job!

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  7. The log looks so well made. I am book marking thia one as it has been on my mind.

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  8. Wow amazing. As you said why to wait for Christmas? Bookmarking this right away and hoping I can try it before Christmas.

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  9. Wow perfectly made Yule cake and that too an eggless one. Good job. 1/2 cup of egg replacer does sound like a lot but will take your word for it and try it out some time.

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  10. You have done an awesome job with the yule log! Your step by step pictures are so helpful. Simply amazing!

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  11. Ahh, beautiful bake!!! I too want to bake this for a long time now, but have no confidence on getting a perfect rolled log!! Must try sometime!!! Log looks gorgeous!!! :)

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  12. So wonderfully done..great efforts!

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  13. Wow!!!yule log looks fabulous and amazing,Kudos to your effort..

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  14. that is such an artistic cake!! I was looking for an eggless log cake recipe.. bookmarking it..

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  15. That is a beautiful log!!!!Bookmarked!

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  16. Looks amazing Sujatha. Even I was skeptical when I read about the amount of egg replacer but it surely turns out amazing...

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  17. Wow a beautiful cake and you have put in a lot of effort in making it.I want a slice off the screen.

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  18. OMG so much work but cake looks so great and yumm with all that chocolate..

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