Orange Bûche de Noël
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Makes 10 to 12 servings
Make-Ahead: The cake can be made up to 1 day ahead.
One of my first catering jobs in New York was for a French diplomat, and of course, bûche de Noël, the classic French holiday dessert, was de rigueur for the Christmas meal. Shaped like a Yule log, this impressive looking cake is easier than the eight steps may suggest. One secret is the use of marshmallow cream to make the frosting. Use your imagination to garnish the cake--it should look as if it was in a woodland setting. Tucking clean pine boughs under the cake is a good start (be sure not to use any toxic plants such as holly or poinsettia), with store-bought chocolate truffles tucked between the branches. If you can find them at a candy shop or gourmet market, add chocolate twigs, meringue mushrooms, and marbleized candy "rocks."
Cake
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Confectioner's sugar, for sifting over the cake
Orange Buttercream Frosting
One 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream (1 1/3 cups)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, cut into 16 tablespoons
Grated zest of 1 large orange
6 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier (see Note)
3/4 cup bitter orange marmalade
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly butter a 15 X 10 X 1-inch jelly roll pan. Cut an 18 X 12-inch piece of waxed or parchment paper. Cut a 2-inch long diagonal slit in each corner of the paper. Fit into the jelly roll pan (the slits will help the paper make a smooth fit).
- To make the cake, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla. Set aside.
- Crack the eggs into in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer or a stainless steel bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Place the bowl directly on a stove burner on very low heat. Whisk constantly just until the eggs are warm to the touch--the idea is to warm the eggs, not cook them. Remove from the heat. Using the whisk attachment (or a hand-held mixer) on high speed , whip the eggs until they very light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 4 minutes (allow 5 to 6 minutes for a hand-held mixer).
- Sift the flour and salt together. In two additions, sift the flour over the eggs, folding gently until the flour is almost, but not completely incorporated. Add about 1 cup of the batter to butter and fold together (this small amount of batter will deflate). Pour back into the larger amount of batter and fold together.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and it springs back when pressed in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Sift confectioner's sugar over the top of the cake. Place a clean kitchen towel and a flat baking sheet over the cake. Invert the cake, peel off the waxed paper, and lay the paper back on the cake. Using the towel as an aid, starting at a long side, roll up the cake into a cylinder (the waxed paper will keep the cake to sticking to itself as it cools). Cool completely.
- To make the frosting, place the marshmallow cream in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Beat in the orange zest.
- Unroll the cake and discard the waxed paper. Brush the liqueur evenly over the cake. Spread the cake with the marmalade. Roll the cake back up into a cylinder and transfer to an oblong platter. About 3 inches from one end of the cake, cut off a piece of cake at a sharp diagonal. Spread the cake with the frosting. Place the diagonal-cut slice on top of the cake to give a "stump" effect. Frost the "stump" with the remaining cake. Draw the times of a fork over the frosting to simulate bark.
- Refrigerate until the frosting is set, about 1 hour. (The cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, chilled, then covered loosely with plastic wrap.) Let the cake stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving to lose its chill.
Note: If you wish, substitute 1/3 cup fresh orange juice mixed with 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar for the liqueur.
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