"Christmas log" - a recipe. Cake "Christmas log"

For many decades, the "Christmas log" cake was prepared by the hostesses from France, Italy and other European countries, professing Catholicism. Today, this magnificent dessert is even more often found on the festive tables of our compatriots. About the secrets of cooking this cake, we will tell in our article.

History of the dish

Cake "Christmas log", the recipe of which we will today tell, has a very long history, rooted in the times of paganism. The ancient Celts had a tradition of burning large logs of cherry, elm or oak on the winter solstice. This personified the return of the sun and an increase in the duration of the day. In the Middle Ages, such a pagan tradition was transformed into a Christian rite and overgrown with different beliefs and signs. So, the log was burned in the oven on Christmas Eve. It was believed that his embers protect the family from evil. In the XIX century, another transformation took place. The log turned into an amazing dessert, capable of decorating any festive table.

What is this cake?

The classic recipe for "Christmas log" involves the preparation of a roll of biscuit dough with cream. In this case, the cut of the cake looks like a tree. The dessert itself is made in the form of a knotted log: the cream is spread in such a way that it looks like a tree bark. This cake is usually decorated richly: it is sprinkled with powdered sugar (creating the illusion of snow), berries, figurines of mushrooms from biscuit or meringue, marzipan, chocolate, etc. In this business, each hostess gets unlimited space for imagination.

So, we offer you several options for preparing this delicious dessert.

Luxury "Christmas log": recipe

To prepare this magnificent festive cake, of course, it will take a lot of time and effort, but the result will be beyond all expectations. Your family and guests will be delighted with the original dessert.

What we need

This recipe of the "Christmas log" assumes the availability of a variety of ingredients. So, for the preparation of the dough, we need 60 grams of flour and the same amount of potato starch, 150 grams of sugar and 4 chicken eggs. For the filling we will use 250 grams of chocolate, 4 egg yolks, 150 grams of butter and the same amount of sugar, two teaspoons of cognac or rum and a couple of spoons of strong black coffee. In order to prepare a cream for decoration, you need 100 grams of butter, 2 egg yolks, 75 grams of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cognac, 2 teaspoons of strong coffee and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee.

Cooking process

We take four chicken eggs and carefully separate the proteins from the yolks. Turn the mixer on medium speed and whisk the proteins until a lush foam is formed. Increase the speed and gradually pour 75 grams of sugar. Whisk until a thick foam. To the yolks, add the remaining sugar and whisk. In the resulting mass, pour in a third of the whipped with sugar proteins and mix. Then add 60 grams of sifted flour and 60 grams of potato starch. We pour the remaining protein mass and continue stirring until we have a smooth biscuit dough.

We take a baking tray, the size of which should be approximately 40 by 35 centimeters. We cover it with pre-oiled baking paper. Carefully lay out the dough on the baking tray, evenly distributing it over the surface, and send it for 15 minutes in a preheated to 170 degree oven.

Cooking stuffing

While the biscuit is baked, we will fill it. To four egg yolks, add 150 grams of granulated sugar and beat it with an electric mixer. Chocolate is crumbled and melted in a water bath. Do not forget to stir constantly. To the melted chocolate, add coffee and heat until the mass thickens. Then pour the beaten yolks, cognac or rum and spread the softened butter. Beat with a mixer until a lush and smooth chocolate mass is formed.

We remove the finished biscuit from the oven and spread it on a clean towel. Gently remove the paper and roll the dough into a roll. Cover with a towel and leave to cool.

Cream Preparation

While our biscuit is cooling down, let's get on with the cream. Mix the natural and instant coffee and add cognac or rum to it. We beat the two egg yolks with the sugar white. We connect this mass with coffee and cognac, and also add softened butter. Shake until smooth cream is obtained.

Collecting our cake

So, our roulette "Christmas log" is almost ready. We unfold the cooled biscuit and spread the chocolate filling on it evenly. We roll the roll again and cover it with coffee cream. Using a fork, we apply a groove on the surface of the cake to make it look like the bark of a tree. We send our dessert to the refrigerator for 1-1,5 hours.

Chilled cake must be decorated. For this, from two sides, cut it diagonally and shift it to a dish. Cut the pieces into cake so they will serve as knots. We decorate our dessert with meringue mushrooms, leaves of chocolate and sprinkle with fried chopped nuts. A gorgeous dessert at the festive table is ready!

Cake "Christmas log": recipe with stuffing from dried apricots

To prepare this gorgeous festive dessert, we need the following ingredients: 615 grams of white chocolate, 575 ml of cream (33% fat), 12 grams of gelatin, 150 grams of sugar, 160 ml of water, 30 grams of egg yolks, 110 grams of egg whites, 100 grams of dried apricots, 20 grams of butter, 60 grams of lemon juice, 120 grams of apricot jam, 3 grams of pectin, 30 grams of powdered sugar, 30 grams of almond flour, 15 grams of ordinary flour, 55 grams of coconut or cocoa butter, 30 grams of coconut Shavings and 50 grams of ku uruznyh flakes.

Cooking process

Corn flakes are crushed with a pistil or rolling pin. It is most convenient to do this by putting them in a plastic bag. Mix flakes with coconut chips. Melt 55 grams of crushed white chocolate and cocoa butter. Add this mass to the flakes and shavings and mix thoroughly. From the parchment paper, cut out a rectangle measuring 28 by 8 centimeters. We distribute the coconut mass along its entire length and send it to the refrigerator until it is completely solidified.

60 grams of dried apricots cut into small pieces and put in a small saucepan. Add 7 grams of sugar, 7 grams of butter, lemon juice and apricot jam. Heat the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a liquid state. In a separate container, we combine three grams of pectin with three grams of sugar. Add them to the apricot mass, stir and send to cool in the refrigerator.

Pre-cooked form for the log itself is covered with food film. Also we stock up with parchment paper, suitable for size. In a water bath, melt 285 grams of white chocolate. In this case it is necessary to ensure that the mass does not boil. Cool and distribute it on the entire surface of parchment paper. If everything was done correctly, the chocolate will start to solidify at room temperature. We put it in the baking dish and send it to the refrigerator.

Cooking sponge cake

Sift both types of flour (plain and walnut). Mixer whisk at high speed egg with powdered sugar, until the mass is doubled in size. In a separate container pour out 50 grams of protein. Add 10 grams of sugar and whisk thoroughly before forming a lush foam. The resulting mass is added to the egg mixture and gently mixed, gradually pouring out the flour. Melt 16 grams of butter and add them to our mixture, mix well and put into a culinary bag. On parchment paper, draw a rectangle measuring 28 by 15 centimeters and fill it with a test. We bake a biscuit in a heated to 200 degree oven for 7 minutes.

Filling

"Christmas log", the recipe of which we describe, cook is not so simple, but the result will justify all the efforts spent. So, go to the filling. Bring to a boil a syrup of 90 grams of sugar and 30 ml of water. Simultaneously, whisk 60 grams of protein until a soft and lush foam. Pour a thin trickle of syrup and whisk thoroughly.

Gelatin soak in 120 grams of cold water and let it swell. Heat 110 ml of cream, not bringing them to a boil. 275 grams of white chocolate melt in a water bath. Add cream, gelatin and syrup with proteins. Good whisk. Separately whisk 465 ml of cream and add a syrup of sugar with water to them.

Cut cold biscuit cut into two equal parts. On the chocolate in the baking dish, we squeeze the mousse out of the culinary bag, put the half of the biscuit on top, add mousse, dried apricots, coconut mixture, again the mousse and the second part of the biscuit. We send everything to the refrigerator for the night. The next day, turn the cake and decorate it at your discretion (for example, pieces of dried apricots and mushrooms from meringues).

Today we have offered you recipes for a delicious dessert called "Christmas log". We hope that such cakes will be a worthy decoration of your festive table and will taste like your family members and guests.