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Copyright, 2015
December 8, 2013
Rob
Yule logs
2

Recipe: Chocolate and hazelnut Christmas yule log

Christmas is around the corner!

Everybody is starting to go shopping for presents, but I don’t care: I prefer to make Christmas cakes! 🙂

A few days ago I found a recipe by Benoît Couvrand, pastry chef at the Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac in Paris on a French magazine: it was an awesome-looking bûche de Noël (Christmas yule log) with a chocolate filling and caramelized hazelnuts.

Chocolate-hazelnut-yule-log-Christmas-25

What I loved the most about this recipe is that:

1) It is made with a flourless chocolate cake: this makes it a bit hard to roll, but in the end the yule log is very moist and light (so light that I didn’t feel guilty to get a double portion, although I should have)

2) It doesn’t look like the old-fashioned rolled cakes that were decorated in a kitsch way to resemble a real log: it’s covered with a stunning mirror glaze that has the power to make any cake look amazingly professional and modern! 😛

Chocolate-hazelnut-yule-log-Christmas-26

This chocolate and hazelnut Christmas yule log is a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness, given by cocoa powder, while the crunchiness of caramelized hazelnuts adds an interesting texture to the creamy ganache and moist cake.

Chocolate-hazelnut-yule-log-Christmas-07

Here is the full step-by-step recipe of this French bûche de Noël: although the magazine said “preparation time: 1h30min” I doubt you can finish it in 90 minutes unless you’re a pro. 🙂

Chocolate-hazelnut-yule-log-Christmas-24

Anyway, there is nothing really difficult in the recipe, it just involves many steps, but just take your time! It is really worth it!!! 😛

 

Chocolate and hazelnut Christmas Yule Log

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Chocolate and hazelnut Christmas Yule Log

Ingredients

Flourless chocolate cake

160gEgg whites (~ 4/5 egg whites)
180gGranulated sugar
110gEgg yolks (~ 4/5 egg yolks)
1Orange zest
50gUnsweetened cocoa powder

Cocoa syrup

20gUnsweetened cocoa powder
130gWater
50gGranulated sugar

Chocolate ganache filling

450gBittersweet chocolate (66%)
150gUnsalted butter
390gMilk

Caramelized hazelnuts

250gHazelnuts
75gGranulated sugar
35gWater

Chocolate mirror glaze

50gWater
140gGranulated sugar
45gCocoa powder
95gHeavy cream
6gSheet gelatin (= 3 sheets of 2g)

Directions

Chocolate mirror glaze

1
Prepare the chocolate mirror glaze the day before: soften the gelatin in cold water and in the meantime prepare a syrup by bringing the water and sugar to a boil on medium heat
2
Add the sifted cocoa powder and whisk
3
Brink the heavy cream to a boil
4
Incorporate the cream in the cocoa sugar syrup
5
Add the softened gelatin and whisk until it is dissolved. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Flourless chocolate cake

6
Start whipping the egg whites on medium speed. When they become foamy, add the sugar little by little. Continue whipping until the egg whites form stiff peaks then set aside.
7
Whip the egg yolks with sugar and orange zest on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is foamy
8
Whisk the sifted cocoa powder in the egg yolk mixture
9
Blend 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk and cocoa mixture with a spatula
10
Carefully incorporate the rest of the egg whites using a spatula and performing an upward movement from the side of the bowl to the centre
11
Cover a 30x40cm pan with parchment paper (even on the sides) and pour half of the batter. Start spreading it with an offset spatula.
12
Pour the remaining part of the batter and keep on spreading it so to have a flat 8mm layer (in the corners as well!)
13
Bake at 180° for 13-15 minutes then let the cake cool down in the pan on a wire rack

Chocolate ganache

14
Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan
15
Pour the boiling milk on the chopped chocolate
16
Stir gently with a spatula. Do not incorporate air.
17
Add the diced butter and mix with an immersion blender until the ganache is shiny and smooth
18
Pour it a large container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate

Caramelized hazelnuts

19
Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 140°. When they come out of the oven it will be easier to remove their skin. At this stage you could also toast a handful of pine nuts and pistachios for the final decoration.
20
Prepare a syrup by bringing to a boil the water and sugar on medium heat
21
When the syrup reaches 118°C, toss in the toasted hazelnuts and stir with a wooden spatula
22
At a certain point, the hazelnut and syrup mixture will become sandy: don't worry, it's normal, just keep on stirring
23
When the sugar becomes caramel and the hazelnuts are fully coated, remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour the content on a silicon mat or on parchment paper so that the hazelnuts are on a single layer.
24
When the hazelnuts are cold, place them in a food processor, keeping a few of them aside for decoration on the top of the yule log
25
Mix for 10-20 seconds and keep aside some coarsely chopped hazelnuts for the decoration of the sides of the yule log
26
Keep mixing for a few more seconds until the hazelnuts are finely chopped (but not too much: they should be crunchy)

Sugar syrup

27
Mix sugar, cocoa powder and water and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Let cool down at room temperature.

Assembling the cake

28
Invert the cake on another sheet of parchment paper (you might want to sprinkle the latter with sugar before to prevent sticking)
29
Moisten the cake with the cocoa syrup
30
Spread the chocolate ganache (it should be around ~20-30°C) evenly on the cake. The ganache layer should be as tall as the cake. Leave a 3cm border which will become the center of the roll.
31
Sprinkle with the caramelized hazelnuts
32
Hold one end of the parchment paper (on the small side) and use it as a help to roll the cake (I was not very lucky since the cake stuck to the paper). Freeze the cake for around 10 minutes.

Decoration

33
Heat the chocolate mirror glaze on a bain marie to 28°-30°C
34
Remove the yule log from the freezer and adjust its shape with your hands if needed. Place it on a wire rack on a pan covered with parchment paper.
35
Pour the mirror glaze on the yule log: it's better to pour a significant quantity of glaze in one single movement from one end to the other rather than pouring multiple times on the same spot. The excess glaze drips away and can be reused.
36
At this stage you can trim the edges of the yule log with a serrated knife to make them straight and even
37
Decorate the top with few pine nuts, pistachios and the whole caramelized hazelnuts
38
Finally, cover the sides with the coarsely-chopped hazelnuts

 

More Posts Like This One

Double chocolate and vanilla yule log

December 17, 2015

How to make a modern yule log in a mold (with coconut, passion fruit and mango)

December 18, 2016

Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

December 20, 2012

Chocolate éclairs

February 3, 2016
Benoît CouvrandBûche de NoëlChocolateChocolate cakeChristmasFlourlessFrenchGanacheHazelnutsMirror glazeYule Log
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2 Comments General

2 Comments

  • Gillian
    December 8, 2013 9:30 pm

    Always impressive!
    Btw you need to take away one of the comments sections – I am trying to recommend one to remove but am having a hard time! :S

    Reply

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WELCOME

Hi, my name is Rob, I work in IT but I love baking and I also got a pastry diploma. I created this blog to keep track of my journey from complete beginner to world pastry champion (I'm not there yet).

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