Ingredients -
For prepping your baking tray:
(3) Tbsp. of Salted Butter, melted
(2) Tbsp. of All-purpose Flour
For the Chocolate Frosting:
(1) Stick of Salted Butter, melted
(1¼) Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips by Ghirardelli
(¾) Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream (35%)
For the Sponge Cake:
(3) Large Egg Yolks
(2) Large Egg Whites
(2) Large Eggs
(3) Tbsp. Cocoa Powder by Green & Black’s
(2) Tsp. Vanilla Extract
(⅓) Cup of Granulated Sugar & (1) Tbsp. of Granulated Sugar, for later
(¼) Cup of All-purpose Flour
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream:
(6) Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
(4) Tbsp. Cocoa Powder by Green & Black’s
(2) Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream (35%)
(2) Tsp. Organic Vanilla Extract by Pure Organics
Garnish:
Your choice of sprinkles or Icing Sugar
Directions –
Prepping your baking tray & oven:
Preheat your oven to 450°C.
To prep your pan, thoroughly brush on the melted butter on the entire base and the four walls of the pan. Be generous while doing so because this ensures how well your sponge cake bakes. Then, place a sheet of parchment, horizontally on the base of the pan. Thoroughly brush the sheet of parchment with melted butter and place another sheet of parchment paper vertically over the sheet below. Thoroughly brush the sheet of parchment with melted butter. To finish off, sift on all-purpose flour throughout the baking tray and dust off all the excess.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
Melt the butter and whipping cream in a pan over medium heat. Place your Dark Chocolate Chips in a separate mixing bowl and pour over the heated butter and whipping cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Stir all the ingredients thoroughly and allow the mixture to cool.
For the Sponge Cake:
In a mixing bowl (#1), whip together 3 large egg yolks, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract and ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. You are looking to achieve the texture of thick ribbon like affect. You then want to sift in your all-purpose flour and cocoa powder over the egg and sugar mixture and fold it in together. Be gentle while folding everything together as you don’t want to deflate all the air created while whipping the eggs and sugar together. Place this bowl aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, whip together 2 large egg whites and 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar. Whip until you achieve stiff peaks. Take approximately half of the egg white and sugar mixture and gently fold it into the mixture you created in mixing bowl (#1). Once you’ve thoroughly folded that in, take the remaining half and fold that in as well.
And voila – your sponge cake batter is ready to bake!
To bake the Sponge Cake:
Pour your sponge cake batter into the prepped baking tray and spread the batter evenly using a spatula. Hold both ends of the baking tray and give it a couple of hard whacks on a flat surface (I used my countertop) to burst any air bubbles. Place the baking tray in the oven and allow the batter to bake for 6 minutes at 450°C. You will notice the cake drastically rise, but there’s no reason to worry. When the cake has baked for 6 minutes, open the oven and carefully poke a bamboo skewer into the cake and pull out; the bamboo skewer should come out clean. If your bamboo skewer comes out with some batter, allow it to bake for another minute or two.
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream:
Combine the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and whip until you achieve extremely stiff peaks.
Putting the Bûche De Noël Au Chocolat together:
Once you’ve pulled out your baking tray from the oven, set it aside for a few minutes and let it cool. Then, use a spatula and run it between the sponge cake and the 4 walls of parchment paper (the goal is to ensure that the sponge cake isn’t sticking to the parchment paper). Thoroughly sift on some cocoa powder on the sponge cake, Take a clean dishtowel and place it over the top of your sponge cake and flip it over on a flat surface (ideally your countertop). Sift on some cocoa powder on this side of the sponge cake as well (be sure to not skip this step as it prevents the sponge cake from sticking to the dishtowel). Then, gently roll your sponge cake and dishtowel together; set it aside and let it cool for approximately an hour.
After an hour, unroll your dishtowel and sponge cake and evenly spread half a centimeter layer of chocolate whipped cream over top. Roll your sponge cake again, allowing the chocolate whipped cream to seal in between. Lay your cake on a dish and generously spread on a layer of chocolate frosting overtop. Garnish with sprinkles of your choice or simply sift on some icing sugar, to create a snowy effect.
