Gingerbread Bûche de Noël

Our gingerbread Yule log—or stump, if you will—is a well-spiced, vertical take on the original, with a toasty Brown Sugar Buttercream coating the interior and exterior. Our final touch? Panels of edible birch bark, a delicious and realistic final touch to our epic cake.

MAKE THE CAKE

How to Be a Genoise Genius

THE GRANDE DAME OF SPONGE CAKES, GENOISE IS NATURALLY LEAVENED BY AERATED EGGS TO CREATE A CAKE THAT IS BOTH LIGHT AS AIR AND FLEXIBLE ENOUGH FOR ROLLING. FOLLOW THESE STEPS FOR ONE FLAWLESS SPONGE.

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and egg yolks by hand. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°F (43°C), about 5 minutes. We used the bain-marie method, a gentle heating of eggs and sugar over simmering water, to help the eggs whip up in dramatic fashion.

Step 2: Return bowl to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat at high speed until thick and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. The batter will appear pale yellow and fall back in a luxurious, thick ribbon. This air whipped into the eggs will leaven the cake.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, place about 2 cups egg mixture. Fold in warm chocolate mixture. Now that the egg mixture has been aerated, be careful not to overmix or you’ll knock precious bubbles out of the batter and create a flat cake.

Step 4: In a small bowl, sift together flour and salt. Using a large balloon whisk, gently fold flour mixture into remaining egg mixture in two additions just until combined. A whisk helps thoroughly incorporate the flour without disturbing the aeration.

Step 5: Fold in chocolate mixture. Fold in warm melted butter in two additions. Unlike many American sponges, the genoise has a touch of fat, in this case butter, added to the batter to enhance flavor and tenderness. The butter must be melted; solidified butter will weigh down the aerated egg.

Step 6: Using an offset spatula, quickly and gently spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Stiff with aeration, sponge cakes do not spread or even out of their own accord in the oven like butter cakes do, so smoothing the genoise with an offset spatula is key for a level cake.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

Step 1: Loosen cake from sides of pan, if needed. Using a serrated knife, cut into 4 (12×4-inch) rectangles. (You will have some cake edges leftover.) (Be sure to cut through the parchment paper as well—these will help you transfer your cake without tearing it; use scissors if needed.)

Step 2: Lift each rectangle, with parchment attached, out of pan. Brush with Molasses Simple Syrup. Spread ⅔ cup Brown Sugar Buttercream onto each rectangle. (If you have refrigerated your buttercream, make sure it is room temperature and soft enough to spread without tearing sponge cake.)

Step 3: Roll up 1 rectangle, jelly roll style, and place in center of a cake plate. Remove parchment. Using parchment to help, carefully pick up a second rectangle, and wrap around center roll. Remove parchment, and repeat with remaining rectangles, creating a spiral. Using a serrated knife, trim end of final piece at an angle to make it flush with outer edge of cake.

Step 4: Spread remaining Brown Sugar Buttercream on outside of cake. Without adding additional buttercream, lightly spread buttercream that peeks through the layers on top. Place White Chocolate Bark vertically on outside of cake, overlapping slightly and pressing into buttercream to hold in place.

Timeline for Bûche de Noël

THIS DETAILED TIMELINE WILL HELP YOU TACKLE THIS CAKE WITH ORGANIZED GUSTO

3 DAYS AHEAD: Make buttercream and simple syrup. Cover and refrigerate.
2 DAYS AHEAD: Make White Chocolate Birch Bark, if using.
1 DAY AHEAD: Bake cake. Frost and assemble. Decorate with White Chocolate Birch Bark, if using. Cover and refrigerate.
DAY OF: Bake and assemble Meringue Mushrooms, if using. Decorate with Meringue Mushrooms, pistachio moss, and confectioners’ sugar, if using. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

DECORATION DEEP DIVE

Bring on the Bark

LEARN HOW A FEW BRUSHES OF DARK AND WHITE CHOCOLATE RECREATE THE BEAUTY OF BIRCH BARK

Using a permanent marker, draw a 14×5-inch rectangle on each of 2 sheets of parchment paper. Turn parchment over, and place on rimmed baking sheets. Using a fine-point, food-safe brush, brush melted dark chocolate inside each rectangle, forming the dark knots and slashes you might see on a real birch tree. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

Pour half of melted white chocolate onto a rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread white chocolate evenly, using the rectangle as a guide. Repeat procedure with remaining white chocolate. Refrigerate until set, 10 to 15 minutes.

Break into small rectangles, about 5×1½ inches. These shards do not have to be perfect. They should resemble the rough ridges of tree bark. This is a rustic log, so keep it natural.

Very Merry Meringues

YOU’VE BAKED YOUR MERINGUES—NOW TRANSFORM THEM INTO SWEET FUNGI

Using a wooden pick, poke a small hole in bottom of each mushroom top. Dip or brush melted chocolate on bottom of each mushroom top, and insert pointed stem end. Let stand until chocolate has set, about 5 minutes. Lightly dust with cocoa before serving.