Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Gingerbread Bûche de Noël
December 23, 2014 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 23 CommentsTags: baking, cake, dessert, holiday
It’s almost Christmas, and that means it’s time to get fancy in the kitchen! Something like a Gingerbread bûche de Noël sounds like the right way to celebrate. Way back in the early days of this space, I made another bûche. That one was all done up with stumps, meringue mushrooms and faux wood grain…this one’s easier in that it’s just a roulade but it’s still a showstopper and, of course, it still has several steps. In addition to a gently-spiced geniose-style gingerbread sponge cake, there’s a cream cheese filling, a marshmallow meringue frosting and, for crunch and sparkle, a pecan praline.
If you’re the organized type, you can actually break up the steps and knock out the praline and filling a day in advance, but I did it all start to finish in one afternoon, so I can tell you that it’s procrastinator-friendly, too. I did kind of goof up the cake a bit, and you can see it in the center of the spiral. I deflated the cake batter while mixing in the butter at the end. I was pretty annoyed with myself, and worried it would be like eating a rubber mat, but there’s a lot going on with this cake and we also had it with a scoop of eggnog ice cream, so it really wasn’t that noticeable. Next time, I’ll do better with that. Although the marshmallow makes a stunning, glossy, snow-white frosting, I had a lot left over…next time, I’ll also try cutting that amount in half. I’ll reduce the cream of tartar in the frosting a bit as well because I think it gave the marshmallow a slightly acidic taste. If you’re on the fence about gingerbread (I know not everyone is crazy about it), the flavoring here is very subtle…no molasses or cloves or other dark and mysterious flavors.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here and here, along with a video). Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll. Happy holidays!! xoxo
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a whisk and a spoon 
This is beautiful! Sounds delicious and looks amazing – what more could you want?!
Comment by Baking With Gab— December 23, 2014 #
Gorgeous! Perfect for the holidays! Hope to get back with the group in January!!! Merry Christmas!
Comment by thatskinnychickcanbake— December 23, 2014 #
Beautiful! I can almost smell it. 😄
Comment by Jodi— December 23, 2014 #
Very pretty! I made this twice and had the same issue with the butter deflating my first cake but it still tasted fab and I can tell yours did too.
Comment by goldenlifephx— December 23, 2014 #
Wow and the version you linked to looks amazing! I laughed when I read your nudge about the “gingerbread” part: I have been trying to convince my sister it tastes like a mild spice cake. Merry Christmas!
Comment by ProfWhoCooks— December 23, 2014 #
This looks stellar!
Comment by saffronandhoney— December 23, 2014 #
Beautiful cake! I’m one of those “on the fence” people and I loved it.
Comment by Zosia— December 23, 2014 #
Thanks for the video on making this cake. It was invaluable to me. You are right that it is a showstopper cake. I too had to make this cake all in one day. Happy Holidays!
Comment by Diane Zwang— December 23, 2014 #
Wow!
Wonderful and beautiful! ❤
Merry Christmas!
Comment by marichen21— December 23, 2014 #
I’m so in love with this cake … it’s just beautiful and so delicious.
Comment by tammycirceo— December 23, 2014 #
Folding in the flour was definitely the trickiest part of the Bûche! The squared off meringue looks so pretty against the rounder cake.
Comment by Adriana @ GreatFood360°— December 23, 2014 #
Beautiful cake! I loved your comment about the dark and mysterious flavors of gingerbread. So true!
Comment by Leah— December 25, 2014 #
I made mine in one swoop also 😉 Wish it had a richer gingerbread taste, but agree it’s a beautiful presentation. Enjoy the rest of the holidays and Happy New Year!
Comment by Denise at There's a Newf in My Soup!— December 26, 2014 #
Lovely!
Comment by Divine Dines— December 26, 2014 #
Your buche turned out great – love the eggnog icecream idea.
Comment by Cakelaw— December 27, 2014 #
Great job on this one. Cake turned out beautifully.
Comment by teaandscones— December 27, 2014 #
Beautiful cake…lovely job! I bet it was delicious with the eggnog ice cream…yum! Happy New Year!
Comment by bakeawaywithme.com— December 29, 2014 #
Wow, gorgeous! I made a blackberry and whipped cream buche this past Christmas as well!
Comment by Shannon— December 30, 2014 #
Beautiful! The ice cream sounds delicious with it.
The cake part got the best of me a couple of times too – fortunately, I was able to get it right before my egg and cornstarch supply ran out.
Happy New Year
Comment by Cher— December 31, 2014 #
One of the most charming desserts I’ve seen! The ice-cream sounds lovely, too.
Comment by adatewithdiabetes.com— January 1, 2015 #
It looks beautiful and I love the idea of serving this with egg nog ice cream! I did exactly the same thing as you did with the cake. It was still good, though.
Comment by Teresa— January 4, 2015 #
Looks lovely! I have made a traditional buche in the past; wish I had made this one. Maybe I’ll take Dorie’s advice and make it anytime, and invite a few friends over and serve with Champagne!
Comment by Cathleen | My Culinary Mission— January 8, 2015 #
YUM sounds and looks delicious, need to remember this for the next Christmas season!
Comment by cloudninecooking— February 22, 2015 #