A Story from 1988, when I first arrived in France:
“Buche de Noel is my favorite cake!” Bright-eyed and hopeful, my French Husband, the newlywed, eagerly responded. The flavor was a known fact: Spread chocolate on anything, and it was labeled Yann’s.
My mother made jelly roll cakes for my brothers and me when we were younger. Is that the same thing as Buche de Noel?
18 years ago, before the Internet and expatriate membership were given at every corner of France, anything English was like having a 20/20 in Lycee. Peter Mayle was probably writing “A Year in Provence” while I was struggling in Paris with only three words of French in my pocket. How was I going to find the recipe? Calling my Mom in California was out of the question, given the nine-hour time difference and expense of five dollars a minute.
Making a French Christmas cake, a Buche de Noel, for my husband’s 24th birthday in September would be a challenge equal to anything Napoleon had to do. Napoleon is believed to have said, “That the man who never makes mistakes never makes a war.” Couldn’t Yann have said brownies? With Napoleon in mind, I decided chocolate, anything, even batter, would be a hit.
Photo Via Buche de Noel Pierre Herme
Down to the metro, direction Rue de Rivoli, destination: Brentano’s, the bookshop in Paris (since 1895) with an extensive English section. Certainly, they would have a cookbook in English.
On entering Brentano’s, an American man the size of a fortress stood. Soft drink in hand, he was carrying on like his world was coming to an end, demanding the salesperson, “…Don’t you understand, E-N-G-L-I-S-H! I want a map of Paris IN English! A map that says, “Big White Church on top of the Hill,” none of this Rue crap, you understand? Tell me why, can’t you folks print a map that says street instead of rue?!” The petite salesperson looked bewildered as she tried to explain. I left the bookshop, too embarrassed to request a French cookbook in English.
Up above the markets of Les Halles, on the seventh floor, I battled in our kitchen the size of a mothball, mustering up memories of my Mother making jelly-roll cakes, gathering allies in chocolate, sugar, eggs, and flour. I conquered my Waterloo! That evening, we had my French Husband’s favorite birthday cake. (Guess how many genoises failed before one was worthy of eating? Five.)
Buche de Noel Cake
Follow any genoise cake recipe. I would give you mine, but it is a wisp of this and that and a miracle that shapes up somehow, from somewhere, every time.
Prepare a thin cotton dishtowel larger than the cake and cover it with powdered sugar. When you take the cake out of the oven, turn the cake pan upside down to the sugar-powered dish towel. Then sprinkle powdered sugar generously over the cake and roll it up instantly. Also, have your warm ganache ready; after a minute or two *unroll the cake and lather the ganache all over it, roll it up, gooey and all, and toothpick it if you must, and put it in the fridge for an hour and two or three- When chilled, then add the exterior frosting. *Unroll the cake carefully, but if it cracks, do not worry too much; the ganache will cover the mishap. I made a ganache for the frosting and then drew a tree trunk design with a fork over it.
I used chestnut cream (which is very easy to find in France, so if you want some, follow this link). After spreading it evenly and thickly, I added shaved chocolate, about a cup’s worth. Then, I covered it with a ganache.
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I no longer make this for Yann’s birthday but for Christmas instead.
What dessert do you serve for Christmas?
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