Gingerbread Christmas log (Bûche de Noël)
In France, a festive Christmas table must not be without a Bûche de Noël, or Christmas log. This time, we filled a roll of literally mossy sponge cake scented with gingerbread spices with Lotus biscuit spread and fluffy cream flavored with lemon cream. A complete symphony of flavors!
Ingredients · Servings For 8 people
- 3 eggs
- 80 g caster sugar
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 50 ml milk
- 30 g plain wheat flour
- 30 g starch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp ginger (ground)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- mixed spice
- tartar
- 85 g Lotus spread
- 450 ml whipping cream
- 100 g lemon curd
- vanilla paste
Method · 59 min
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Line a 22 x 33 cm baking tray with baking paper for the roulade. The paper will not slide on the tray if you lightly grease the bottom of the tray with oil, but do not oil the sides of the tray - the dough should stick to them.
- Place the egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes until thick and fluffy. Add the oil and milk and beat. In another bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and spices. Sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and fold in gently.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff, then beat in the remaining half of the sugar in batches until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold the mixture into the egg yolk and flour mixture three times and spread onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes until the sponge cake is golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and run a round-tipped knife around the entire circumference of the baking sheet. Place a clean piece of baking paper on a wire rack, invert the sponge cake from the baking sheet onto it and peel the used baking paper off the dough. Leave to cool completely – as this is a chiffon sponge cake, there is no need to roll the dough while it is still warm, it will remain pliable and springy even after cooling.
- Spread a thin layer of biscuit spread on the sponge cake. Whip together the lemon cream and vanilla paste until soft peaks form. Spread some of the flavored whipped cream on the biscuit layer and roll up from the shorter end to form a tight roll. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the rest of the cream all over the roll and smooth the cream. The finished log will keep in the fridge for up to two days.