Buche de Noel
Literally translated, the name of this recipe means “yule log.” This traditional French Christmas cake is shaped and decorated to resemble a wooden log and often garnished with meringue “mushrooms” or “moss” made from chopped pistachio nuts. It may look impressive but making a roulade or jelly roll is easy if you follow the steps.Sprinkle or sift powdered sugar in a 15- x 10-inch rectangle on a clean linen towel. You want the sugar rectangle to be as big, if not a touch bigger, than the baking pan. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven (rolling the cake right out of the oven prevents it from cracking or breaking) turn it out onto the sugar-coated towel, then peel the wax paper from cake. Trim any crisp cake edges, if needed. Beginning with the short end, carefully roll up cake and towel together. Let it cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down. Once cooled, unroll the cake and remove towel. Brush the cake with the mixture of hot coffee and sugar; this helps moisten the crumb and brighten the chocolate coffee flavor profile of the cake. If a tall layer cake has always been your go-to dessert for holiday meals, this year try your hand at this festive roulade.