A form of jelly roll, used to make a Christmas cake.
A Christmas log cake, also known as Bûche de Noël, is a Christmas dessert made to resemble a traditional Christmas log. The Christmas log was a large piece of wood that was burned in many European homes around the time of the winter solstice, a tradition that probably originated before the spread of Christianity but later became associated with Christmas. It is believed that the Christmas log cake was created by those who did not have fireplaces and therefore could not burn a Christmas log. While there are many variations on Christmas cake, it generally consists of a baked sponge cake topped with cream, rolled, and then decorated with icing.
Christmas cakes are usually made with chocolate cake and icing.
The Christmas log cake pays homage to the long-standing but now largely extinct European tradition of Christmas log burning. This tradition involved cutting a very large piece of wood from a tree and then burning it in the fireplace. Historians have traced this tradition back to pre-Christian times, and many believe the log was seen as a midwinter offering to pagan gods. After burning the trunk, some families kept some of the ashes until the following year, believing that it would bring good luck. As Christianity spread across Europe, the Christmas registry became associated with Christmas.
A Christmas log is traditionally a biscuit rolled up, filled with cream and frozen to resemble a log.
It is believed that the tradition of baking a wood-fired Christmas cake may have originated among those who did not have large fireplaces and therefore could not burn Christmas wood. In the 20th century, modern heating methods increasingly reduced the need for fireplaces and the practice of burning a Christmas log at Christmas diminished. Although Christmas cake remains a widespread Christmas tradition in the early 21st century, many people familiar with the cake are unaware of the tradition it symbolizes.
There is no “correct” Christmas cake recipe and the possible variations on this dessert are only limited by the baker’s imagination. In most cases, however, the preparation of the dish begins with a chocolate or yellow sponge cake baked in a jelly. The cake is covered with a savory filling, such as buttercream, and carefully rolled up to resemble a log. The outside of the rolled cake is then covered in icing, usually chocolate or another dark-toned icing that can be randomly “combed” with a fork or icing tool to create a crust-like effect. Finally, the cake can be garnished with decorations such as powdered sugar “snow” and marshmallow “mushrooms.”