It’s been a little while since I made this cake, but how could I not give this one to the internet? It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever made. But sadly, I’m too far removed at this point to put effort into writing, so here’s a list of details in case you cared:
– The recipe for this bûche de noël came from the tartine cookbook (one of my absolute faves), although tartine’s logs from this past christmas look quite different from my own whimsical nature-y creation.
– There are two particularly genius points to the tartine bûche: 1) the cake is brushed with sweetened coffee for simultaneous flavor and log aesthetics, and 2) the bark of the tree is made using chocolate ganache and slivered almonds to create the perfect texture while also preventing frosting overload.
– As well, of course, we have the meringue mushrooms, which are brought to life by that dusting of cocoa powder. So much tastier than the real stuff.
– My addition to the log came in the form of the marzipan mistletoe, roses, and ivy that grace the log to make it appear fairytale-esque, or at least that was hope. Also the abundance of cocoa dirt/ pistachio foilage/ powdered sugar snow.
And there we have it! The efforts of my 2019 Christmas holiday. An altogether impossible woodsy scene that was almost as yummy as it looked.
Sincerely, Juliet
juliet ann lee 