Buche de Noels (Yule Logs)
rec.food.cooking/boulas

I have experience with Buche de Noels (Yule Logs). I worked in a French Pastry shop and for Christmas we made literally hundreds in a two week span for the public and for restaurants. A boxed cake mix is not made for such a project. There must be enough egg whites to make it light enough. Ordinary cake mixes are not "elastic" enough nor are everyday cake recipes, like a recipe for an American white or chocolate cake.

It is not wise or recommended to fill the cake directly out of the oven nor is it needed to fill or frost it while it is still warm, unnecessary problems will arise. What you need is a sheet cake, a traditional sponge cake (genoise in French) that is used to make the Buche (Yule). This will be filled with your choice of mousse, or jelly, r pastry cream, or buttercream, etc. Some kind of filling that will support itself, so as not to be to thin, so there are no problems with it oozing out when you slice it.

Sheet cake recipe:
9 egg whites, large
9 oz (1 cup plus 2 Tbsp) sugar
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg, large
8 oz (1 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 425F. Line two 17x12x1-inch sheet cake pans with baking parchment, securing the paper with a dab of butter at each corner. Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add 2 oz of the sugar and continue whisking until stiff and glossy. Place yolks, and the remaining 7 oz of sugar, and the whole egg in a separate bowl and beat at high speed until light and lemon-colored. Sift flour and baking powder together onto a sheet of wax paper. Fold half the egg whites into the sugar-yolk emulsion, then fold in flour. Fold in remaining egg whites. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Unmold onto racks, peel off paper after 1 minute, and let cool. Makes two 17x12-inch sheet cakes.

If you like, what is traditionally done to the sheet cakes to make them a bit more moist and to add another dimension to the flavor is to use what is called a simple syrup to drench the sheet cake. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the sheets (this side will end up actually being the inside of the cake, which will have the filling on top of it and then rolled). Then once rolled brush the entire cake (except the bottom of course) with additional syrup.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Liqueur to taste (optional)

Together, bring the sugar and water to a rapid boil and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and let cool completely. Add flavoring of choice: Rum, whiskey, frangelico (Italian hazelnut liqueur), even extracts etc.

After you brush the sheet cakes, then place your filling on top, and then roll as usual. Make a tight roll by the way. Make the filling about a half-inch thick. If some comes out when you roll the sheet, just wipe it off and do not worry if a little comes out. Make the proper trimmings from the ends as usual as you do for the stumps. Frost with buttercream frosting.

In case you need to know how to make the lines to represent tree bark. A pastry comb is best. If you do not have one, use the tines of a fork, which will be fine. Be sure to do the ends as well.

Also use some confectioners' sugar to sprinkle over the cake when it is finished to represent snow. If you want decorations that are ready made for the top of your cake, find a good bakery or cake supply company around you; they should have something in stock.