Christmas Dessert: Yule Log – Chocolate and Almond Buche de Noel

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Yule Log Ingredients:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup almond slices

4 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Yule Log Directions:

1. 1. First to make your yule log, you need to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Next, prepare a 15x10x1-inch pan by greasing it and lining it with waxed paper, which you also need to grease generously.
   2. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, flour and cocoa powder. Then use a fine-mesh sieve and stir these ingredients through it into a medium bowl. Add baking soda and salt.
   3. Take a mixing bowl and beat the eggs, yolks and vanilla using an electric mixer for about 5 minutes on high, until you get a thick mixture with a color of a lemon. Little by little add the granulated sugar continuing to beat the mixture on high for 2-3 minutes, until all the sugar is almost dissolved. Set the electric mixer aside and take a rubber spatula, which should be a large one. Sprinkle one third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in the flour mixture as gently as you can. Continue with the next one third flour mixture as before, and fold it in, just until its combined. Finish in the same manner with the remaining flour mixture.
   4. Slowly pour the batter in the baking pan and spread it evenly. Bake the cake for about 12 minutes or until it springs back when touched. Take care to not over-bake it, since it needs to keep its elasticity so you can roll it later. While the cake is baking, prepare a clean towel by spreading it out and sprinkling generously powdered sugar on it.
   5. When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes. Now, use a small knife to loosen the edges if necessary and turn the cake out onto the towel. Remove the waxed paper with care.
   6. Now it’s crucial to act fast, but with care. Don’t let the cake get cold or you won’t be able to roll it. So, while it’s still warm, start from a short side of the cake and roll it up together with the towel into a spiral. Let the cake with the towel cool on a wire rack. Watch this video to learn how to roll a cake. Click here to watch the video.

1. While the cake is cooling, move on to prepare the filling/frosting. To do that, simply take a large bowl and use an electric beater on medium to beat the cream cheese, add the butter and the vanilla fluffy. Little by little add the powdered sugar. Take another bowl and pour in half of the cream cheese mixture; this will be the filling. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining cream cheese mixture and beat it in; this will be the frosting.
2. Once the cake has cooled down, carefully unroll it and remove the towel. Spread the white cream cheese frosting on the cake but leave about 1 inch of the edges without filling. Now roll up the cake slowly, starting from a short side. Have a serving platter ready and place the cake with the seam side down, on it. Put the cake into a refrigerator for half an hour. Take the cake out and cut off a 3-inch slice from one end of the cake, diagonally. This part will be a branch on your Buche de Noel. Place this small piece where you want the branch to be.
3. The last step is the decoration. To do that, frost the cake entire with the chocolate cream cheese frosting. You can choose to leave one or all ends of the cake unfrosted, so the white filling shows. Chill if necessary and use a fork or toothpick to create a pattern on the frosting that will make your cake look more like a tree log. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
4. If you like, you can sprinkle powdered sugar before serving, decorate with mushrooms made with meringue or marshmallows or just use chocolate sprinkles.

The main thing to keep in mind making this beautiful Christmas Dessert is to roll the cake while it’s still warm and to not bake it too long. You can make numberless variations to the filling by adding other ingredients in place of the almond slices, like berries, chocolate pieces, or other nuts, flavor it with almond extract or espresso powder or add cocoa powder to make it chocolaty; or you can just use a completely different filling based on whipped cream or chestnut filling. You can be sure that this Christmas Dessert will be a highlight to your Christmas Menu, not only because of its taste, but also because of its unique look.

For more Christmas desserts and holiday cakes, take a look at our dessert archives.

Irish Soda Bread Biscuits Recipe

Irish Soda Bread Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

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Irish Soda Bread Biscuits Directions:

1. Mix 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons sugar and 3/4 teaspoon each baking soda and kosher salt in a bowl.
2. Work in 2 tablespoons diced cold butter by hand. Add 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon caraway seeds.
3. Mix in 3/4 cup buttermilk.
4. Pat out the dough until 1 inch thick; cut into four to six 2 1/2-inch rounds.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes.

Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day Recipes?

We think you’ll love these Pistachio cupcakes recipe

For more St. Patrick’s Day desserts on Stagetecture, click here.

How to Make Apple Brandy Cheesecake Recipe

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Total time: Preparation 40 minutes + Baking 1 hour +Chilling

Yields: 12 servings

Cheesecake Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup ground walnuts

1/3 cup butter, melted

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cheesecake Recipe Filling:

3 packages cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup thick applesauce

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

¼ cup brandy or apple brandy

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 large lightly beaten eggs

Cheesecake Topping:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cheesecake Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, butter, walnuts, and cinnamon. Press onto the bottom and 1 and half inch up the sides of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
2. In a large bowl, beat sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the applesauce, brandy, cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Now add eggs, beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into the crust. Return the pan to the baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
3. In another small bowl, combine topping ingredients until crumbly. Carefully sprinkle over hot cheesecake. Bake for 25-30 minutes longer or until the center is just set.
4. Cool on a wire rack for 10-12 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Let it cool for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

This apple brandy cheesecake recipe is a delightful combination of fall ingredients that comes together so well. Try it and we promise you will not let the season pass by without making it another time. Which other fall desserts are you trying this time?

Looking for more Homemade Cheesecake Recipes?

Country Living has 19 homemade cheesecake recipes you’ll love.

In case 19 isn’t enough, Delish has 50 cheesecake recipe ideas to make your mouth water.

For more fall desserts on Stagetecture, click here.

Want to experience and taste a bona fide New Orleans tradition? You have to bake this Mardi Gras King Cake recipe. This is no ordinary cake to be served to the guests. The cake holds the answer of who’s going to host the next party. The catch is that inside the cake is a hidden baby toy wrapped in plastic. The one who gets the sliced of the plastic baby toy will be the next host. Pretty exciting, right? Get your kitchen ready and bake the Mardi Gras King Cake recipe today.

Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

Image recipe: Brown Eyed Baker

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Ingredients:

PASTRY:

1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup melted butter

FROSTING:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Image via: Eclectic Recipes

Directions:

1. Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
5. To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
6. Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10×16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners’ sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.

That should do it. Make sure to choose a baby toy that is big enough to get noticed and not easily swallowed. So, take a slice and see your luck!

For more holiday food recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

Make-Ahead Holiday Dessert: Fruit Cake

Image via: Flourishing Foodie

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Total time: Preparation 25 minutes + Cooking 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yields: 12-15 slices

Ingredients

1 kg mix dried fruit

1 zest of orange and juice

1 zest of lemon and juice

150 ml brandy, whisky, or rum

250 g butter, softened

200 g brown sugar

175 g plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons all spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

100 g almond flakes

4 eggs, large

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Image via: Kitchen Frau

Procedure

1. Put dried fruits, zests, juice, alcohol, butter, and sugar in a large pan and set over medium heat. Bring to boil then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Put the fruit mixture into a large bowl and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 150 degree Celsius. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment and then wrap a double layer of newspaper on the outside. Tie with a string to secure.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir well. Make sure that there are no pockets of flour. Pour it into the prepared tin and level the top with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hours.
4. Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a knife or a skewer and spoon over 2 tablespoons of your preferred alcohol. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
5. Peel off the baking parchment and then wrap well in cling film before storing. Feed the cake with 1 to 2 tablespoon of alcohol every fortnight. Don’t feed the cake during the final week to give its surface a chance to dry before icing.

We hope you enjoy this make-ahead holiday dessert recipe. Now it’s time to get baking and freezing so that you have at least one less thing to do during the fun season.

For more Christmas desserts on Stagetecture, click here.

Fall Dessert: Easy Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Image Via: The Crazy Coupon Lady

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Ingredients

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

3 cups white sugar

5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 can pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 tsp salt

Image Via: The Baker Chick

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 330ºF.
2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Mix whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt in a large bowl.
4. Next blend sugar, oil, water, eggs and pumpkin pie filling in a separate bowl.
5. Mix the contents of both the bowls little by little until a uniform batter is obtained.
6. Fill the muffin cups with batter up till the 3/4th  mark.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes. Check the muffin centres with a toothpick.
8. Once done cool the muffins on the wire rack.

Pumpkin recipes find a lot of resonance with crowds during fall as pumpkins are readily available and waiting to be used. Having create something unique and new gives us home chefs a very good feel good high. This easy fall dessert recipe is sure to win your heart in more ways than one, especially if you are a pumpkin fan. One could replace the water with milk or evaporated milk if you want a softer muffin. You can top these gorgeous beauties with fresh whipped cream and toss a few roasted walnuts for a little crunch. Do share your views on this recipe! It would be great to hear from you.

Click here for more Fall Dessert Recipes on Stagetecture!

3 Fun Alternatives to Serving a Traditional Wedding Cake

A Cupcake Tower

A cupcake tower is a great alternative to traditional wedding cakes and can have an edge when it comes to picky eaters. You can mix and match various flavors so that there is something for everyone. Moreover, they can become an instant decor and focal points for your reception table. Simply tailor your cupcake tower by using particular colored icing or flavors to complement your wedding theme. Similarly, you can do a macaroon tower if you desire.

Image via: Wedding Bells

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Pie Buffet

A pie table is not just a fun alternative to wedding cakes, it can also get budget friendly. If there are great pie bakers in your circle of family and friends, request each one to contribute a different flavored treat. If not, you can always outsource the job to a bakery specializing in the task.

Candy table

This self service alternative is guaranteed to win full points with your guests. To make your candy table visually appealing, add decorative signs to let everyone know what’s what. Alternatively, you can put them in fun containers in a mix of heights, for instance a low bowl shaped dessert dish for truffles and a cake stand for marshmallows. What’s more? Put out little bags or boxes so that your guests can scoop up some treats to go, and you have got favors covered too!

Image via: The Knot

If a traditional wedding cake is not your style, consider one of these delicious alternatives for your reception. So, which one are you serving?

Slow Cooker Dessert: Gingerbread Pudding Cake

Image via: Eat In Eat Out

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Total time: Preparation 20 minutes + cooking 2 hours + standing

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

¼ cup softened, butter

¼ cup sugar

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ cup molasses

1 cup water

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup chopped pecans

Topping ingredients

6 tablespoons brown sugar

¾ cup hot water

2/3 cup melted butter

Procedure

Image via: Food Network

1. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, combine water and molasses.
3. In another separate bowl combine all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Now gradually add to the creamed mixture alternating with molasses mixture. Beat well after each addition. Fold in pecans.
4. Pour into a properly greased 3-qt slow cooker. Sprinkle the brown sugar. Combine butter and hot water and pour over batter. Do not stir.
5. Cover and cook on high heat for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn off the heat. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Come home to this sweet and scrumptious slow cooker dessert that is ready the moment you walk in the door. Finish it with a dollop of whipped cream and mint sprig on the top.

Memorial Day Dessert: Ice Cream Roll

Image via: Wilton

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Total time: Preparation 30 minutes + Baking 15 minutes +freezing

Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients

4 eggs

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

6 cups vanilla ice cream, reduced fat and slightly softened

Caramel sauce ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fat free milk

2 lightly beaten, egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter

Chopped pecans, optional

Procedure

Image via: Fine Cooking

1. Line a 15*10*1 inch baking pan with waxed paper. Coat with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat eggs on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until the mixture becomes thick lemon colored. Slowly beat in vanilla essence.
3. Combine dry ingredients and fold into the egg mixture. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degree Celsius for 12-14 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto a towel dusted with powdered sugar. Gently peel off the waxed paper. Now slowly roll up the cake in the towel (jelly roll style) starting with a short side. Allow it to completely cool on the wire rack.
5. Unroll the cake and spread ice cream over it to within half inch of edges. Roll up again. On a serving platter place seam side down. Cover and freeze until firm.
6. Meanwhile, for the caramel sauce combine flour and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly over medium to high heat. Reduce the heat and keeping cooking for another 2 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of the above hot mixture into the egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring it to gentle boil, and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add butter and stir gently. Serve with ice cream roll. Sprinkle pecans if desired.

The best part about this Memorial Day dessert is that you can make it ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Also, choose your own ice cream flavor to fill the cake roll.