This pâtisserie is eaten in France on Christmas day. The classic Christmas logs are made with a sponge biscuit and a flavoured buttercream. But all sorts of sweet variations can now be found: trio of ice creams and sorbets, or fruits and mousse Christmas logs.
Ingredients
For the Homemade Praline Paste
- 150 g blanched almonds
- 150 g blanched hazelnuts
- 85 g caster sugar
- 50 ml water
For the Syrup and Sponge
- 60 g caster sugar
- 40 ml water
- 450 g génoise mix
For the Praline Buttercream and Decoration
- 550 g buttercream
- 80 g praline paste (homemade or readymade)
- 150 g diced hazelnuts
- 42 g caster sugar
- 24 ml water
- 10 g grated white chocolate
How to Make It
- Make the homemade praline paste. For the syrup, in a pan, bring the caster sugar and the water to the boil. Cool at room temperature.
- Make the génoise sponge mix. Spread it out evenly to 8 mm–1 cm thick on a tray lined with a silicone mat or baking paper. If the sponge is too thick it might tear when you roll up the Christmas log. Bake it for 7 minutes, turn the tray in the oven and bake for another 3–5 minutes until golden brown.
- With a knife tip, separate the sponge from the baking tray. Turn the warm génoise over onto a clean kitchen cloth and peel off the baking paper or the silicone mat. Brush with the syrup while it’s warm and trim each side of the sponge with a knife to remove the dry parts.
- Make the buttercream, but without the vanilla pods. Set aside 2 tablespoons of plain buttercream to garnish the inside of the branch, and incorporate the remainder with the praline paste.
- Put the diced hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast them for 15 minutes at 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2, shaking the tray every 5 minutes. Caramelize the hazelnuts following steps 2–5 of the praline paste. Cool on baking paper and break them down by hand.
- Place the sponge with one of the widest edges facing you and spread over a thin layer of praline buttercream, leaving the top edge 3 cm free of cream.
- Roll the Christmas log starting from the bottom of the rectangle. The beginning of the roll must be tight in order to get a perfectly round Christmas log. Finish with the join underneath the cake.
- Slice off a small piece of the Christmas log on the diagonal, place it on the top to make a branch and cover its middle with the plain buttercream. Cover the rest of cake with hazelnut buttercream and use a fork to decorate it. Coat the sides with caramelized hazelnuts and grate some white chocolate over the top for the snow. Keep in the fridge and leave for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
