This delicious and traditional dessert that is served in many homes in Europe during the Christmas holidays is of French origin, where it is popularly known as bûche de Noël or Tronco de Navidad (in Spanish).
As its name suggests, what you see is a sponge cake with a format and presentation as close as possible to a piece of the trunk of a tree. We will tell you why this typical Christmas dessert looks like this and how it came about.
What is the Christmas log
The Christmas log is a dessert that is made with Genoese sponge cake such as gypsy arm , for example. First, a basic, fluffy, flat and rectangular dough is prepared. Then the dough is spread with a cream (there are various flavors), and it is rolled to acquire the shape of a cylinder. The next step is to decorate the trunk on the outside. It is spread with chocolate cream , imitating the design of the bark of a tree trunk, ready to be used in the fireplace.
This is generally the basic recipe, although there are different shapes and flavors of log fillers. There are even those who prefer to put chocolate on the cake and fill it with ice cream. Since it was created, the Christmas log has experienced various combinations.
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The origin of the Christmas log
The origin of the Christmas log stems from the pre-Christian tradition of burning a log or wood in the fireplace, to celebrate the winter solstice and the new year , warding off the darkness. This ritual was done by the oldest or youngest of the family, who had to keep the firewood burning for at least 3 days. To do this, the trunk was watered with oil and wine.
Over time, the Catholic Church has incorporated this custom into the Christmas traditions of European countries. Already in the 19th century, with the use of stoves in homes, the tradition became a dessert. Instead of a log of firewood burning in the fireplace, a dessert that simulates it has been created in France. Christmas Stollen. German panettone recipe for Christmas.
The story points to several inventors but the best known is the French pastry chef and ice cream maker Pierre Lacam who published a recipe for Bûche de Noël or marzipan Christmas log , filled with chocolate pastry cream or coffee buttercream, and covered in fondant. of chocolate, imitating wood, in the book Mémorial de la pâtisserie et des glaces published in 1898.
Different recipes of Christmas logs
Over the years, the creativity of the pastry chefs has been putting imagination in the presentation of the Christmas trunk. In Italy, for example, it is known as ‘Ceppo’; in England, they call it Yule Log. The decoration has incorporated various ingredients such as nuts, fruits, etc. We show you some varieties of Christmas log:
– Swiss Roll
This time babynamesforgirls has prepared the Swiss Roll step by step , a Christmas log filled with jam and apple pieces . A smooth and creamy Christmas log.
– Christmas
log with chocolate dough and cream filling On this occasion, we have made an upside down Christmas log. The dough is made of chocolate and the filling is white like cream. The dark chocolate coating.