You’re going to mix it up this year and serve some ethnic dishes at your Christmas dinner. You’ve got much of the menu planned, except for dessert. Of course, you’ll serve all of the traditional favorites, but you’d also like to serve something a little different. Why not try Buche de Noel? Served in France and many other French-speaking countries at Christmas, Buche de Noel is a yellow sponge cake filled, rolled, and frosted with butter cream to look like a Yule log. Interested in making your own Buche de Noel? Here’s a recipe.

Buche de Noel

Candied Cranberries

1 C. sugar

2 Tbsp. water

1/2 C. cranberries

Butter Cream

6 large egg yolks

1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 C. half-and-half

8 oz. chopped white chocolate

1-1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Tbsp. orange liqueur

Cake

1-1/2 C. toasted sliced almonds

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

6 large eggs, separated

10 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/8 tsp. salt

Powdered sugar

Pine twigs

To make cranberries, cook 1/2 c. sugar and water over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer to top of double boiler. Add cranberries. Cover and cook over simmering water for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain cranberries and roll in 1/2 c. sugar. Let dry at least 30 minutes.

To make butter cream, whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour until well blended. Bring half-and-half to simmer in a saucepan and slowly whisk into egg mixture. Return egg mixture to saucepan and cook to boiling, whisking constantly. Transfer to a bowl, add chocolate and orange peel, and stir until smooth. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pastry cream to prevent skin from forming. Set aside to cool completely.

To make cake, preheat oven to 300º F. Butter an 11×17-inch jelly roll pan and line with parchment. Butter and flour parchment. Coarsely grind toasted almonds with flour in processor. Using an electric mixer, beat yolks with 5 Tbsp. brown sugar until slowly dissolving ribbons form when beaters are lifted.

Stir in orange peel and vanilla. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites with cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 5 Tbsp. brown sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture. Gently fold in almond mixture. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake cake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake, slide on parchment onto rack and let cool. Loosen cake from parchment and sift powdered sugar on it. Invert onto cookie sheet, sprinkle with powdered sugar and invert onto another parchment sheet.

Using an electric mixer, finish butter cream. Beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in orange liqueur. Beat in pastry cream 1/4 c. at a time. Spread half of butter cream on cake, leaving 1/2-inch border. Roll up cake like a jellyroll and arrange seam side down on parchment. Set aside 1/2 c. butter cream and spread remaining butter cream on cake. Cut 2 inches off each end of cake at the diagonal. Transfer cake to platter. Attach ends to top of cake to form branches. Spread reserved 1/2 c. butter cream on cake ends and seams. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm butter cream. When ready to serve cake, arrange pine twigs on top and on platter. Garnish with candied cranberries

Making Buche de Noel does require time and effort, but it will be time and effort well spent when you see the look on your guests’ faces. They will be delighted you went to all the trouble to make such a sinfully rich dessert.