Chocolate, Orange and Macadamia Buche De Noel

"Originally a "Cooking School" feature in Gourmet Magazine, this can take an enthusiastic amateur the better part of a day to create- but it's well worth the time!"
 
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Ready In:
15hrs
Ingredients:
21
Serves:
12-15
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ingredients

  • Cake

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 14 cup sugar
  • 13 cup flour
  • 13 cup cocoa
  • 1 12 tablespoons orange rind, grated
  • Buttercreams

  • 1 12 cups sugar, plus
  • 1 12 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 12 cups water
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons orange liqueur
  • 2 14 cups butter, softened
  • 4 12 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 4 12 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
  • Meringue Mushrooms

  • 14 cup egg white
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, mixed with
  • 14 teaspoon egg, into a paste
  • 12 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
  • unsweetened cocoa powder
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directions

  • Cake: Preheat oven to 400°F Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper.
  • Beat eggs, yolk, and sugar at medium speed until stiff peaks form.
  • Sift in flour and cocoa.
  • Add orange peel; gently fold together.
  • Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
  • Bake until cake is springy to the touch and begins to pull from sides, about 7 minutes.
  • Cut around edges to free cake. Turn out cake and paper to work surface and let cool.
  • Buttercreams: Bring sugar and water to boil in heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.
  • Continue boiling without stirring until thermometer registers 240F (soft ball stage).
  • Beat yolks until thickened.
  • Add liqueur; gradually beat in hot syrup.
  • Continue beating until cool, about 5 minutes.
  • Add butter 3 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition.
  • Mix in orange juice concentrate.
  • Transfer 3 1/4 cups buttercream to a small bowl; mix chocolate into remaining.
  • Assembly: Invert cake onto sheet of plastic wrap.
  • Carefully remove paper.
  • Spread orange buttercream over cake, leaving 1 inch boarder on one long side.
  • Sprinkle with macadamias.
  • Roll up jelly roll fashion, starting with long side and rolling toward side with uncovered border.
  • Trim to make ends even.
  • Cut 2 inches off each end of roll at 45 degree angle.
  • Transfer roll to platter using plastic as aid and arranging seam side down.
  • Spread some chocolate buttercream on cut ends of 2 inch sides.
  • With buttercream touching cake, place one piece atop cake off-center and the second on one long side to resemble tree stumps.
  • Transfer 1 cup chocolate buttercream to pastry bag fitted with 1/4 inch plain tip.
  • Spread remaining buttercream over cake.
  • Pipe buttercream in spirals on ends of buche and stumps, starting at center of each.
  • Run fork tines through buttercream to simulate bark.
  • Arrange holly and cranberries decoratively on buche.
  • Garish with Meringue Mushrooms right before serving.
  • Meringue Mushrooms: Preheat oven to 150°F.
  • Line baking sheet with wax paper.
  • Beat whites, and pinch of salt 1 minute to blend.
  • Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
  • Add to whites in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds after each.
  • Continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.
  • Transfer mixture to pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch plain tip.
  • Pipe about fifteen 1/2 to 1 inch domed rounds on prepared sheet for mushroom caps.
  • Smooth top of each with damp finger.
  • Pipe about fifteen 1/2 to 1 inch high peaked mounds on prepared sheets for stems.
  • Bake until meringues are dry and beginning to color, about 1 3/4 hours.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Using small knife, cut small hole in bottom of each mushroom cap.
  • Dip peaked end of stem in sugar paste and push into hole in mushroom cap.
  • Repeat with remaining caps.
  • Dust mushrooms with cocoa powder before serving.

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Reviews

  1. I made this every year until I had kids. It’s delicious, impressive, and time consuming. The “kids” are all college grads this year. Maybe it’s time to start making it again.
     
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