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daring bakers: french yule log

Recipe: french yule log

It’s that time again… time for another Daring Bakers Challenge! This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.


daring bakers: we knead to bake!



I very much have a love-hate relationship with the Daring Bakers these days. I love learning new techniques and skills that I would otherwise never think to try on my own and there are some really fantastic bakers in the community who inspire me to keep coming back each month for more punishment. I’m almost always glad to have completed a challenge no matter how many disastrous steps along the way, I just don’t know how long I will continue to keep it up.

At first blush, I rolled my eyes when I read that our challenge was a yule log. We did that last December. However, after reading up on the difference between this month’s French yule log and its jellyroll cousin, I was game. It’s a more complex assembly and required some fast thinking when various components didn’t work out. I felt the instructions were overly simplified in many places and just plain vague in others. In the end, it came together nicely, but I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t do a fair bit of cussing along the way.

There were six components to the yule log which I made over the course of three days in this order:
day 1: the praline feuillete, the crème brûlée
day 2: the dacquoise, the ganache, the mousse
day 3: the glaze

First I made the feuillete, which involved praline and gavottes (lace crepes) – neither of which I had or planned to make. Sorry kids, I am not made of spare time and three days for a cake in the middle of ski season can really put a girl in a foul mood. I used sweetened hazelnut butter for the praline paste and rice crispies for the gavottes. I didn’t crush the rice crispies, which I guess I was supposed to (it said to crush the gavottes, but I had no idea what those looked like so I figured they were giant sheets in need of crushing), but that didn’t matter so much. What mattered more was that the layer was a little thickish and in the future I’ll make it thinner so that I can cut through it more easily when slicing the cake.


imposter feuillete made with rice crispies

cooling in a ziploc



So the first part went over well enough. While the feuillete cooled, I made the crème brûlée. I’ve made crème brûlée more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. The tricky part was that this one had to be unmolded and inserted into the yule. The recipe suggested wetting the pan and placing parchment on it before pouring the custard in for baking. Within two seconds, the parchment began floating about in the custard, so I removed it and figured I would have to jimmy some sort of solution to get the custard out in one piece.

Instead of setting after an hour, I had to up the temperature to 300°F at 1 hour and let the crème brûlée bake another hour before it looked somewhat set. I wasn’t worried about burning it since it was in a water bath. Even with the extra hour, it was still a little runny. I refrigerated it for several hours and used a very thin metal spatula to loosen the crème brûlée. I then flipped it out onto plastic wrap and watched it ooze in several places. I threw more plastic wrap on top and set it on my toaster oven pan (shallow, but small enough to keep it from spreading to micron thickness) and chucked the whole mess in the freezer.


adding the hot cream

letting the crème brûlée cool



The next day, I made the dacquoise, which came together quickly and easily. I spread the mixture out onto the baking sheet a little thinner than I should have. Next time I’ll pile it a little higher since I think it lends very nicely to the overall dessert. This was my favorite part of the yule (to make and nibble on).

blending almond meal and confectioners sugar

folding the almond meal into the egg whites



Because the recipe instructions warned that the ganache insert hardened quickly, it was recommended that I make the mousse first, so I did. The mousse involved whipping egg yolks and then pouring in a hot sugar syrup (soft ball stage) while whipping the egg yolks. Unfortunately, the instructions said nothing about how fast the yolks should be whipping when pouring the sugar in – that and I suspect the volume of the eggs was just ridiculously small for my 5-quart Kitchenaid mixer because my balloon whisk barely reached the yolks to whip them. So what I got was a mixing bowl coated on the sides with hardened sugar, but almost none in the egg yolks. Goddamnit.

that pissed me off royally



Instead of trying again, I said to hell with THAT mousse recipe and I consulted my own pastry course’s chocolate mousse recipe, opting to make that one instead. It also involves pouring a hot sugar syrup into the whipped eggs, but here I found helpful instructions on beating the eggs on medium while pouring the sugar in the middle of the bowl and not on the sides. That might have been good to know in the other recipe.

trying again with a trusted mousse recipe

folding chocolate and whipped cream



By now, I was in no mood to make a caramel-based chocolate ganache insert. I mixed a 2:1 ratio of chopped dark chocolate to hot cream and let it spread out on parchment to cool flat because I knew that *this* would work. Then I began to cut the three inserts into a size just smaller than the dimensions of my half-pipe mold (which I got for 15% off since the lid was dented, but as I told Helen, who cares if the lid is dented?). The dacquoise was cut to exact size since it was the base.

had to cut the crème brûlée while frozen

the feuillete

slicing the dacquoise



The assembly went quickly because the crème brûlée was melting. I didn’t have any acetate (oh boy, I would *love* to get my hands on acetate) to line my mold, but I did save and wash some smooth and slippery sheets that are layered between the prosciutto I buy! I taped three together and they fit the half-pipe perfectly. I piped the mousse into the bottom to fill the rounded part of the half-pipe. The crème brûlée insert went in first and I pressed it down to embed it in the mousse. I added enough mousse to cover that layer and pressed the feuillete in next. Repeat with more mousse and the ganache insert. I forgot that the dacquoise goes on after the ganache and managed to squeeze a thin layer of mousse in between the two. Oh well – the dessert didn’t suffer from it. Because I had made a lot of mousse from using my other recipe, I also made two small hemisphere yules as well.

piping the mousse into the mold

the crème brûlée insert

piping more mousse over the feuillete

topping the whole thing off with the dacquoise



After day #2, I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with day #3… but there was only a little bit left to do. I generally have very little time to peruse the Daring Bakers’ forum where DBers can discuss all sorts of issues. I felt that it would be worth my time to read up on the final glaze to avert any pending disasters, and I’m glad I did. I decided to double the amount of glaze and followed suggestions to let the glaze cool as much as possible while still being pourable to minimize melting the mousse. I was also careful to work quickly as the glaze would set very quickly on the frozen ensemble. Unmolding the yule log was about the easiest part of the whole thing.

peeling off the liner

first glaze



Glazing went better than expected, but was not without its problems. I noticed that the cocoa powder clumped a bit while I mixed the glaze, so I passed the whole lot through a fine mesh sieve to avoid a diseased appearance on the yule log. The glaze did melt pockets of the mousse in small areas and it also glopped up at the base instead of leaving a clean side. After the first pass of glaze, I immediately put the yule log(s) in the freezer to set up. I scooped the excess glaze caught in the baking sheet below the cooling rack and used it with the remaining glaze for a second coat and a little touch up here and there. Into the freezer for a second time. I added final decorations and froze the log before serving. It begins to lose its structural competency within a few minutes out of the freezer, so slice with a sharp knife immediately out of the freezer and enjoy this amazingly delicious and deceptively light and decadent dessert.

baby dome version

the final french yule log



A huge thanks to our beloved founders: Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, as well as our hostesses for this month’s challenge. Be sure to peruse all of the other Daring Baker challenges, there are many delightful variations.

French Yule Log
[print recipe]
by Flore of Florilège Gourmand

element #1: dacquoise biscuit (almond cake)
preparation time: 10 min + 15 min for baking
equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper

Note: You can use the dacquoise for the bottom of your yule log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

2.8 oz. (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp/80g) almond meal
1.75 oz. (1/2 cup/50g) confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsps (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5 oz. (100g/100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz. (4 tbsp/50g) granulated sugar

Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner’s sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds). Sift the flour into the mix. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc…) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm). Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

element #2 dark chocolate mousse
preparation time: 15 min
Note: I used a different mousse recipe that doesn’t call for gelatin.

10.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, room temperature
5 large egg yolks, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsps water
2 cups heavy cream

Melt the chocolate in a microwave at half power for 30 seconds at a time, stirry after every 30 second interval until just melted. Pour the chocolate in a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Place eggs and yolks in a mixer with balloon whisk and whip for 1 minute. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir to moisten the sugar. Bring to a boil until temperature reaches 244°F (227°F for 8500 ft. elevation). Remove from heat. Start beating the eggs again on medium speed and slowly and steadily pour the sugar syrup, pouring down the center, not on the side of the bowl or on the whisk attachment. When all of the syrup is added, increase speed to high and beat until eggs pale, triple in volume, and cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Fold a quarter oft he cream into the cooled chocolate. Fold in remaining cream, followed by egg mixture. Try not to deflate the batter too much.

element #3 dark chocolate ganache
preparation time: 10min
Note: I used my own ganache recipe for this

6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
3 oz. heavy cream

Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Remove from heat and pour over dark chocolate and let sit for a minute. Stir until smooth and silky. Pour onto parchment and let cool or set in a refrigerator.

element #4 praline feuillete
preparation time: 10 min

3.5 oz. (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 tbsps (25g) butter
2 tbsps (1 oz./30g) praline (I used hazelnut butter with 1 tsp sugar added)
1 oz. rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

element #5 vanilla crème brûlée
preparation time: 15min + 1h infusing + 1h baking

Note: The vanilla crème brûlée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc…

1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
1/2 cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz. (2 tbsps/25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white). Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. [Jen’s note: this doesn’t work.] Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 300°F for about 1-1.5 hours in a water bath or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

element #6 dark chocolate icing
preparation time: 25 min (10 min if you don’t count softening the gelatin)

Note: Because the icing gels quickly, you should make it at the last minute.
Jen’s Note: I made twice as much as the amount listed below.

4g or 1/2 tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
2.1 oz. (5 tbsps/60g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

Soften the gelatin in cold water (about 1/4 cup of water for 1 tbsp of powdered gelatin) for 15 minutes. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Pour through a fine sieve. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gel), use immediately.

assembly
Note: You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.

Line your mold or pan with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it’s easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR plastic film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you’re using. Pipe one third of the mousse component into the mold. Take the crème brûlée insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse. Pipe second third of the mousse component around and on top of the crème brûlée. Cut the feuillete to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold. Pipe the last third of the mousse component on top of the feuillete. Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer. Pipe the ganache onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the dacquoise on top. [Note: Here is where Jen added a layer of mousse by accident, but it was fine.] Close with the dacquoise. Freeze until the next day.

Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan. Cover the cake with the icing. Let set. Return to the freezer. Decorate. Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than 1/2 hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly.

105 nibbles at “daring bakers: french yule log”

  1. Rosa says:

    Wow, your log looks picture perfect and very beautiful! I love the decoration! Great job, as usual!

    Best wishes for the New Year!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. barbara says:

    Impressive Jen

  3. food.baby says:

    Looks gorgeous Jen! I had the same problems with the eggs and the praline layer but the end result was worth it! Would do many things differently next time though.

  4. veganpower says:

    Wow, it’s really beautiful ! Bravo ! It’s amazing :)

  5. chris says:

    oooh! I love the Pomegranate on top. Beautiful!

  6. Manggy says:

    Yowza. You did a PHENOMENAL job. And I am lusting after that tin, dent or no dent!

  7. Sarah says:

    impressive as always. i laughed while reading your post because i had a lot of the same trials and tribulations over this challenge!

  8. Marija says:

    Pure art!

  9. Feng says:

    mmm….it looks delicious! Your food photography’s spot on!

  10. Grey Street Girl says:

    Wow, that is gorgeous, Jen! Beautiful work!

  11. Mrs Ergül says:

    I have always loved how elegant your baked goods turn out. Even though you have mentioned you suck at decorating them, I think other wise! They are always simply done up. Yet, Oh so ELEGANT!

    You did such a great job and I look up to you!

  12. jo says:

    Jen, love your beautifully assembled yule log. The decoration is simple and elegant and such fantastic pictures.

  13. sara says:

    Looks great! I would have to admit that I rolled my eyes when I saw the challenge also, but it turned out to be really different from last years, so that was nice. Yours turned out really nice!

  14. Maja says:

    Unbelivably beautiful, Jen! How you manage to coat it so evenly is beyond me! I tried enrobing truffles yesterday and even though i get them to be really round (after being nearly frozen and then back to room tempetature), after i enrobed them with chocolate, they lost their smooth appearance and were faaar from perfect little balls. What’s your trick?

  15. Deeba says:

    What a fun read…& what a challenge. Love the end result; it’s perfect & ever so pretty! WOW! I loved the challenge too. Everything worked well, but your frosting looks far better than mine ever became. Beautiful buche!!

  16. Ivonne says:

    Jen,

    Gorgeous! Really … you make it all seem so easy. All the best in 2009!

  17. Esther says:

    Looks fantastic and I’m glad I’m in good company when it comes to struggling this the whole sugar into eggs thing!

  18. Dayna says:

    Just gorgeous!
    Happiest 2009!

  19. Chezus - denise says:

    Hi Jen,

    It is beautiful – Great job! I love the mold you used as well, very nice.

  20. sunita says:

    Jen, I simply adore your log…and the frosting is so perfect :-)

    Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!

  21. Lori says:

    Despite the arduous task of piecing this together during ski season, you did an amazing job. You are one talented and amazing person.

  22. Christi says:

    Ooh, your log is beautiful! I had the same problem with the stupid creme brulee not setting up like the recipe said. You should try the caramel ganache sometime, though. I was super wary, but it turned out divine. Lovely yule log!

  23. Tartelette says:

    Absolutely gorgeous and so stylish! I just love it! Wanna trade?!!
    Dude, I cringed when I read a creme brulee batter with milk in it….it would take twice the amount of time to set up!! I completely forgot to write that up as a no-no in my book….and should have sent you an email warning…but I also know better since I know you will conquer the highest pastry mount (cursing that too) no matter what.
    Next month, let’s really do it together ok?!

  24. Maggie says:

    Stunning log and photos! I love that you repurposed deli plastic for the mold.

  25. Ashley says:

    Wow!! Gorgeous. I’m going to have to save this recipe. I love the pomegranate seeds on top.

  26. Rita says:

    Wow, your cake looks really good, I love the pomegranate seeds on top, the red makes it pop and it is so festive.

  27. Hilda says:

    Your log looks perfect in spite of the “whole sordid affair” as you put it. It’s always funny to me how recipe instructions read to different people, Marion and I both thought the instructions seemed very straightforward when we picked the elements (in terms of the Kitchen Aid, I’ve only had one for just under a year and never used one before so it never occurs to me to put KA-specific instructions in recipes and Marion doesn’t have one at all because her kitchen is too small for it and she wonders to me every month why the recipes are KA-specific in terms of the instructions). I wonder what the issue was specifically (if it can be determined specifically that is) with the creme brulee since neither she nor I had trouble with ours setting at that temp. Ah well, a mystery for the ages.

  28. Chocolaty Weekend Links says:

    […] French Yule Log at Use Real Butter […]

  29. BonoboCakes says:

    I would like to share in your frustration. While making my mousse in a 6 quart Kitchen Aid mixer, with a balloon beater that hardly touched the eggs either, I was left with spun sugar! Oh what fun it is to make recipes with unclear directions! Such is life. My kids did not have clear instructions either! Your photos are fantastic! I especially love the one while you are pouring the icing on! Bravo! Happy Holidays!

  30. Gretchen Noelle says:

    I do love the baby version – adorable! I wish I had made a double batch of the icing, it seems to clump and melt and I would have liked to go over it all again. Jen, your log is beautiful – great job!

  31. claire says:

    My crisp was the same way…definitely thick! I guess we were supposed to crush the krispies. Oh well! Your log is beautiful but I’m partial to the tiny dome. :-) Wonderful job!

  32. Paz says:

    The finished product looks awesome! I love the seeds. They look like jewels.

    Paz

  33. Gfron1 says:

    I had the same problem with my bombe on one of my versions…very frustrating, but I knew I took the sugar too high. I think yours is one of the prettiest I saw in this round. Great job!

  34. Alana says:

    Wow, these look so fabulous. Thanks for the tips.. I’m about to start mine.

  35. Lesley says:

    What a divine creation!! I had a similar issue for the mousse, but managed to save mine :)

  36. Micha .:. Scraping the Skillet says:

    Any cussing you did was clearly worth it – you invoked the baking/pastry gods blessings! Your log looks beautiful!

  37. Beth says:

    This looks fabulous. Your log looks so perfect!

  38. Heather says:

    You did a BEAUTIFUL job on this, I love the shape!

  39. veganpower says:

    Your pictures is just perfect ! Beautiful and very nice ! Du travail de pro !

  40. Caitlin says:

    I have to admit, I found some of the instructions a little fiddly in some places and frustratingly un-detailed in others. Swearing is bound to happen in that event, right? The dacquoise was my favorite part to snack on too – so tasty!

  41. rainbowbrown says:

    Beautifully done. I never would have guessed that cursing was involved.

  42. peabody says:

    Very happy to have missed out on this one! I’ve made two in my lifetime and that was good enough for me. Yours turned out great though I am quite sure the swearing was loud…mine was. :)

  43. raquel says:

    Very impressive! and I love the baby dome…!

  44. Margie says:

    I am beyond exhaustion, and once again, totally amazed! I believe I have medals to honor you with, and if I don’t, well, I’ll just go buy some.

    Dang girl, you is a whiz-kid in more ways than five!

    Kudos for the effort, the photos and the beauty (I’ll bet it was mighty-fine tasty, too), of it all.

    :)

  45. Andrea says:

    Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! I really like the baby dome, and using the saved prosciutto papers was brilliant.

  46. Nate says:

    I bow to your daring baker skills. That is a beautiful creation.

    What size is your bamboo cutting board? How do you like it?

  47. isabelle says:

    de toute beauté :)

  48. kris says:

    i can only hope that some day i can make something as beautiful as this! so smooth and perfect. well done.

  49. Lezel Safi says:

    You are a much more patient person than I am for sure….it is just beautiful even if it was a royal pain in the arse! Happy New Year!

  50. Amy says:

    What wonderful photos of your process! So beautiful.

  51. Laurie says:

    Oh my gosh, so gorgeous!!!

  52. Ruth says:

    Lovely and I love the step by step photos!

  53. Aparna says:

    I just love the finish to your log. Its beautiful in its simplicity.
    Hope you keep with the DBs despite your doubts.:)

    Best wishes for the festive season and a Happy New Year.

  54. Dharm says:

    Perfect!! Simply superb! I had to laugh as I read your post as it appears we had similar issues especially with the Pate-a-bomb and also the imposter Feuillete!!! Blessed Christmas to you and yours!

  55. Aran says:

    This was a challenge for sure but your final result and the intermediate photos are amazing jen! fabulous work!

  56. Lan says:

    thank you for this break down. i am late this month with my challenge entry but dare i say it? i think i will use your method because you make it look so easy and manageable.

    so thanks!

  57. Meeta says:

    OK I will say that your log looks absolutely stunning but what caught my eye was how gorgeous your hands and fingers are!!!??? LOL!

    Seriously Jen – wishing you and your family a great year ahead! Hugs!

  58. Olg says:

    Wow, I’m amazed you had the time to stop and take the in-between the steps photographs! I really like how your final product is curved and the pomegranate seeds look adorable!

  59. Rachel (S[d]OC) says:

    Oh yay. I love seeing Daring Baker posts. I’m sorry that you had so many issues with this thing, but it looks like in the end it turned out wonderfully. I’m sure it was well worth the effort.

  60. Renee Kranking says:

    Wow! Your French Log looks amazing! It is utterly beautiful!

  61. Ash says:

    Wow, this one looks amazing! great photos!

  62. joanna says:

    Oh wow! That Yule-log looks so beautiful. I love the amazing step-by-step photos you took, it would definitely have helped me out with my challenge :P Happy Baking!

  63. I feel like I just ran a marathon… — Sugared Ellipses . . . says:

    […] came out fine, but I think I could have used more of it. I don’t know certain (oh…) Daring (my…) Bakers (…God!) get their icing to look like one glossy, unblemished sheet, but I […]

  64. Ally says:

    Just beautiful! I love the step by step pictures.

  65. Wendy says:

    Your yule log looks gorgeous! I love the little yule dome too. Great job!

  66. clumbsycookie says:

    I LOVE LOVE your thick crisp insert! It’s so elegant and smooth! Just beautiful!

  67. Lisa says:

    I LOVE YOUR FRENCH YULE LOG!!!! You definitly planned much better than I did and your step-by-step pics are beautiful…. I love the final touches you placed on your log and the little dome log as well. You are amazing!! Can’t wait to see whaty ou do in future challenges.

  68. Graeme says:

    Delia Smith told me that Yule Log was British. :(

    Lol. Hers didn’t look this beautiful though. Pomegranate!

  69. Manisha says:

    I wasn’t sure what to expect after I saw the pics of the mousse being piped out. :-D But OMG! Spectacular! You are the queen!

  70. marika @ madcap says:

    SUCH beautiful examples, just lovely!

  71. Hannah says:

    I am in awe of your yule log! It’s definitely one of my top three favorites from this challenge… The decorations and even layers are superb!

  72. brilynn says:

    That’s gorgeous! Such perfect layers!

  73. Cynthia says:

    This challenge pissed me off so much that I still haven’t iced mine yet It has been in the freezer for 2 weeks. I am working on the post now. I did major cussing during the supposed Mousse element too. This challenge turned out great for you. Wish me luck as I unmold and post tomorrow.

  74. Madeleine says:

    Perfect french yule log!!! :) looks so elegant!

  75. Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says:

    Absolutely stunning, Jen! I am so jealous of your shiny, smooth glaze. It’s just beautiful!

    I hit several snags along the way with mine too. I also used words that I didn’t even know I knew! ;)

    Happy New Year! May it be filled with health, happiness, love and lots of great food!

  76. Y says:

    Gorgeous pictures as usual! And the end result is stunning!

  77. Amy says:

    Holy complicatedness, Jen! Whew. The end result was beautiful – I would love to reach right through the screen and take a big bite. :) Well done!

  78. Holly says:

    Jen, your log came out beautifully!
    I had similar troubles but wound up with a lumpy bumpy, but tasty, mess!

  79. Kevin says:

    Your yule log looks great!

  80. Asianmommy says:

    What a beautiful yule log. I just love your pictures.

  81. Candace says:

    Gorgeous! Love the pop of color from the pomegranate seeds on top.

  82. bricole says:

    Hmmm, we were supposed to crush the rice Krispies. I didn’t do that either. Looks beautiful!

  83. Lynn says:

    I am impressed. Your yule log looks like it could be on the cover of a magazine. Wow. And I also am impressed with your hands, your fingernails in particular. How can you cook with beautiful hands like those? Sounds like you had one of the problems that I had…floating parchment in the brulee…what a drag. Still yours turned out spectacular. Well done.

  84. breadchick says:

    Like everyone else before me has said, your log is impressive and almost makes me want to run to the kitchen to try it again…almost.

    Happy New Year

  85. Michelle says:

    I have dreams of mine looking as good as yours . .. . but I know that it will never happen!!! This is a BIG challenge for my first attempt!!

  86. Namratha says:

    WOW! That’s one pretty log…I wish mine had turned out half as good as yours!! :)

  87. Madam Chow says:

    Gorgeous buche! And I had all the same problems that you did (and more), including that 5 qt. KitchenAid bowl. #@$%^1!

  88. jenyu says:

    Thanks everyone, for your comments!

    Maja – Hmmm, sounds like the truffle got to be a little too warm or perhaps your enrobing chocolate was too high of a temperature? I try to handle them as little as possible, so that my hand’s heat does not begin melting the truffle. Not sure if that was the problem for yours?

    Tartelette – I have skype up and running! Yes, let’s do the challenge together if we can :)

    Nate – I have four bamboo boards: 2 small, 1 long, and the large one you see in the photo. I love them all, except one is starting to split (admittedly, I don’t take care of them like I should).

    Lynn – ha ha! Thanks :) My fingernails kept breaking off during my chemo and well afterward. So I had gotten into the habit of letting them grow out as long as possible to see when the “chemo” signature had finally grown out. I guess I need to clip them!

  89. Angela says:

    It’s beautiful, Jen! I love the pomegranate seeds on top… like little rubies twinkling in the light. Happy New Year!

  90. Sathya says:

    What a goodlooking Yule Log! I totally agree with you about Daring Bakers and this recipe overall…

  91. morgana says:

    It looks so perfect… But the baby version is even better. I love how it turned out.

  92. kathryn says:

    Good Lord, you are a Rock star! i would NEVER even attempt this one! That raspberry cake was ‘advanced’ enough for me!! It looks amazing! Hope you are well!
    xoxo
    k

  93. MiStY says:

    First of all let me say I enjoy everything about your blog but the thing I get the biggest kick out of is YOUR CUSSIN’ (yes, I’m from Texas and it’s referred to as cussin’)! You make me laugh! Thank you for sharing!

  94. vermiinette says:

    this recipe is to die for! I did it for Christmas everyone loved it! Only thing is I added lots of rhum and vanilla to the mousse, and some vanilla and lemon zest to the creme brulee. I believe it’s my family’s new favorite and I will be making it for years to come. Thank you so much for sharing it!!

  95. dill says:

    Hello!

    when you say to “Soften the gelatin in cold water (about 1/4 cup of water for 1 tbsp of powdered gelatin)” are you referring to the 1/4 cup of water mentioned in the ingredients list?

  96. jenyu says:

    dill – I think that is in addition to the 1/4 cup in the ingredients list since you only need 1/8 cup of water for the 1/2 tbsp of gelatin powder.

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  98. Vicky says:

    Hi!

    For this recipe, where did you get the pan?

    Thanks!

  99. jenyu says:

    Vicky – I got it at a gourmet cooking store (Peppercorn in Boulder, CO). You may want to google around for it as I’m not sure it’s commonly stocked in most stores.

  100. christiane says:

    Amei!!!

  101. Leona says:

    Hey,

    What is the size of the pan that you used for this recipe?
    Thanks!

  102. jenyu says:

    Leona – the halfpipe mold is 9-inches in length.

  103. Bee Gianni says:

    I love the way this looks and also it sounds fabulous. I have Pinned it but I’m not sure my skills are up to the challenge. However, you did a beautiful cake and I practically drooled when I first saw it. Thank you for posting it.

  104. Karoliina says:

    I made two of these for my dad’s 50th birthday party back in November. Enjoyed the challenge despite some moments of desperation! I infused the crème brûlée with both vanilla and cinnamon (using a cinnamon stick), which added a nice spiciness to the finished dessert. I didn’t have halfpipe molds so I made some myself using ordinary loaf pans, cardboard and plastic wrap. This worked well and the slightly uneven surface wasn’t a problem either as I opted to cover my logs with chocolate shards for a more “realistic” look. And let me tell you, the guests (and my dad) LOVED the finished yule logs! To anyone who is daunted by the complexity of this recipe, don’t be! I had never made crème brûlée, feuillete, dacquoise or even chocolate mousse with eggs before, but still managed to produce two beautiful and delicious yule logs. If you have the patience, inspiration and time, I would give this recipe a try!

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