Maple Walnut Bûche De Noël

Serves: 6

Destiney Bartoletti

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

51

Spice

55

Sweetness

54

Sourness

40

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.1

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1 tsp

Salt

1 tsp

Cinnamon

1.5 tbsps

Whiskey (canadian)

1 tsp

Vanilla

Directions:

1

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F

2

Butter a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper or parchment

3

Butter paper and dust with flour, knocking out excess

4

Pulse walnuts, flour, salt, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped

5

Beat together yolks, whiskey, vanilla, and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale and forms a ribbon that takes 2 seconds to dissolve when beaters are lifted, 5 to 8 minutes in a standing mixer or 8 to 12 minutes with a handheld

6

Fold in nut mixture in 4 batches

7

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks

8

Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 tablespoon at a time, beating, and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks

9

Fold one fourth of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly

10

Stir 1/2 cup batter into butter in a small bowl until combined, then fold butter mixture into batter gently but thoroughly

11

Spread batter evenly in baking pan and rap once on counter to help eliminate air bubbles

12

Bake cake until firm to the touch, pale golden, and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, 12 to 16 minutes

13

Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then loosen sides with a knife

14

Put a sheet of foil over cake and invert rack over foil, then flip cake onto rack and remove wax paper

15

Cool completely

16

Slide cake (on foil) off rack

17

Spread 1 1/4 cups buttercream evenly over cake and sprinkle with chopped brittle

18

Using foil as an aid, roll up cake, jelly-roll style, beginning with a short end

19

Carefully transfer cake with a long metal spatula to a platter and remove foil

20

Frost cake with about 1 1/2 cups buttercream, then chill cake until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes

21

(If you plan to finish assembling cake within 1 hour, keep remaining 1/4 cup buttercream at room temperature

22

If not, chill remaining buttercream, covered

23

) Cut a thin slice from one end of log (to make end even), then, starting about a 1/2 inch in from cut edge, cut a diagonal piece from same end of cake

24

Arrange piece on side of cake to resemble a cut branch, using a bit of remaining buttercream to glue piece to "log" and cover seam

25

Arrange shards of walnut brittle decoratively on cake

26

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F

27

Butter a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper or parchment

28

Butter paper and dust with flour, knocking out excess

29

Pulse walnuts, flour, salt, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped

30

Beat together yolks, whiskey, vanilla, and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale and forms a ribbon that takes 2 seconds to dissolve when beaters are lifted, 5 to 8 minutes in a standing mixer or 8 to 12 minutes with a handheld

31

Fold in nut mixture in 4 batches

32

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks

33

Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 tablespoon at a time, beating, and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks

34

Fold one fourth of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly

35

Stir 1/2 cup batter into butter in a small bowl until combined, then fold butter mixture into batter gently but thoroughly

36

Spread batter evenly in baking pan and rap once on counter to help eliminate air bubbles

37

Bake cake until firm to the touch, pale golden, and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, 12 to 16 minutes

38

Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then loosen sides with a knife

39

Put a sheet of foil over cake and invert rack over foil, then flip cake onto rack and remove wax paper

40

Cool completely

41

Slide cake (on foil) off rack

42

Spread 1 1/4 cups buttercream evenly over cake and sprinkle with chopped brittle

43

Using foil as an aid, roll up cake, jelly-roll style, beginning with a short end

44

Carefully transfer cake with a long metal spatula to a platter and remove foil

45

Frost cake with about 1 1/2 cups buttercream, then chill cake until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes

46

(If you plan to finish assembling cake within 1 hour, keep remaining 1/4 cup buttercream at room temperature

47

If not, chill remaining buttercream, covered

48

) Cut a thin slice from one end of log (to make end even), then, starting about a 1/2 inch in from cut edge, cut a diagonal piece from same end of cake

49

Arrange piece on side of cake to resemble a cut branch, using a bit of remaining buttercream to glue piece to "log" and cover seam

50

Arrange shards of walnut brittle decoratively on cake