Christmas Log: Honey and Layered Recipes
Christmas, honey, and layered log cakes—all variations of this original log-shaped cake (roll) embody all the magic and mystery of a forest fairytale. Make this dessert, and all your guests will definitely want to try it, and you'll gain fame as the hostess. This cake will easily become the main dish at a tea party, and everyone will be begging for the recipe. Be sure to take a photo of the dessert in cross-section—it looks gorgeous.
Let's look at three basic recipes for the "Log" dessert - honey, puff pastry, and Christmas. They all look unusual and have a subtle taste; the cake can be decorated to your taste.
Yule log
The recipe comes to us from France. Medieval pagans ascribed special properties to a wooden log. In the spring, it was burned (similar to how the Russians burned an effigy during Maslenitsa), celebrating the arrival of spring. Christmas log cake is a traditional part of any French New Year's feast.
Ingredients for making biscuit:
- 50 g of wheat flour.
- A pinch of baking powder.
- 50 g of starch.
- 6 tablespoons of sugar.
- 4 eggs.
This sponge cake recipe is simple and classic. Whisk the egg whites and yolks separately with sugar. Carefully combine the resulting fluffy mixture, then add sifted flour and starch with a pinch of baking powder. Bake the cake at 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Take the following ingredients:
- A bar of dark chocolate.
- 4 yolks.
- 6 tablespoons of sugar.
- 150 g butter.
- Aromatic cognac or liqueur (2 tablespoons).
To make the cream, beat the egg yolks with sugar, pour in the melted chocolate and alcohol, and stir until smooth. Remove the sponge cake, add the filling, and wrap it with a towel or parchment paper. Decorate the cake with coffee topping or glaze. To make it, mix 2 tablespoons of instant coffee with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 egg yolks. Whisk with a mixer and add 100 grams of butter. Cool and spread the icing on top. The Christmas cake is ready.
The beauty of this recipe is that it leaves plenty of room for imagination when decorating the finished dish. You can buy ready-made mushrooms and leaves and create an impromptu meadow on a log, or you can paint it yourself to resemble tree bark. Let your creativity run wild, and you'll create a unique, one-of-a-kind dish.
Honey roll
Your guests will love this delicate, layered "Honey Log" cake. The honey adds a subtle, elusive aroma without being overly sweet. The recipe calls for a cottage cheese filling, so your weight-conscious friends will be thrilled to try even a bite of this delicacy.
Use the following ingredients for the cakes:
- 1.5 tbsp. honey.
- A third of a glass of sugar.
- 1.5 cups of flour
- 1 large or 2 small chicken eggs.
- Baking powder on the tip of a knife or soda quenched with vinegar.
To prepare the filling you will need:
- 400 g sour cream.
- Half a glass of sugar.
- 300 g of low-fat cottage cheese or baby cheese curd (unsweetened).
The recipe for baking the dough is simple and straightforward. To make a honey cake:
- Beat eggs with sugar and melted honey.
- Add flour and baking powder.
- Knead the dough
- Roll the dough out carefully and thinly on parchment paper; it may be a little sticky.
- Cut the dough into 2cm thick strips.
- Bake these strips until golden brown in a preheated oven at 220 degrees.
- Prepare the cream: beat the sour cream with sugar, add the curd mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
- Take a roll mold - you will need an oblong, deep mold (silicone, metal, plastic - it doesn’t matter.)
- Line the pan with parchment paper, foil, or cling film. Add a layer of cream, then a few sticks, then another soft layer, and repeat until it reaches the edge of the pan.
- Leave the logs in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The sticks will soak in the juices and become incredibly delicious.
- Before serving, carefully unwrap the log, place it on a striking platter, and garnish with chocolate topping.
The Honey Log Cake is ready. Be sure to take a photo to show off your Honey Log Cake to your friends on social media.
Puff pastry log
This is an easy recipe for a well-known cake for time-poor homemakers. Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Half a kilogram of puff pastry without yeast;
- 1 egg;
To prepare the filling, take the following ingredients:
- 500 ml of milk.
- 2 tbsp. starch.
- 2 tbsp. flour.
- A glass of sugar.
- A packet of vanillin.
- 2 eggs.
- 100 g butter.
- 100 g of cream.
The recipe for decorating a puff pastry dessert is simple. Any nuts will do (cashews, peanuts, walnuts, almonds will do), and you can also use chocolate chips or icing.
- Roll out the puff pastry, cut it into strips and place in the oven to brown.
- Make the custard. Bring the milk almost to a boil. Pour in a thin stream the pre-beaten eggs with sugar and vanilla, flour, and cornstarch or potato starch. Stir constantly until thickened, turn off the heat, and add the butter.
- Whip the cream in a separate bowl and combine with the cold cream.
- Lay out some cling film. Spread a layer of cream on top, then lay down a layer of sticks, alternating layers. Carefully fold the edges of the cling film over the top, forming a log.
- Let cool in the refrigerator and set so that the sticks are saturated with the moist filling.
- Serve the cake, sprinkled with nuts first.
The "Puff Log" cake can be made very quickly, but it should be prepared in advance to allow it time to set. If you like the Log cake recipe, you can experiment with different fillings and decorations. Browse photos online for different decoration options for this roll, and you'll always have a unique recipe for your holiday table.
