Saturday, December 22, 2007

December Challenge--Yule Log!!



This months challenge was hosted by Ivonne and Lisa, and they chose the yule log. What?! a yule log...I thought to myself...First of all, just let me start with saying, that I was scared to death to even read the instructions. First, I thought, well, I will just bail out on this one, but then I wouldn't be a very Daring Baker then, would I. So, right on the dead line, I decided that I would have to at least attempt to make this,and I am so glad that I did.

First, I started with the mushrooms. I made these out of meringue and I wish that I would have had more time to play with the meringue and maybe make some cute little snowmen or something, but ok....the mushrooms look like mushrooms and I am happy with that.


Then, to tackle the genoise cake. This made me a little nervous, with having to heat the eggs, and them whip them....would I get it to the right consistency...why, yes I did! How excited I was. Ok, the cake is in the oven, now it is time for the buttercream...I was scared to get to this part because I had been reading other posts about curdling. Would this happen to me and what would I do if it did? Of course, go to my trusty Daring Baker friends. They always have answers or suggestions to help figure out anything. But, got to separating my eggs, add the sugar, heat, and then whip in all of the butter. no curdling so far....I decided to do a chocolate buttercream, because my husband and the kiddos, wouldn't like the coffee flavor, although I would love it....so, back to the buttercream...added some vanilla and cocoa, whipped a little longer, and viola....no curdling!! Can I just get an AMEN!!


Now, it is time to spread half of my buttercream onto my cake, and roll. What if it cracks? My husband asked me...well, if it does, it is nothing that a little buttercream can't cover, right? Well, I did get a few cracks in rolling, but for the most part it all stayed together. I am really glad that I did this challenge. The little "rocks" with my yule log are Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. I will post this recipe in the next day or so.


Now, go and check out the yule log craze that will hit this weekend.

I also wish everyone a safe Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!!!

36 comments:

Tablebread said...

Wow those are some amazing mushrooms! I found these to be the most challenging and you nailed them!

Gigi said...

Nice looking mushrooms!Perfect!

Megan said...

Great yule log and post. I almost felt like I was reading my own post. Almost!
Merry Christmas!!!

marias23 said...

How awesome! No curdling :)

Anyway, I love that you decorated the log with the chocolate chip truffle. So delish!

Unknown said...

Love it! Glad you decided to do it!

Par said...

I thought those were ice cream cone :P

Lis said...

Amen Sistah!! hehehee

Mine went really well too.. and I was just as scared. =)

Your log turned out beautifully! I'm glad you decided to try it too. :D

An excellent job!
xoxo

glamah16 said...

I know what you mean.I thanked God for every step acomplished because Lord knows I didnt want to start again.Happy Hoildays.

Katie said...

They look like some tasty 'rocks' Your log looks great

Karen Baking Soda said...

It's curving! How nice!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Simply great. Love the shrooms!

Peabody said...

Frosting fixes so many little flaws...how I wish sometimes I could frost myself :)
Job well done.

Brilynn said...

Love the big mushrooms, well done!

Cheryl said...

Great job, awesome mushrooms.

Elisabeth said...

Yeah, I was apprehensive at first but was so pleased when it worked out. Great job!

Beth G. @SweetLifeKitchen said...

WOW! Great log :O) it looks delicious !!

Lunch Buckets said...

Nice mushrooms! Love the rocks too :)

Lynne Daley said...

Very tasty looking yule log. Good job!

monica said...

so pretty!! great job on the challenge...and have a fantastic holiday!

Anonymous said...

cute ice-creamy mushrooms!

Naomi Devlin said...

Is that a yule log or a speeding train? It has so much life in it I almost expect those mushrooms to start growing.

Emily said...

You did a fabulous job, April! That looks like a lot of hard work.

Happy holidays to you!

Anonymous said...

That's a lovely log you have there! Glad the buttercream worked perfect for you! Mine curdled but luckily, it could be salvaged.

Dolores said...

I'm so glad you decided to join in on this one at the last minute... you did a GREAT job conquering your concerns around it. Happy holidays to you and your family, and best wishes for a happy healthy 2008!

Fruit tart said...

So glad it all worked out so nicely! Chocolate rocks, mmmm!

Julius said...

That bûche de Noël looks absolutely yummy.

PS. If your buttercream ever curdles, just increase the speed of your mixer and continue whipping for 3-5 mins until it becomes silky again. Works everytime for me.

Happy Holidays!

Julius from Occasional Baker

Deborah said...

You did such a wonderful job!! I almost didn't do it, as well, but am glad that I did.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Great job! Your log looks beautiful!

Cheers,

Rosa

Helene said...

You did a wonderful job! I love how big and chocolatey the mushrooms turned out!

Jen Yu said...

Aw, your yule log is fantastic looking! And who cares about a few cracks when you have a lovely buttercream frosting to go over it anyway? :) Sweet!!! Great job.

jen at use real butter

Wendy said...

I am glad you tried the cake. Your mushrooms look great. Wendy

Anonymous said...

A yule log is a challenge! Having read your post I may just have the courage to try making one next year. Well done!

Molly Loves Paris said...

It's a fun log you have. Reading your process read like mine with some fixes. You were very smart to make the mushrooms first. I had wanted to put truffles on the plate, but ran out of steam for making them. Bien faites! Happy New Year!

Jenny said...

Glad you made it to the Yule Log frenzy! (Sorry I'm a bit late getting to yours!)

Unknown said...

It looks great and very pro. I cant even imagine making something like this, so be proud, very proud:-)
X M

Gabi said...

Nice job on the yule log- sorry it took me so long to come see it- i'm trying to catch up from the Hollies...
Have a happy 2008 baking!
xoxo
Gabi

Saturday, December 22, 2007

December Challenge--Yule Log!!



This months challenge was hosted by Ivonne and Lisa, and they chose the yule log. What?! a yule log...I thought to myself...First of all, just let me start with saying, that I was scared to death to even read the instructions. First, I thought, well, I will just bail out on this one, but then I wouldn't be a very Daring Baker then, would I. So, right on the dead line, I decided that I would have to at least attempt to make this,and I am so glad that I did.

First, I started with the mushrooms. I made these out of meringue and I wish that I would have had more time to play with the meringue and maybe make some cute little snowmen or something, but ok....the mushrooms look like mushrooms and I am happy with that.


Then, to tackle the genoise cake. This made me a little nervous, with having to heat the eggs, and them whip them....would I get it to the right consistency...why, yes I did! How excited I was. Ok, the cake is in the oven, now it is time for the buttercream...I was scared to get to this part because I had been reading other posts about curdling. Would this happen to me and what would I do if it did? Of course, go to my trusty Daring Baker friends. They always have answers or suggestions to help figure out anything. But, got to separating my eggs, add the sugar, heat, and then whip in all of the butter. no curdling so far....I decided to do a chocolate buttercream, because my husband and the kiddos, wouldn't like the coffee flavor, although I would love it....so, back to the buttercream...added some vanilla and cocoa, whipped a little longer, and viola....no curdling!! Can I just get an AMEN!!


Now, it is time to spread half of my buttercream onto my cake, and roll. What if it cracks? My husband asked me...well, if it does, it is nothing that a little buttercream can't cover, right? Well, I did get a few cracks in rolling, but for the most part it all stayed together. I am really glad that I did this challenge. The little "rocks" with my yule log are Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. I will post this recipe in the next day or so.


Now, go and check out the yule log craze that will hit this weekend.

I also wish everyone a safe Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!!!

36 comments:

Tablebread said...

Wow those are some amazing mushrooms! I found these to be the most challenging and you nailed them!

Gigi said...

Nice looking mushrooms!Perfect!

Megan said...

Great yule log and post. I almost felt like I was reading my own post. Almost!
Merry Christmas!!!

marias23 said...

How awesome! No curdling :)

Anyway, I love that you decorated the log with the chocolate chip truffle. So delish!

Unknown said...

Love it! Glad you decided to do it!

Par said...

I thought those were ice cream cone :P

Lis said...

Amen Sistah!! hehehee

Mine went really well too.. and I was just as scared. =)

Your log turned out beautifully! I'm glad you decided to try it too. :D

An excellent job!
xoxo

glamah16 said...

I know what you mean.I thanked God for every step acomplished because Lord knows I didnt want to start again.Happy Hoildays.

Katie said...

They look like some tasty 'rocks' Your log looks great

Karen Baking Soda said...

It's curving! How nice!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Simply great. Love the shrooms!

Peabody said...

Frosting fixes so many little flaws...how I wish sometimes I could frost myself :)
Job well done.

Brilynn said...

Love the big mushrooms, well done!

Cheryl said...

Great job, awesome mushrooms.

Elisabeth said...

Yeah, I was apprehensive at first but was so pleased when it worked out. Great job!

Beth G. @SweetLifeKitchen said...

WOW! Great log :O) it looks delicious !!

Lunch Buckets said...

Nice mushrooms! Love the rocks too :)

Lynne Daley said...

Very tasty looking yule log. Good job!

monica said...

so pretty!! great job on the challenge...and have a fantastic holiday!

Anonymous said...

cute ice-creamy mushrooms!

Naomi Devlin said...

Is that a yule log or a speeding train? It has so much life in it I almost expect those mushrooms to start growing.

Emily said...

You did a fabulous job, April! That looks like a lot of hard work.

Happy holidays to you!

Anonymous said...

That's a lovely log you have there! Glad the buttercream worked perfect for you! Mine curdled but luckily, it could be salvaged.

Dolores said...

I'm so glad you decided to join in on this one at the last minute... you did a GREAT job conquering your concerns around it. Happy holidays to you and your family, and best wishes for a happy healthy 2008!

Fruit tart said...

So glad it all worked out so nicely! Chocolate rocks, mmmm!

Julius said...

That bûche de Noël looks absolutely yummy.

PS. If your buttercream ever curdles, just increase the speed of your mixer and continue whipping for 3-5 mins until it becomes silky again. Works everytime for me.

Happy Holidays!

Julius from Occasional Baker

Deborah said...

You did such a wonderful job!! I almost didn't do it, as well, but am glad that I did.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Great job! Your log looks beautiful!

Cheers,

Rosa

Helene said...

You did a wonderful job! I love how big and chocolatey the mushrooms turned out!

Jen Yu said...

Aw, your yule log is fantastic looking! And who cares about a few cracks when you have a lovely buttercream frosting to go over it anyway? :) Sweet!!! Great job.

jen at use real butter

Wendy said...

I am glad you tried the cake. Your mushrooms look great. Wendy

Anonymous said...

A yule log is a challenge! Having read your post I may just have the courage to try making one next year. Well done!

Molly Loves Paris said...

It's a fun log you have. Reading your process read like mine with some fixes. You were very smart to make the mushrooms first. I had wanted to put truffles on the plate, but ran out of steam for making them. Bien faites! Happy New Year!

Jenny said...

Glad you made it to the Yule Log frenzy! (Sorry I'm a bit late getting to yours!)

Unknown said...

It looks great and very pro. I cant even imagine making something like this, so be proud, very proud:-)
X M

Gabi said...

Nice job on the yule log- sorry it took me so long to come see it- i'm trying to catch up from the Hollies...
Have a happy 2008 baking!
xoxo
Gabi