Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

I love pies, cakes, and cookies at Christmastime.  But, I also like trying new things, and I wanted to bring a little bit of France with me home to Louisiana for the holidays.  The Buche de Noel is a traditional Christmas dessert in France, Belgium, French Canada, Lebanon, and Vietnam.  It is traditionally made from a sponge cake, and filled with chocolate buttercream frosting, rolled up to look like a log.

I wanted to make one a little more--interesting. I found a recipe that combined Nutella, whipped cream, and toasted almonds. I couldn't resist!

The toasted almonds really bring out the nuttiness of the Nutella, and compliment the Genoise cake splendidly.  The finished product is so festive and really adds a nice flair to any dining table set for Christmas dinner.  You can always enjoy a left over piece the next morning with coffee for holiday-only guilt-free breakfast ;)

This Yule Log recipe is particularly wintry since the whipped cream frosting symbolizes snow on the log.  Get creative and really create a winter wonderland! Enjoy!

Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate_nut_yule_log

The genoise cake, ready to be baked (below).

The genoise cake, baked and coated with powder sugar. (above)

Roll the cake and let it cool. (below)

Once the cake is cooled, spread the Chocolate-Hazelnut frosting, and then roll again. (below)

Lastly, top with the whipped cream frosting and toasted almonds. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.