Bûche de Noël

A popular Christmas dessert in Switzerland, especially the French-speaking part, is the forest-themed Bûche de Noël. Now I love a forest-themed Christmas bake as much as the next person (see my pinecone Zopf, Tannenzopfen, my pinecone cake, Tannenzapfen Torte, and the many-layered tree cake, Baumkuchen), so I was delighted to add this chocolate log to the Christmas repertoire. It’s easy to make—the sponge and frosting are both unfussy, and you can go simple or elaborate with the decorations. I like a slightly chewy sponge, with lots of buttery chocolate frosting, which has a nice toothsomeness. It is not as puffy and spongy as some other versions.