Gingerbread Swiss Roll De Noël

Happy 1st Sunday of advent. Honeyed gingerbread cake is one of my very favourite Christmas recipes and one of my favourite treats during this month. This recipe is a swiss roll version with a hint of Buche de Noël or Yule Log. The classic Yule Log was a tree trunk that was carried into the house and placed in the fireplace to “lighten the night to create warmth throughout the winter”.

GINGERBREAD SWISS ROLL DE NOËL
10-12 SERVINGS

SPONGE:
2 EGGS
50 G MUSCOVADO SUGAR
100 G HONEY
JUICE OF ½ ORANGE
100 G FLOUR
1 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1 TSP. GROUND GINGER
½ TSP. GROUND ALLSPICE
1 TSP. GROUND CINNAMON
½ TSP. GROUND CLOVES

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees celsius.

Heat the honey in a saucepan with the apple juice and let it cool a little, until it’s about 37 degrees celsius.

Whisk eggs and muscovado sugar thick and airy in a stand mixer, it takes about 5 min.

Add the cooled honey to the egg mixture a bit at a time and whisk for 1 min.

Sift flour, baking powder, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and cloves into the mixture, or fold it gently in with a spatula so that it does not lose too much air.

If you’re lucky enough to have a swiss roll pan, use it. If you do not have one, you will have to draw a rectangle of 25×35 cm on a piece of baking paper, turn the paper over and then spread the batter out into the shape in a even layer. It does not matter if you get a little outside the line.

Bake the sponge in the oven for 6-8 minutes until it is firm, but still springy when you gently press it with a fingertip.

Remove the baking tray from the oven, sprinkle sugar directly onto the sponge, then place a piece of baking paper, a clean kitchen towel and another baking tray on top. Then flip it over.

Remove the hot baking tray and leave the sponge to rest for 1 min, before gently rolling up the sponge with the baking paper from the shortest edge, so it can better hold its shape and does not crack too much. Roll the base into a kitchen towel to hold it together better and let it cool completely.

BUTTER CREAM:
125 G SOFTENED BUTTER
90 G ICING SUGAR
SEEDS OF 1/3 VANILLA POD
1 PASTEURISED. EGG YOLK
2 TBSP. MARMALADE (APRICOT, RASPBERRIES, STRAWBERRY …. ETC.)

Whisk vanilla seed with the butter with a handheld mixer.

Add icing sugar and whisk the mixture light and airy.

Whisk in the egg yolk till it all comes together.

ASSEMBLY:

Take the cooled sponge and remove towel and paper.

Spread the marmalade over the sponge in a thin layer.

The spread out the butter cream on top.

Now roll up the sponge tightly, making sure the filling stays inside..

Wrap the roll in cling film and place it in the fridge until the butter cream is stiff and the roll holds its shape. At least 1 hour or more.

DECORATION:
150G DARK CHOCOLATE
3 TBSP. HEAVY CREAM 38%
COLORED MARCIPAN OR ROYAL ICING.

Melt the chocolate with the cream and stir it into a shiny ganache.

Cut the ends of the roulade to make fine sharp edges.

Spread the ganache over the roll and with a spoon and fork shape its appearance into the bark of a tree.

Put the swiss roll back on the fridge until the chocolate has set.

Finally, decorate the cake with holly, either with colored marcipan or royal icing. You can also choose to put real holly on as decoration.

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