Make Your Own Bûche de Noël

If there's one cake that symbolizes the holiday season, it's the Bûche de Noël. We'll admit, it's not the easiest cake to make, but it's less intimidating once you understand all the steps. First, the recipes. We looked to the new book Sugar Rush from celebrated pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini for the classic vanilla génoise cake and chocolate buttercream frosting. For the simple syrup you'll need to brush the cake, check out our tutorial on Yahoo Screen.

For the garnish, we made "pine cones" with marzipan centers and sliced almonds. Enjoy the slide show and good luck if you make your own Yule log cake!

Art Direction: Claudia Wu. Food Styling: Michelle Gatton. Hand Model: Donna Yen

Vanilla Sponge Cake
Makes two 9-inch cakes; serves 12 to 16

Based on the great French cake génoise, this is a whole-egg foam cake that is a great foundation for layer cakes. This sponge cake is like a blank canvas, ready to showcase any flavor combination you can dream up. Typically génoises are brushed with flavored syrups and iced with buttercream.

4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm, plus more for the pan (57 g)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan (250 g)
8 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup sugar (200 g)
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (2 g)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease the paper, and dust the pans with flour.

Fill a medium saucepan one-third full of hot water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. In a standing mixer bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla seeds together and set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bottom does not touch the water. Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, the mixture begins to thicken, and the eggs are hot to the touch.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer, attach the whisk, and whip on medium speed until the mixture begins to gain volume. Increase the speed to high and whip for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, is cool to the touch, and holds the trail of the whisk. Watch the bowl carefully; if the volume of the eggs begins to decrease in the bowl, stop the mixer immediately. Transfer the egg foam to a very large mixing bowl.

Put the 2 cups flour into a sifter and sift enough flour over the egg mixture just to cover the surface; sprinkle the salt over the flour. Fold the flour into the eggs in long, slow strokes, rotating the bowl as you fold. Continue adding the flour in 3 more additions, folding and rotating the bowl one turn for each addition of flour (do not overmix). While turning the bowl, drizzle the 4 tablespoons melted butter over the batter. Fold the batter from the outside in to incorporate the butter, folding just until no lumps of flour remain. Be sure to pull the spatula all the way through the batter to the bottom of the bowl, as the butter can settle below the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Bake the cakes in the center of the oven for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until golden,the top is springy to the touch, and the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pans on a rack. Run a sharp knife around the edges to release them before inverting and cooling them completely on the rack.

Chocolate Buttercream

This is a simple way to make silky chocolate buttercream, but you must make sure that both the melted chocolate and buttercream are at room temperature. If one or the other is too warm or too cool, the chocolate can seize and you’ll have lumpy buttercream.

Melt 4 ounces (113 g) unsweetened or extra bittersweet (72% cacao or higher) chocolate andcool. Put the chocolate into a large bowl and add about 1⁄2 cup of the Vanilla Buttercream. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the two together until well combined and homogenous. Add another 1⁄2 cup of buttercream and fold again until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture to the buttercream and whipit until smooth and creamy with no streaks of white. Use immediately.

Vanilla Buttercream
Makes about 7 cups

5 large egg whites
2 cups sugar (400g)
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup water (60g)
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cubed (593g)

Put the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the vanilla seeds, and the cream of tartar into a standing mixer bowl and whisk well to combine. Attach the bowl and whisk to the mixer and turn it on to low speed.

Put the remaining sugar and the water into a medium saucepan. Stir it with your finger until sandy; wipe the side of the pan down with a wet finger and put the pan over medium heat. When the sugar is melted and begins to bubble, brush down the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in cold water.

When the sugar reaches a rolling boil, increase the mixer speed to medium. Continue cooking the sugar, brushing the pan sides if any crystals form, until it reaches 250°F (soft-ball stage).

Increase the mixer speed to medium-high. The whites should be fluffy and shiny but still soft. Carefully pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the mixer—pour it directly onto the whites between the mixer bowl edge and the outer reach of the whisk. Increase the mixer speed to high and whip the meringue for 6 to 8 minutes, until cool to the touch.

Begin adding butter, a little at a time, whipping until completely combined before adding more. If you see the butter melting, stop adding butter and whip the meringue longer until cool. Continue gradually adding the butter. When all of the butter has been added, the buttercream should be very smooth and fluffy. The buttercream is now ready to use.

Buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; let stand a room temperature and rewhip it in a standing mixer until it is smooth and fluffy again before using. Buttercream can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw the buttercream overnight in the refrigerator and then let stand until room temperature before whipping until smooth.

Excerpted from Sugar Rush by Johnny Iuzzini (Clarkson Potter, 2014).