Boeuwsche

Would you like some chocolate with your chocolate chocolate with chocolate frosting and shiny decorated chocolate balls?

This is our buche de noel (yule log). It is a traditional French cake eaten at Christmas time.

I force boyfriend to keep French traditions because (a) I need some sort of continuity and (b) because I am always looking for a good excuse to have a party or eat a cake.

So here we are at Christmas time listening (on repeat) the Starbuck’s Christmas cd, while I make a wreath with wine corks and ribbon (I am so crafty! But not Beastie Boy’s crafty) and eat Buche (boeuwshe) de Noel.

I used to have buche de noel in my French class in middle school. It was this thin sponge cake layered with butter cream and then rolled up. Then covered in icing and “painted” to look like the log of a tree, complete with sprigs of pine and mushrooms. I don’t remember what it tasted like but I do remember it being the best cake ever. (Could it be that I was dying of hunger in my 8^th grade 4^th period class?)

Well, as you know, Frantasyland is all about the pastries and the modern buche, which only kind of resembles the tradition and my middle school version in its round form, is a perfect example.