Gluten-Free Christmas: Bûche de Noël, fancy and fantastic
Oh, the Christmas season. Goofy sweaters, the pine-and-cinnamon scented air freshener in the grocery stores, heartwarming episodes of my favorite TV shows, blog posts about delicious gluten-free Chistmas treats…
These are a few of my favorite things. Another of my favorites is Bûche de Noël: it’s so pretty! I remember convincing my parents to buy one from the local bakery when I was still a gluten-eating child. It had tiny icing mushrooms and a dusting of powdered sugar snow on its fondant bark. Each slice was a beautiful swirl of chocolate cake and whipped cream.
It was glorious. It tasted TERRIBLE.
In tribute to that first, flawed cake, here are some recipes for gluten-free Bûche de Noël (or Yule Log, if you prefer). Some are fancier than others — and really, the decoration is up to you. All are guaranteed to turn your table into a winter wonderland, and should taste pretty good to boot.
- Chocolate and coconut from La Tartine Gourmand
- Chocolate genoise, with gianduja, chestnut or buttercream filling from Living Without (as an added bonus, a how-to for meringue mushrooms)
- Walnut, chestnut and chocolate, from the Gastronomer’s Guide
- Detailed lessons on assembling and frosting your Bûche de Noël, from About.com
- Not necessarily gluten-free, but inspiring from an aesthetic standpoint: recipes and photos from Tastespotting
Have you ever made a Bûche de Noël? What’s your favorite Christmas dessert?
Yes, I made a few Bûches de Noël back in my GF days. I’ve made elaborate ones with marzipan mushrooms, down to simple last-minute versions made with prepared cake mix and then filled with instant pudding using half the milk usually required from the box directions. I got so lazy one year that I used floral picks with plastic leaves and Christmas balls instead of edible decorations, and it was still a hit! Enjoy your holidays and don’t knock yourself out–with this, it’s the novelty and presentation that count the most!