It is already so tough to get out of bed nowadays, and with the festive season upon us, only we know how we slog our way to day’s end. And when we step out for a while and watch the neighbourhood market adorned with all things pretty and Christmassy, all of it seems worth it. Christmas is inarguably one of the biggest festivals across the globe. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Typically, the celebrations begin on Christmas Eve, when families gather to go to church for the midnight mass. The following day is all about that one big feast. We have seen so many Christmas movies on Netflix, that our idea of this feast has become limited, rarely do we think beyond usual suspects like plum cake and roast chicken. But the truth is that countless countries have given the festival their own spin and the same can be evinced from their food traditions. Did you know the Japanese Christmas celebrations do not feature the plum cake but a white, sponge cake instead?
Similarly, Chocolate Yule Log or the Buche De Noel is another cake, the popularity of which often pales in comparison to the plum cake, even though it has been around for quite a few years, and is equally delicious.
The Story Of The Yule Log
The Yule Log cake is actually symbolic of the Yule log burning tradition that began with the Nordic communities in pre-medieval times. ‘Yule’ is actually the name of the old winter solstice festival that was very popular in Scandinavia and a few other parts of Northern Europe such as Germany.
As per the tradition, people would bring home the log of a tree (Yule log) and place it in the burning hearth. A part of the log would stick out of the hearth because the log would be so big. This used to be a very ceremonious occasion. The log that would go into the hearth would be sprinkled with wine, salt etc. The relighting of fire was also done by someone who had clean hands, and the log would be burnt for twelve days of Christmas. The burning of log signified good harvest and protection against harsh winter.
Across Europe, there were different ways to carry out the tradition. In France, the log was cut and was burnt bit by bit, if there was any log left, it was saved for next year. In the Netherlands, the leftover log is kept under the bed. In parts of England, the log was stripped of its hard bark before it was burnt. Even the trees differed from country to country. Nowadays, since there are no big fireplaces in houses, the tradition is slowly losing its significance, but what is keeping a part of this tradition alive? You guessed it, the Yule Log Cake.
A thin layer of moist chocolate cake is layered with cream or mascarpone cheese and is rolled up to resemble a log. This is then decorated with all things Xmassy (picture: little hollies, Santa caps, candy canes). It is very easy to make at home, and if you are looking for a departure from the typical plum cakes, you should definitely try making it at home this year.
Here’s a recipe.