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Written by It is a truth universally accepted that Christmas isn’t what it used to be.
That doesn’t necessarily mean things are worse: most of us are comfortable enough to ensure that the feast of the nativity lives up to its name, for a start. And these days, thanks to central heating, the symbolic yule log generally comes in the form of a chocolate cake rather than a massive piece of hardwood. Environmental concerns aside, I certainly know which I’d rather give house room to over the festive period.
Although burning a gigantic log seems to have been a popular way to celebrate Christmas throughout much of Europe, we have the French to thank for its modern, and rather tastier incarnation. Larousse Gastronomique dates it to the 19th century, when, and presumably not coincidentally, the large open hearths required for the traditional version began to disappear from most homes. Early bûche de noël were often made with génoise sponge, cut and shaped into the form of a log, but these days, using a swiss roll seems to be standard practice.
I suspect yule logs were one of the first things I ever made in the kitchen, albeit using a Lyons swiss roll as a vehicle for my homemade chocolate buttercream – to be honest, my interest at that point lay more in the realistic recreation of bark effect than what lay beneath – so, 20 years on, I’m interested to discover how the posh versions can compare.
