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Tanya's avatar

Been wanting to make one forever. Thank you for this step by step guide (mainly the cake handling, that's the "scary" part, lol)

Not this meal, but plan to practice for next year's meal.

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Jamie Schler's avatar

What's great about practicing is that you get to enjoy all the trial cakes! Let me know how yours turns out!

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Gundy Walton's avatar

This is a work of art. I’ve always wanted to make one… and I think I’ve finally found my recipe! Thank you, and Merry Holidays to you!

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Jamie Schler's avatar

Thank you! Yes, I find that an easier recipe is just as fantastic as a more complicated one and this really is my favorite! Bonne chance! Let us know how it turns out!

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Ingrid Robertshaw's avatar

Thank you ! I have a thing for French pastries. It is a good thing what is offered in American bakeries is not that appealing & it is easy to walk past. I lived in Germany after 1947 and their baked goods are comparable to the French.

Merci!!

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Jamie Schler's avatar

I really want to discover more specialties of Alsace (which usually have a German origin).

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Randall de Seve's avatar

I don't know what agar agar is, but I will research! And happy holidays to you and yours as well! Xoxo

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Jamie Schler's avatar

It's a powder that acts like gelatin but it's made of seaweed! The quantities are not always one-to-one so check online.

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Randall de Seve's avatar

Can't wait to make this! Will try without gelatin (I am vegetarian) and hope for the best 😉. Thanks, Jamie!

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Jamie Schler's avatar

I should try it with a bit of agar-agar... do you know how to does it? It does stabilize the cream and adds body to it, although you could just use more mascarpone! Let me know how it turns out, Randall!! And wishing you, Peter, the girls, and your family and very merry Christmas!

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Liz Wrigley's avatar

Hi from foggy London I made the Buche it was a little dry as we had no rum to hand and the Calvados was required direct down throats.

I did double mascarpone to cream but the sponge was just a bit too thick but alternate Provençal glacé cherries and whole cooked chestnuts along with icing sugar and drizzled dark chocolate was good as decoration, though as children we had a slightly wobbly robin that had to be ‘glued’ into place with a strong dab of thick icing sugar and shored up with marzipan sticks!

Better result next year

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Jamie Schler's avatar

Happy holidays, Liz! I’m glad you tried it! I made a coffee bûche yesterday - first time and I kind of made up the recipes as I went along based on stuff I’d made before - and thought it a bit dry. I definitely need to soak the cake with more of the flavored simple syrup and increase my quantity of cream filling. It was good but sometimes you have to make (and eat) one before you understand exactly what needs to be done to make it great. Well both do better next year!!

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Dec 23
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Jamie Schler's avatar

lol!!! Well, when you’re surrounded by it all the time, it’s easier to resist 😉

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