Rate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.

This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

Let me start by saying that if you abhor curse words, you may want to step away from my blog for this particular post. Just reading this recipe almost made me pop a Xanax and chase it down with a some sort of martini (I do not even drink). My first thought was holy shit, this recipe is like 18 pages! What the hell could I possibly concoct in my kitchen that would entail 18 freaking pages? Keep in mind the only item I have any experience with from the 6 components (listed below) is creme brulee. Not to mention the closest thing to a yule log I have ever consumed would be a Little Debbie Swiss Roll. I calmed down (without Xanax and booze) and realized that there are MANY variations of this log and the recipe included the ingredients and method for many of these variations.

This recipes has six components:
1. Dacquoise Biscuit
2. Mousse
3. Ganache Insert
4. Praline (Crisp) Insert
5. Creme Brulee Insert
6. Icing

Thankfully, I am off of work until January 5th, so I had some spare time on my hands to peruse the Daring Bakers forum. This allowed me to learn from other peoples mistakes/triumphs and organize my obsessive compulsive self in the best way possible. First, I decided to narrow down my choices for flavors, and these were my choices…

1. Dacquoise Biscuit- almond
2. Mousse- milk chocolate
3. Ganache Insert- dark chocolate
4. Praline (Crisp) Insert
5. Creme Brulee Insert- vanilla sans the bean because I was out
6. Icing- dark chocolate

I chose most of these components in the sweet and mild variations because I was serving this for New Year’s Day dinner and neither the boyfriend nor the brother are very fond of dark chocolate.

Here is how I went about this baby-
Day 1- Creme brulee baked up just fine and within the time stated in the recipe. I used a Pyrex bread pan which was smaller than the pan I was using for the Yule Log. I lined the pan with non-stick foil and had no problem releasing this from the pan. I tossed this in the freezer.
Day 2- I made the Praline Crisp Insert using…drum roll please…Frosted Flakes! I did not have Rice Krispies, Special K or Corn Flakes, so I figured these would have to work.
I also made the mousse as it was stated it could be refrigerated overnight.
Day 3- Gananch Insert and Dacquoise Biscuit.

Excuse this pic…my log was too damn soft which led to this hellacious picture and quite undicernable layers…I promise all six of those suckers are there!

Okay, so I realize this is not my best work, in fact it is quite ugly, HOWEVER, all that ate it really enjoyed it and said it was worth the three day prep work! Thanks to Susie, Dad, Jared and Bri for enduring my Yule Log insanity! Happy New Year!!!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

19 Comments

  1. J says:

    LOL I used frosted flakes in my crisp layer too! I thought it was pretty darn good. I think I might make more this weekend. LOL Looks great!

    Reply
  2. Cathy says:

    I start to break into a cold sweat whenever I even READ one of these DB yule log posts! It sounds truly insane, and you have my undying respect and admiration for attempting this! I think that your log is GORGEOUS! I love how you broke down the process — that is really the only way to go, I would think. Congratulations — that is a major baking accomplishment! And Happy New Year, Jamie!

    Reply
  3. pinkstripes says:

    Wow! You hit it out of the ball bark with your yule log. It looks absolutely perfect!

    Reply
  4. Sweet as Coco says:

    I think it looks great! I saw some other peeps making this and I was jealous. Then when I would see them in the grocery store I wanted one. Im glad I am not the only one who throws out a curse word or two when I see an 18 page recipe. My last attempt at an opera cake nearly brought me to my knees. haha!

    Reply
  5. creativecarryout says:

    Thanks for the post. It made me laugh out loud because it reminds me of a conversation I had with my sister about my Christmas baking. Kudos to you for sticking it out for THREE days! It looks great!

    Reply
  6. Ingrid says:

    :-)While you may not have been pleased with the second photo (I don’t see what the problem is) that first one was a terrific one.
    Happy 2009!
    ~ingrid

    Reply
  7. n.o.e says:

    And that, my friend, is why you are a Daring Baker and I am not! No dessert is going to come out of my kitchen that takes three days to make or that has 18 pages for the recipe (variations or not). Your log is beautiful and I am so glad that everyone appreciated it and thought it was worth the work!!
    Nancy

    Reply
  8. Jamie says:

    Thanks for all you help, Em! Without you, Xanax would have been a requirement…for you my friend I have changed the word “shiz” to “shit”! I hope you appreciate it!!! ;)

    Reply
  9. Sara says:

    Your decorations on top are so cute! Looks delicious. :)

    Reply
  10. Em says:

    Yay you!!! Congrats on completing the challenge! And your post had nary a curse word… or maybe since I cursed so much making mine I didn’t notice them ;-) LOL

    Reply