Soft Gingerbread Bûche de Noël

Before starting this Soft Gingerbread Bûche de Noël recipe, organize the ingredients for the gingerbread.

For the gingerbread: Place the flour in the stand mixer recipient.

Add the rye flour...

... baking powder...

... gingerbread mix...

... and the brown sugar.

Zest half an orange with a Microplane Classic grater and add to the bowl...

... and combine with the flat beater.

Combine the whole eggs and egg yolks together, then incorporate to the preparation.

Heat the acacia honey up to 45°C...

... and add to the preparation and combine.

Heat the butter up to 45°C to melt, then add to the preparation.

Combine with a whisk until smooth and homogeneous. However make sure not to overwork the preparation.

Using an oil spray, grease the inside of a rectangular cake pan. Place the mould on a baking sheet.

Pour the gingerbread preparation inside the cake pan...

... and preheat a fan-assisted oven to 180°C (gas 4). Reduce the oven down to 165°C (gas 3) as soon as you put the mould in.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (depending on the type of oven).

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature. The cake will be easier to release when warm.

For the gingerbread crémeux: Organize the necessary ingredients. The gingerbread we just made is one of the ingredients for the crémeux.

Hydrate the gelatine powder with 64 grams of water...

... stir with a spoon...

... and leave to set for about 10 minutes.

Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan. In the meantime, place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl.

Add the castor sugar...

... and blanch with a whisk.

Pour the boiling cream over the egg and sugar mix while whisking vigorously.

Transfer the preparation into the saucepan used to boil the cream...

... and cook 'à la nappe' (i.e. until the consistency is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). Make sure the temperature doesn't exceed 82°C to avoid scrambled eggs.

Transfer the cream into a high, narrow recipient such as a pouring jug...

... and add the rehydrated gelatine.

Add 210 grams of gingerbread...

... cut into small chunks beforehand.

Mix with a Bamix hand blender until homogeneous.

Place the Coin silicone mould on a baking sheet and fill up to 3/4 with the gingerbread crémeux...

... and place in the freezer.

For the dark chocolate ganache: Organise the necessary ingredients.

In a saucepan, heat the whipping cream and the invert sugar.

Bring to a boil, then pour over the dark chocolate...

... and combine with a whisk, starting from the centre to create an emulsion.

Add the soft butter...

... and combine carefully until smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer the dark chocolate ganache into a piping bag. The use of a nozzle is not necessary. Set aside at room temperature until the entremets is frozen on the surface.

Divide the rest of the gingerbread into slices to a thickness of 0.5cm.

Trim the sides with a serrated knife and a ruler...

... and cut the biscuit base to the dimensions of the mould (24 x 6cm). The base is composed of two gingerbread slices (see photo).

Place another gingerbread slice on a Silpat baking mat.

Place another baking mat over the slice...

... and flatten with a rolling pin.

The result should be as shown in the photo.

Using round pastry cutters, cut gingerbread discs to different diameters. The various diameters should correspond to the ones on the surface of the coin-shaped mould, if of course you're using this mould for this recipe.

This is what the result should look like. Discard the gingerbread scraps.

Slide the Silpat baking mat on a Silichef XL perforated baking sheet...

... and cover with another baking mat...

... and place another baking sheet on top.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 150°C (gas 2) for about 5 to 10 minutes. The gingerbread should be golden, but not brown.

When cooked, remove the tray from the oven. Remove the baking sheet and the silicone mat on top and leave the gingerbread discs to cool at room temperature.

Remove the log from the freezer and fill the top gap with the chocolate ganache. The ganache should be at room temperature and have a soft texture.

Cover the ganache with the biscuit base.

Cover the surface with cling film and place in the freezer. Up to this stage, this recipe can be prepared in advance.

For the caramel glossy icing: Organise the necessary ingredients. Place the gelatine in 60 grams of water.

Pour the castor sugar in the saucepan and place over medium heat...

... and combine regularly with a spatula until the sugar melts and turns into a caramel.

The clusters of sugar will start to dissolve.

When the caramel is smooth and a light colour (make sure the colour doesn't become dark to avoid a bitter taste)...

... add the whipping cream. It should be at room temperature or slightly heated to avoid a thermal shock and splashes of boiling caramel.

Add all the whipping cream, then bring to a boil and combine with the spatula until all the caramel chunks are melted.

Melt the hydrated gelatine in the microwave and add to the preparation. Whisk until fully incorporated.

Sift the preparation through a fine sieve over a dispenser jug...

... and mix with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous.

Leave to cool until the temperature drops down between 25 and 30°C (ideal temperature for use).

Take the log out of the freezer. It should be thoroughly frozen, down to the centre. Release from the mould as shown in the photo.

The result should be as shown in the photo.

Place the entremets on a rack, placed on top of a deep tray.

Pour the icing over the log, starting from one end...

... and pour in one stroke over the whole surface. Make sure you coat the log with one layer of icing only for an even result.

Once the icing has set, arrange a few gingerbread discs and chocolate discs over the coin shapes over the surface of the log.

Pipe the rest of the dark chocolate ganache into drops over the gingerbread discs and chocolate discs.

The result should be as shown in the photo.

Using decorating tweezers, arrange small pieces of gold leaf over the chocolate ganache drops. Place the gingerbread Bûche de Noël on a serving plate and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy these delicious Christmas treats!