The Christmas Log

From: http://motivationbychocolate.blogspot.com

You know, when you have Wikipedia, why go anywhere else for information? I found this baby in World Market and I've always wanted to try one:

On Wikipedia there's a whole bunch of stuff about the Yule Log (which was actually a log that would be burned), but I thought that was kind of boring. The confection (yay!) is:

Bûche de Noël ("Yule log") is a traditional dessert served during the Christmas holidays in France, Belgium, Quebec, Lebanon and several other Christian-populated francophone countries as well as in the UK. (And we can score one in World Market.) As the name indicates, the cake is generally prepared, presented, and garnished so as to look like a log ready for the fire.

The traditional bûche is made from a Génoise or other sponge cake, generally baked in a large, shallow Swiss roll pan, frosted, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted again on the outside. The most common combination is a basic yellow sponge cake, frosted and filled with chocolate buttercream; however, many variations on the traditional recipe exist, possibly including chocolate cakes, ganache and espresso or otherwise-flavored frostings and fillings. Bûches are often served with a portion of one end of the cake cut off and set on top of the cake or protruding from its side to resemble a chopped off branch, and bark-like texture is often produced in the buttercream for further realism. These cakes are often decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, tree branches, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue.

Yeah, yeah - fancy, schmancy - started as a pagan tradition and my love of sweets is fairly pagan, but I think we can all agree that burning a log in a winter fire and/or eating a delicious cake is a good thing, so kumbaya!!

Now it does look like a log when unwrapped (kind of creepy):

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But, it gets better:

Oh yeah, baby!!! This is like the world's biggest Swiss Cake Roll. And it is really, really good. The cake is not too rich, it's just right. The outer icing could be a little bit thicker, but overall - YUMMY!!!

It's made by DAN CAKE, the largest producer of family size Sponge Cakes and Swiss Rolls in Scandinavia. No wonder it's good! It's from the land of Swiss Rolls!

I also found these:

These are little cake balls covered with chocolate sprinkles. I thought they would be great! But - glaack! There was some kind of liquor involved. Yucko! Give me the huge Swiss Cake Roll any day! That Christmas Log is a beautiful thing.

Now these aren't Christmas things but I just found them, so let's look at them now:

I thought they were going to be candy bars, but they are cakes:

These are the Cadbury equivalent of Little Debbie's! They are baby Yule Logs! And you know what? They are too rich for me! I can't believe it!

Here's the deal. They have the same inside, but they are covered with a layer of that rich, creamy Cadbury chocolate - and it's too much! I can't believe it! Now, I bet there will be loads of people who love it. And it's a good thing. But it's just a little too rich for me.

If you didn't have a Christmas Log this year - try one next year - they are really good!

Also, after a Christmas Day of watching TV, I have some thoughts for you:

Isn't the kid who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story the best child actor EVER?

Do the people who buy the Chia Obama like Obama or dislike Obama?

How many people really have mesothelioma?

Whoever invented TIVO/DVR is a genius. Was it Al Gore? Martha Stewart?

Are leopard and zebra print really the "high fashion" Snuggies? Can high fashion and Snuggies really be used in the same sentence? Shouldn't there be a Shamwow Snuggie so if you spill something you can just roll around on it and it will be gone?