A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Sunday 7 August 2016

80. Buche de Noel

I decided to bake this for Christmas, in addition to my usual traditional Christmas cake (this year taken from The Great British Bake Off book), and because we were entertaining at home and I wanted an alternative dessert to Christmas pud. I also had some chestnut puree which wanted using, so I adapted Mary's recipe to include just a filling of that instead of the whipped cream addition which would have presented fridge storage issues.
I was initially quite nervous about the whole swiss roll thing, having not attempted one before, but one must bite bullets in the baking world, and it was actually quite straightforward in the end. I figured that if the thing cracked when I tried to roll it, I could easily patch it up with icing. So, sponge made, the filling was cobbled together with most of the ingredients in Mary's recipe minus the cream. I also spread the sponge with brandy before adding the filling, just to enhance its boozy qualities.
Having not had a picture to go on, I used a bit of artistic license when assembling the 'log', and then instead of covering it with whipped cream, I made a chocolate buttercream and smothered it in that. We don't have a big fridge, and Christmas means a full one; I simply didn't have room to store a large dessert therein, so buttercream seemed the way to go, with a promise of prompt eating.
Baker's verdict: quite easy to bake and assemble; the sponge was a bit on the rubbery side, whether from over-baking I don't know. Tasted good, but I'd like to try it a Mary intended.
Husband rating: can't even remember trying it!


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