After each Daring Baker challenge has come to a close, it’s with great excitement and anticipation that I return to the forums, checking and re-checking for the announcement of the next recipe. Hoping for something truly stupendous and impressive to serve to the family for the holidays, I just knew that December’s challenge had to be incredible. Rushing to click on the newest bulletin when it was posted at last, my heart sank when I read the first two lines of this month’s new thread:

“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“

Don’t get me wrong, I love yule logs, but we made one last year too! I felt ripped off, cheated out of my show-stopping holiday dessert. Slowly accepting the fact that the task had been chosen and wouldn’t be changed, I dutifully continued to read the description. Much to my surprise and delight, a French yule log really was another beast altogether, sharing only the same outward appearance as a wintry tree trunk. Instead of the typical roll cake layered with cream and frosting, this was a complex assembly of ganache, mousse, icing, dacquoise, praline crisp, and creme brulee, all frozen together into something like a sophisticated ice cream cake.

First things first, a specialized mold was in order, lest I settle on a decidedly boxy, rectangular log with a plain loaf pan. Of course, I waited until almost the last minute to figure out how to construct such a shape… But luckily, some creativity and patience produced a perfect vessel for this Christmas creation.

A simple sheet of thin aluminum was cut to size and fitted snugly into a 9-inch long loaf pan, and using high-tech means of securing it, ie, duct tape, the yule log form was ready!

The creme brulee insert, however, was not. Scrambling to figure out a good way to veganize this, I basically pureed a box of tofu with black cherry jam, which I had been holding on to for a special occasion. After an hour in the oven, I had not a smooth but firm creme, but a watery, curdled mess. Panic set in, and the only thing I could think to do was strain out some of the water and try again. It would have helped if the whole thing wasn’t liquid though… The mixture instantly splashed through the strainer, completely unchanged. Hunting desperately through my baking supplies for a solution, the box of cornstarch stood out in my eyes, and I wasted no time in dosing some out to my sickly concoction. Measurements flew out the window at this point, so there’s no recipe to share, but by some miracle this quick-fix actually worked.

Aiming to make this a black forest yule log, everything else went swimmingly from there: My favorite white chocolate mousse was a breeze to whip up, the chocolate crisp insert was like making a no-bake cookie, ganache is a no brainer, and although the dacquiose came out a bit on the thin side, I couldn’t have cared less. Some time late into the AM hours, my buche de noel was assembled and chilling out in the freezer.

Having lined the pan with plastic wrap, and accidentally underestimating the amount of agar needed in the icing, what could have been careless accidents worked together to create an almost convincing wood grain along the outside. Talk about serendipity!

A few sugared cranberries, a squirt of mint frosting to make leaves, and a handful of meringue mushrooms later, the scene was sufficiently set, and I was finally done.

This yule log turned out to be just the thing I had hoped for- A true challenge to create, and satisfying reward to eat!

Come Christmas Eve, every kid’s worst nightmare is that hidden within those beautifully wrapped boxes beneath the tree lie unspeakable evils. It may seem like such an exciting and fun time, but there is a darker, more horrible potential inside of each and every enticing package. The risk of receiving a pair of polka dot underwear from Grandma, or yet another itchy and embarrassing sweater from Aunt Gertrude. Bad gifts are inescapable, so you had better spend the night practicing your “thrilled” reaction, and plan your grateful speech to say thanks without sounding entirely phony.

We’ve all gotten gifts from hell, some more than others, and I’m sure the horror stories could keep us entertained until July. This year, the Hannukah fairies came a little bit early, and I received what many would probably shake their heads at and wonder, “who would give such a thing?” Nestled inside a thick layer of shiny wrapping paper lay a brand new, state of the art… Bundt pan. And the weirdest thing about this? I was genuinely ecstatic. No, really! Indeed, the pan had even been on my wish list! For most 19 year olds, I’m sure that this would have been yet another terribly unfortunately choice, but one kid’s itchy sweater is another’s treasure.

That lovely new pan didn’t stay clean and unseasoned for long. Within minutes of unwrapping my prize, it was full of batter and facing temperatures exceeding 300 degrees. What a welcome!

I knew what I wanted to make from the get-go. Craving something simple and sweet, it was only natural to whip up a basic chocolate cake, toss in a few chunks of bittersweet chocolate, and then douse the whole thing in Kahlua. Hating to ruin the design, those beautiful lines and ridges were difficult to cut into, but oh so worth it. That super-moist and slightly boozy slice reminded me what a joy even a plain old bundt can bring. So if you think about it, perhaps a new baking pan isn’t such a crazy thing to send to give as a gift… Especially if you’re around to snag a slice of the results for yourself!

If you’re anything like me, you were so excited to make some trees out of cake that you convinced yourself to order a pack of 200+ paper cups.  Now, I can only guess at this one here, but I would assume that you too made a cute, edible forest, and are still left wondering what to do with the remaining 175 or so cups that are leftover.  Never fear, I have a chilly solution that will please taste buds and tummys alike.

That’s right, more trees!  But this time, my evergreens are frozen; green tea freezer pops from My Sweet Vegan, to be exact.  They come together in an instant, so they can easily satisfy a sweet craving, and they just happen to be the perfect color without any additional dyes required.  Any other sort of popsicle recipe will also work though:  Just set the cups in a bunch of mugs like you did for the cake trees and pour the mixture in about 3/4 of the way to the top.  Place all the mugs on a tray, and set the tray on a level shelf in your freezer.  Let them sit for about an hour or so, until they begin to firm up a bit, and insert the stick into the center so that it stands up straight.  Allow at least 4 hours for the pops to completely freeze.

And if you’re still as crazy as me, you’ll think that it’s a pretty cool idea to take the popsicles outside and photograph them in the freshly fallen snow.  Okay, so I’m guessing I’m alone on this one, but I just couldn’t resist!

I never had a Christmas tree growing up, nor a Hannukah bush, so it seems like I’m now making up for lost time. They’re just so much fun to decorate, and provide so much room for creative interpretations, I can barely keep track of all of my ideas for these lovely evergreens. Even when they’re stoically weathering the conditions outside, dusted with a coat of powdery snow, they are an incredibly beautiful symbol of the season. I guess in that case, you might say I had a tree every single year for the holidays; it’s just always been outside!

This miniature forest, however, you’ll definitely want to keep indoors. Composed of chocolate cake, mint frosting, and all the sprinkles you can pile on, it’s far tastier than the traditional pine, and perhaps even more fun to adorn.

The trickiest part of creating these edible trees is locating cone-shaped paper cups, that are NOT lined with wax, but those are easily ordered online if you can’t find them at your local office supply store. Lightly spritz the insides with baking spray, and place them in oven-safe mugs so that they stand pretty much upright.

Whip out your favorite chocolate cake or cupcake recipe, and use that to fill the cones 3/4 of the way to the top. Place the mugs onto a baking sheet to easily pull the cake out of the oven, and also prevent overflow should the batter bubble over the edge. Save part of the batter and use that to fill in an equal number of mini cupcake tins- These will become the stumps later on. Bake the stumps and the trees separately.

Baking time will vary, but bear in mind that it will take longer than your average cupcake, and you’ll need to use a long skewer to test all the way down into the tip of the cone. Be patient and wait until your tester comes out completely clean, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy trees!

Let the cake pieces cool, then trim the uneven edges off both the cones and stumps. Now you’re ready to prepare whichever vanilla frosting you’re most fond of. Add in about a teaspoon of peppermint extract, and a few drops of natural green food coloring. Beat it all until fluffy and smooth, and smear a dollop on top of each stump. Carefully tear the paper cone away from the cake, and stick that on top of the stump. If you’re having some trouble getting it to stand up straight without falling, or plan on having your kids help decorate and will need some reinforcements, stick a thin wooden dowel through the whole thing, and then firmly plant the end of it into a styrofoam block.

Transfer the remaining frosting into a pipping bag fitted with a large star tip, and simply press the tip to the side of the cake, starting at the bottom, give it a little pressure, and pull straight away. Go around the cake, working your way up, until you reach the top. Once the trees are covered with pine needles, it’s time to pull out the sprinkles, dragees, and quins, and just have fun with it!

You could also go the more elegant route and give each tree a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar for that classic snowy look.

There are a number of other similar ideas for tree cake out there, each very creative and cute, so look around, get inspired, and make one of these for each guest at your holiday dinner. They’re both fun to make and eat!