Bûche de Noël

This elaborately decorated, rolled, and filled sponge cake is frosted with chocolate buttercream made to look like a tree bark. Some of the decorations might include marzipan sticks, sugar cobwebs, and meringue mushrooms. The origins of the cake can be traced back to the old Celtic tradition of celebrating the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The Celts would burn a log as an offering to the Sun for returning to Earth. As the tradition disappeared with the arrival of home stoves, the huge log was replaced by a small branch that was traditionally set in the middle of the dining table, surrounded by delicacies and sweets that were given to guests as treats. Over time, the branch transformed into the Yule log cake we know today, but whether it was a Parisian or Lyonnaise creation is still the subject of heated debate. What we do know is that Parisian bakers helped popularize it in the 19th century, and that the oldest written reference to the cake can be found in a tome called The English Huswife that dates back to 1615. Since then, it has become the most popular traditional Christmas cake throughout France, and it is made in a wide variety of colors and flavors.