Chestnut Log

Make ahead no cooking festive dessert. I like to serve it with red seasonal berries. 

The "Bûche de Noël" (the Christmas log) is the traditional Christmas dessert in France. It's a sponge cake type filled with chocolate buttercream, rolled in a log shape, frosted and decorated. There are hundreds of recipes that you can choose from, and as many flavors and decorations for this dessert. Since Christmas is passed, I chose a less traditional "bûche". This one is a flourless chocolate and chestnut, no cooking, quick and easy to make. I like it because it is not too sweet nor too heavy.

Ingredients
1 pound canned chestnut purée
4 squares Baker’s style dark chocolate (around ¼ lb)
¾ cup 35% cream
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons icing sugar (confectioners's sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Melt together the chocolate, butter and cream over low heat.
2. Mix in the chestnut purée, 1 cup of sugar and vanilla. Blend to make it smooth.
3. Prepare a sheet of aluminum foil folded in two and pour the mixture in the center to form a cylinder.
4. Roll it using the foil to help you form a nice log.
5. Refrigerate overnight until the log is firm.
6. Remove the foil gently and turn on a serving plate.
7. Using a fork, sculpt lines lengthwise to imitate tree bark patterns. Cut a diagonal slice off one end of the cake and use it to decorate the cake.
8. Dust with confectioners' sugar on top to simulate snow.

Notes:

1. You may put more decorations preferably edible such as meringue or marzipan mushrooms, or fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate, etc… 
2. If you want the cake to be ready for the same day, just put it in the freezer for 2 hours then transfer to the fridge. It has to be soft enough for serving.