White Chocolate & Passion Fruit Bûche de Noël
Growing up, my contribution to our Christmas Eve meal was always a Delia Smith passion fruit sponge, so I have come to associate that tropical flavour with Christmas. Here, I've combined passion fruit with white chocolate - in ganache and pure form - to create a showstopping centrepiece: light, delicate sponge woven with creamy filling, enrobed with rich ganache and topped with chocolate 'bark' shards. Be as creative as you like when it comes to dressing it up for the festive table!
Ingredients
For the swiss roll sponge
For the filling
For the ganache
For the decoration
Equipment
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan). Whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric hand whisk. Continue whisking until the beaters leave a visible trail across the surface (see picture below). This is very important, to ensure enough air has been trapped in the mixture.
2. Sieve in the flour (do not bang the bowl; just shake the sieve over the bowl gently by hand). Using a metal spoon, fold the flour in very carefully, trying not to knock out much air.
Growing up, my contribution to our Christmas Eve meal was always a Delia Smith passion fruit sponge, so I have come to associate that tropical flavour with Christmas. Here, I've combined passion fruit with white chocolate - in ganache and pure form - to create a showstopping centrepiece: light, delicate sponge woven with creamy filling, enrobed with rich ganache and topped with chocolate 'bark' shards. Be as creative as you like when it comes to dressing it up for the festive table!
Ingredients
For the swiss roll sponge
- 3 eggs
- 85g golden caster sugar
- 85g plain flour
- Pinch of baking powder
For the filling
- 250g mascarpone
- 100g creme fraiche
- 100g double cream, whisked to firm peaks
- ½ dessert spoon golden caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract/vanilla powder
- 2 x passion fruit
For the ganache
- 400g white chocolate
- 130ml double cream
For the decoration
- 200g white chocolate
- Christmas foliage/other decoration of your choice
- Icing sugar, to dust
Equipment
- Swiss roll tin lined with greaseproof paper
- Large piece of greaseproof paper (slightly larger than the swiss roll tin)
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan). Whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric hand whisk. Continue whisking until the beaters leave a visible trail across the surface (see picture below). This is very important, to ensure enough air has been trapped in the mixture.
2. Sieve in the flour (do not bang the bowl; just shake the sieve over the bowl gently by hand). Using a metal spoon, fold the flour in very carefully, trying not to knock out much air.
4. Pour the mixture gently into the tin, moving the bowl over the surface to dispense the mixture so as to reduce the amount of spreading needed. If possible, avoid spreading the mixture. Instead, gently tilt the tin to ease the mixture into the corners/into any gaps.
5. Bake the swiss roll for 10 minutes at 190°C (fan). Check it is set by gently pressing a finger in the middle - it's ready when it springs back.
5. Bake the swiss roll for 10 minutes at 190°C (fan). Check it is set by gently pressing a finger in the middle - it's ready when it springs back.
6. As soon as it's out of the oven, turn it upside down onto a piece of parchment paper. Take a long, sharp knife and trim each of the four edges. Then, using the paper as leverage, roll it up straight away and leave it to cool. Find more photos of this process here.
7. Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing together the mascarpone, creme fraiche, sugar, vanilla extract/powder, and whisked double cream.
8. Unroll the sponge and spread the filling generously over the top, followed by the passion fruit. Roll it up again.
8. Unroll the sponge and spread the filling generously over the top, followed by the passion fruit. Roll it up again.
9. To make the ganache, chop the white chocolate into extremely small pieces and place in a wide-bottomed bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over a gentle heat. It should just start bubbling - remove it from the heat before it boils. Pour the cream immediately over the white chocolate. Leave it for a few minutes and then mix together until smooth and glossy.
10. Spread the ganache over the swiss roll: top and sides. Keep layering it until you've used up all the ganache.
11. Reserving about 3 squares for later, melt the white chocolate and spread it over a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave in the fridge until set and then break it into long, narrow lengths the same size as the length of the swiss roll.
12. Melt the remaining squares of white chocolate and use this to attach the white chocolate shards to the ganache layer, overlapping the shards a little. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with Christmas foliage.