Christmas Book

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 80 g sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon peel
• 80 g flour
• 250 g block chocolate
• 250 g butter
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 2 cl rum, as desired
• 2 cherry berries
• 2 chocolate bars, thin chocolate flakes, e.g. Eszet slices
• 1 tsp pistachios, chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 12 minutes; Total time approx. 57 minutes

French Christmas cake, approx. 12 pieces

Preheat the oven to 230°C (top/bottom heat). Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and 60g of sugar until stiff peaks form and set aside. Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 20g of sugar and the lemon zest until frothy. Fold the stiff peaks into the egg yolk mixture, sift the flour over it, and fold it in. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and immediately place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once baked, turn the base out onto a kitchen towel, remove the baking paper, cover the sponge with a damp cloth, and let it cool. In the meantime, prepare the cream. Melt the chocolate over a pan of hot water and let it cool slightly. Beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy. Take about 3-4 tablespoons of the buttercream and set aside. Stir the melted chocolate and rum into the remaining buttercream. You can, of course, omit the rum. Spread two-thirds of the chocolate buttercream over the cooled sponge cake and roll it up. Fill the remaining third into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle and pipe it lengthwise onto the Swiss roll. Then fill the remaining buttercream into a piping bag and pipe it in a wave-like pattern onto the roll. Halve the cherries. Cut leaves from the chocolate flakes. Arrange both along with the pistachios on the light buttercream. This cake isn’t just delicious at Christmas; it can be eaten all year round.