The Other Christmas Dessert

It's funny how societies will adopt the tradition of another and give it a unique spin.  Case in point:  Japan has no tradition of Christmas, but it's probably the best season for selling cakes.  What is Christmas to the Japanese?  Christmas Cake.  You say what?  You know, Christmas Cake -- sort of like a strawberry shortcake with "Merry Christmas" written on it.   Well, don't feel bad if you've never heard of it, because I hadn't either when I moved back there in 1980.  When I was a little girl in Japan, Christmas seemed to be something magical and ethereal experienced only in a far-away land where everyone had blonde hair and blue eyes.  By the time I moved back after college, the Tokyo marketing geniuses had managed to work Christmas, Valentines and Halloween into the otherwise lackluster Japanese calendar. And Christmas Cake was born.

Christmas trees are a whole other issue.  One year, I hunted all over Tokyo to find a tree.  I finally managed to find one that looked like Charlie Brown's -- a little lopsided and missing a few branches.  But it served the purpose and I gladly hauled it back on the subway to my little apartment where I decorated it and baked my own Christmas Cake.

Of course, my own Christmas Cake was not a strawberry shortcake, but a Buche De Noel - a Yule log.  Japan has those as well, but not vegan ones like mine. As far as desserts go, a Buche de Noel embodies the magic of Christmas more than any other cake in my mind.  And they are made almost magically with just several dozen twists of your whisk; unlike Christmas Pudding (see my earlier post) which takes up to nine hours, a Buche de Noel can be baked up in less than an hour, so you still have time to make it if you want. You can just run to the store, pick up the ingredients, and make it by Christmas Eve.  It's that simple.  And did I mention delicious?

Flourless Buche de Noel decorated with vines, marzipan mushrooms and snow

Actually, you can make it as elaborate or as simple as you like.  The simplest way is to bake the  flourless chocolate layer (yes, it's gluten-free!), then fill it with a store-bought vegan whipped topping or icing, roll it up, then dust it with powdered sugar.  The elaborate way would be to bake it, make and fill it with my White Chocolate Buttercreme (in my upcoming dessert book only, but I've provided an easy recipe for whipped creme from coconut milk),  frost it with the Ultimate French Chocolate Buttercreme, make marzipan mushrooms,  a few leaf decorations...you get the idea (it begins to sound like Christmas Pudding in epic proportions).  Still doesn't take nine hours.  And ever so worth it. So if you're done with your Christmas shopping and want to give it a whirl, you'll find the recipe below!

1 lb. dark or semi-sweet chocolate
28 ounces medium tofu
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Puree the tofu with the other ingredients until smooth, and then add the melted chocolate and puree again until combined well.  Line a half-sheet pan with parchment, grease the sides, and pour in the mixture, smoothing well.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes until the top has formed a "skin" and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean .  Allow to cool completely before filling and rolling.  Flip the pan over onto a large sheet of parchment, then peel the bottom parchment (now on top) off.

The quickie method: To fill, you can just use a store-bought vegan whipped topping or make the following "Whipped Creme".  To roll, cover the entire layer with your filling of choice, then carefully roll it up.  It will crack, but you can cover it up with icing or sprinkle with powdered sugar. The cracks actually make it look more log-like. You can cut a slice off diagonally from the end and then add it to the side to make a branch as well.  Dust the whole thing with powdered sugar to replicate snow, and be done with it.  Start to finish, with time for cooling, you'll spend about an hour. Or  you can ice it further with a chocolate icing (try my Ultimate French Buttercreme below!)

After filling, roll the log using the parchment as a guide.

Coconut Milk "Whipped Creme"

You need to start with chilled cans of coconut milk (and not the”lite” variety). Because I never know when I'm going to need to make one of those special occasion desserts, I always have a couple of cans of coconut milk in my refrigerator!

This is merely the methodology, not the quantity. You can make as little or as much as you want of this. To make for easy whipping, I generally use at least one can.

Chilled coconut milk (chill the cans overnight in the refrigerator)

2 teaspoons of vanilla per can of coconut milk

2 Tbs. Agave or 3 – 4 Tbs. Powdered sugar per can of coconut milk

When you open the cans of chilled coconut milk, you will see that it has solidified. Remove the solidified part with a spoon, placing in a mixing bowl. Depending on the brand or particular can, you will find that there will be more or less of the solids. This is why I usually have several cans in the refrigerator; however, I find that most cans have at least 50% solids.

With an electric mixer, whip the coconut milk solids until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and sweetener, adjusting to taste, and whip again. It will whip until it is firm enough to use in a piping bag.

Ultimate Chocolate Buttercreme

½ cup raw cashew nuts

¼ cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

12 ounces silken tofu

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs. Vanilla

1 to 2 Tbs. Brandy or rum (optional)

First, melt the chocolate. Chocolate can me melted either on the stovetop or microwave. Either way, the chocolate should never be allowed to get hot. Imagine a bar of chocolate melting on the dashboard of your car on a summer day – chocolate melts at about 80 degrees, so it never needs to feel warm or hot. You also want to make sure that the bowl you use is absolutely dry – even a drop of water can render a grainy chocolate.

To melt in a microwave: Combine the chocolates in a dry glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Remove, stir with a wooden spoon, and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Again, remove, stir, and repeat if necessary. As you stir, the chocolate will melt. Repeat this until it is completely melted.

To melt on the stove: Place the chocolates in a glass or metal bowl, or the top of a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, place the bowl over a pot with a smaller diameter that has about an inch of water in it. Bring the water to a simmer and begin to stir the chocolate with a wooden spoon. When it begins to melt, turn off the heat, and continue stirring until completely melted, making sure that it never gets hot to the touch.

Top make the Buttercreme:

In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews and water and blend until absolutely smooth and creamy. With the blender running, add the oil a little at at time, almost a drop by drop, until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add the tofu, meled chocolate, vanilla and rum or brandy, and blend again until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture, which will be warm, into a metal bowl or shallow dish and chill in the refrigerator for several hours until cold. After it has been chilled, you can whip it with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.