Peppermint Week: Pink Peppermint Bûche de Noël {Updated}

Uh…so it’s December 21st.

And the world continues to turn.

How many people are feeling sheepish today?

I’m not, personally. I mean, really? Aztecs (or Mayans…oops) predict the Apocalypse? No.

But seriously, I would love to be a fly on the wall in a house with one of those dooms day prepper people. You know what I mean?

Do you think they were all, “Well, oops. Don’t I feel silly for stocking up on months’ worth of food and supplies? Especially considering that it was supposed to be the end of the world, so how did I actually think I’d be fortunate enough to survive when no one else did anyway?? And also, did I really think that a few months’ worth of bulk food would last me, and possibly my loved ones, for the rest of our lives?”

Somehow, I don’t think they follow that reasoning. But I still think it’d be fun to see their reactions when they woke up. Do you think they were disappointed?

Hm.

Well, anyway. I didn’t prepare, and I spent the morning eating cake for breakfast.

So, basically…business as usual.

Also, I made another Yule log, y’all. This one is less Ghoulish and more girlish, though. And totally wintry and sweet and does anyone else kinda wanna live in it??

No?

Okay…just me, then.

Technically, this is my first Yule log. I mean, yes, I made a Halloween themed one back in October, but when my friend Tina asked me if I’d ever made one before, I realized that I hadn’t ever made a Christmasy Yule log before. Guess I kinda had to do it. And so did my friend Tina. We’re cool like that.

To get that perfectly pink peppermintiness without having to do any real work at all, I used this Peppermint Stick Frosting Creations kit from Duncan Hines. I used the frosting as my filling inside the cake.

I could get used to how easy this is. You might remember that I used an Apple Pie flavor packet for my Apple Pie Eclairs in November. This time, I decided to use the frosting starter, as well. Seriously. Easy, delicious frosting…1 minute of work, tops. Win.

As for my yule log, I decided to take the pretty pink theme all out, and covered the roll in pink white chocolate ganache.

You could use pink candy melts here, or you can use straight up white chocolate, and add some nice pink candy coloring.

To assemble and cover your yule log, you can use the same instructions found in my Ghoul Log post.

After topping my pretty pink tree limb with some snowy white vanilla frosting, I prettied everything up even more with pearly pink Sixlets and soft green leaves to make fun holly sprigs, while my squishy pink mushrooms are made out of fondant. Easiest decorations ever.

To give the leaves and shrooms a little sparkle, I used a light dusting of light green disco dust on the leaves, and gave the mushrooms a dry brush of pearly white luster dust from Wilton.

More pretties on top. I pretty much just want to curl up under those mushrooms and have a nap in that fluffy frosting.

I had a lot of fun making this cake. Like, more fun than I’ve had on a cake in quite a while.

As for the recipe, I wasn’t a fan of the cake recipe I used, which is a vanilla genoise cake, so I’m not gonna bother sharing it with you guys. It was fickle and annoying, and not worth the effort. I recommend making a nice, simple sponge cake instead.

That being said, the Duncan Hines frosting was delicious, and the perfect amount of peppermint flavor to stand up to the white chocolate ganache and double vanilla cake.

And guess what? It’s, like, Bûche de Noël Day or something. My twinsie, Tina, over at Sugar Bean Bakers made the sweetest red velvet Yule log, all cute with a little snowman and everything! You guys have got to see it! Have to.

And the winner is…

…comment #110!

Congratulations, Kathy, and thank you!! I’ll email you shortly to get your shipping information.

**Oh! And hey…anyone wanna win a fun Duncan Hines and Wilton baking kit?**

Kit includes: 2 Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Flavor Packets (in Limited Edition Holiday Flavors), 2 Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Frosting Starters, 1 Wilton 18-piece Cake Decorating Set, 1 Wilton Trim-n-Turn Plus Cake Turntable, 1 Wilton small offset spatula, and 1 Wilton large offset spatula

It’s easy! Just leave a comment in the comment section below:

Contest ends Sunday, December 23rd, 2012 at 9pm PST, and you’re comment automatically enters you to win!

Want an extra chance to win? Just follow @Bakingdom on twitter and tweet, “I want to win a fun @RealDuncanHines and @WiltonCakes baking kit from @Bakingdom! http://t.co/HOsTvRjb” Once you’ve tweeted, return here and leave a comment saying you shared the tweet. Be sure to leave this as a separate comment; each comment is an entry.

Sorry, this giveaway is open to US readers only.

The winner will be chosen randomly at www.random.org and announced Monday, December 24th, 2012.

I will contact the winner, so don’t forget to add your email in the email section!

**Comments are moderated, so if you’ve never commented before, it will take some time for your comment to appear!**

Good luck with the giveaway!

♥,
Darla

Since I hated the cake recipe I used for this, and the frosting is easy peasy Duncan Hines Frosting Creations, I’m only leaving you with one simple recipe today. My white chocolate ganache was a bit touch and go for a while, but I think I got it just right, so I’m going to wrap things up with that recipe. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

9 ounces white chocolate, or candy melts (just be aware that the candy melts set up harder)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

Bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate together into smooth and glossy. If you have any lumps of chocolate still in your ganache, microwave the mixture for about 30 seconds, then continue whisking until smooth.

This is very runny while warm, so don’t worry if seems thin. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before using. The mixture will thicken as it cools.

Recipe by Darla

Tagged as: Bûche de Noël, Cake, Christmas, Christmas Baking, Ganache, Giveaway, Holidays, Peppermint, Peppermint Yule Log, Pink Peppermint, White Chocolate, Yule Log