Bah Humbug on Christmas Pie

Bah Humbug on Christmas Pie

While Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens novel, a Christmas Carol, wanted to get rid of Christmas altogether, cake lovers would be happy to just get rid of the pies that haunt Christmas. Let’s face it. Cake is better than pie just for the fact that it is sweet. Remember, this is supposed to be desert and not something nutritional with morsels of fresh fruit. And what about the way pie looks? Round and topped with a brown crust, pies look pretty dull compared to cakes. One can roll a cake or cut it into many decorative shapes, like a triangle for a Christmas tree. There are even baking pans in the shapes of angels, Santa, reindeers, gingerbread men and more. One gets the pleasure of pouring delicious cake batter into so many fun shapes. And how many fun shapes does a pie come in? The votes are in, and it has been unanimously decided that cake trumps pie.

Make a festive Chocolate Jubilee Log

The chocolate jubilee cake is always a hit during the Christmas holiday. Not only is it scrumptious, its shape represents the traditional Yule tide.

Ingredients

Cake
1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/3 teaspoon of salt
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar

Filling
14/5 ounce can of pitted cherries
2 cups of whipped topping
1/4 cup of coffee flavoured liqueur
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. Combine all powdered ingredients in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar until fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Alternate folding in egg whites and flour mixture. Pour batter in pan and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle a towel with powdered sugar. Loosen cake from edges of pan and turn upside down onto powdered towel. While hot, roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Add cherries, powdered sugar and liqueur in a small bowl. Drain liquid and spoon over cooled cake. Add whipped topping to cherries. Spread cherry mixture over center of cake and roll cake into a log. Refrigerate for one hour. Garnish with whipped topping.

Elves Have No Time to Bake

For those of you who are just too busy or overwhelmed with holiday activities to bake, ordering a Christmas cake just might be the perfect present to give yourself. Consider ordering a festive cake from your local bakery. You can also order a cake online and have it delivered. Bakemeawish.com features delicious cakes from Chocolate Lava Truffle Cake to Strawberry Shortcake to appease even the fussiest of cake lovers. Just remember to order cake, not pie.

Photo credit: Yule Log by bitterjug/flickr

Event planner Sylvia Carlton loves to embellish her party themes with fabulous desserts—such as Heather Barranco Dreamcakes, a standout in the niche New York custom cakes business.