Tuesdays with Dorie with K (Late): Buche de Noel

Tuesdays with Dorie time again! It would be hard to exaggerate here how nervous I was about this recipe. K and I tend to be very good at making cakes that taste good, but well, decorating can be a challenge. Plus, for several years now, we have had the annual "yelling about the gingerbread house," during which we takes turns blaming each other for the house's eventual collapse. (Spoiler: this problem can helped by toothpicks.)

But onto the Buche. K decided that she wanted to skip the praline and instead decorate with marzipan because "that is what a buche is supposed to have." So that simplified things quite a bit. The cream cheese based filling was simple enough, though I would up the quantity next time. The cake also was easy. Then it was onto the first rolling, which went better than expected. Unrolling revealed a few cracks but we continued on, filling and rolling again, reminding ourselves that any cracks could be hidden by frosting. Now onto the frosting, which sure enough, hid our cracks.

The verdict: much easier than a gingerbread house! The taste: I loved the filling and cake, K was enamoured of the frosting. We'll be making this one again. 

Tuesdays with Dorie, With K: Rugelach

And we are back, with another installment of Tuesdays with Dorie. Up first this month, rugelach. A cookie, that K points out, she has never eaten. How that is possible I do not know, but anyway, on with the baking.
First off, the dough, which features butter and cream cheese. A combination that I am pretty delighted by.

K made the dough, which we then put in the fridge overnight.
Then it was time to think about the filling. K had little enthusiasm for the suggested coconut, pecan, chocolate and raisin mixture so we opted for dried apricots, chocolate and pecans.

Next up, rolling out the dough, filling and then rolling the pieces to form logs. Our logs were perhaps not the most perfect ever, but into the freezer they went to chill before cutting and baking.

The end result:

K's verdict? Another thumbs up.

My verdict: also a thumbs up. Although we did have some cracking issues with the rolls, most of the rugelach held together and the flavor was excellent. Next up: the recipe I am really worried about: Buche de Noel.