TEAM Eats: Recipe for Bûche de Noël

Theresa Anderson • Dec 21, 2018

We’ve been TEAM missionaries in France for 13 years, and my husband also spent the first 18 years of his life here. So, Christmas in our home has become a unique blend of American and French traditions.

We put out stockings like our American family and friends, not slippers like our French friends. We open our gifts the morning of the 25th, whereas most French children open theirs late into the evening of the 24th. We make American Christmas cookies — but we also always have a good supply of French candies, including chocolate papillotes and pâte de fruit . And no matter what we eat for dinner on Christmas Day, we always have a traditional French bûche de noël for dessert!

The bûche de noël (literally meaning “Christmas log”) was historically a large log that families burned in their fireplaces at Christmastime. Sometimes it was so large that it burned continually for several days. Over time, as fireplaces were largely replaced by more modern heating methods, the large log was replaced by a decorative slice of wood. Finally, it came to be known in its present dessert form of a rolled cake.

These days, you can find bûche de noël made out of just about anything sweet — cakes, mousses and ice cream being the most common. The bûche de noël that I like the best is a traditional rolled chocolate sponge cake with almond filling and a little marzipan. It takes a bit of time to make but it’s really not complicated — and definitely is delicious!

Bûche de noël is a French Christmas tradition we’ve adopted that I think we’ll keep regardless of where we live!

Here’s how I make bûche de noël!

Ingredients for cake:

  • 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • Butter, for the pan

Ingredients for filling:

  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup marzipan, cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

Ingredients for ganache:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1/3 cup 2% milk
  • 1 4-oz. bar semisweet chocolate

Directions for cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter a 9×13 jelly roll pan or line it with parchment paper.
  1. Whip flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl.
  1. Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Use an electric beater to beat egg yolks with vanilla and ¼ cup sugar about 4 minutes or until thick and pale.

  1. In a separate bowl, use electric beater to whip egg whites into soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Gradually add ½ cup sugar and beat until whites form stiff peaks, about 3 minutes more. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Gradually fold in dry ingredients. Spread batter into prepared pan with a spatula.
  1. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.

  1. Dust a clean dish towel with confectioners sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Starting on a short side, roll up the cake with the towel and allow to cool.

Directions for filling:

  1. Meanwhile, bring milk to a boil in medium saucepan over medium heat.
  1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in small bowl until well blended. Whisk in flour. Add milk into egg mixture and whisk.
  1. Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until custard thickens and boils, about 1 1/2 minutes.

  1. Transfer to food processor. Allow to sit until room temperature, about 1 hour.
  1. Add marzipan and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in butter, one piece at a time, then add vanilla and almond extract.

  1. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to 2 days.

Directions for ganache:

  1. Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Then cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

  1. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth.

Directions for assembly:

  1. Gently unroll cooled cake on flat surface.

  1. Spread filling evenly over cake, except for 1 inch from one of the ends. Gently re-roll cake and place seam on bottom.

  1. Frost exterior of cake with chocolate ganache and use fork to make wood texture markings. If desired, dust lightly with powdered sugar.

  1. Cover and chill. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
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