Low FODMAP Frozen Peppermint Bûche de Noël
This Low FODMAP Frozen Peppermint Bûche de Noël began life as a recipe that I developed for Bon Appetit magazineand it is so much fun, and so delicious, that I gave it a FODMAP makeover. A tender cocoa cake rolled around lactose-free peppermint ice cream, slathered with meringue frosting, browned with a torch, and served frozen with warm chocolate sauce. It doesn’t get any better than that. Note that the cake needs an overnight sit in the freezer. Make room!
Ingredients:
Cake & Filling:
- 1 cup (198 g) sugar, divided
- ¾ cup (87 g) low FODMAP gluten-free cake flour, such as King Arthur Flour Measure For Measure Flour
- ¼ cup (21 g) sifted natural cocoa, plus extra for pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons neutral flavored vegetable oil, such as canola
- 2 tablespoons room temperature water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ½- quarts (1.4 L) lactose-free vanilla ice cream
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 cup (140 g) coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies or candy canes, any color you like, divided
- Red food coloring, preferably paste or gel type; optional
Meringue & Sauce
- 5 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup (149 g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) Dark Chocolate Ganache, warmed and in a pourable state
Preparation:
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For the Cake: Position rack in center of oven. Preheat to 375°F (190°C). Line 15-inch by 10-inch (38 cm by 25 cm) jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Coat paper with nonstick spray and dust with cocoa; set aside.
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Whisk ½ cup (99 g) sugar, flour, ¼ cup (21 g) cocoa, baking powder and salt into small bowl to aerate and combine. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks in large bowl until thick. Beat in oil, water and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating just until blended.
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Using clean dry beaters and a clean, medium-sized grease-free bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ½ cup (99 g) sugar, beating until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of the whites (you can do this by eye) into yolk mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites in 2 more additions until well combined, but do not overmix. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
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Bake cake about 12 minutes or until puffed and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Sift light layer of extra cocoa over a large piece of parchment paper. Cut around cake’s sides, separating it from pan. Turn cake out onto cocoa dusted parchment, leaving 3-inch (7.5 cm) parchment border on one long side. Peel off parchment that the cake baked upon and discard. Starting at long side with parchment border and using parchment as an aid, roll up cake along with the parchment. Place cake, seam side down on work surface to cool completely.
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Prepare the Ice Cream: Allow the ice cream to soften; it should be firm, but spreadable. (You can do this at room temp, or in the microwave with short bursts, if you are daring). Place ice cream in bowl of stand mixer and attach flat paddle. Mix on low speed and add peppermint extract and food coloring, if using, along with three-quarters of the chopped peppermint candy canes. Blend until thoroughly mixed, but not melted. If the ice cream has melted, return to freezer until it is spreadable but not liquidy. Taste and mix in more peppermint extract if you want it extra minty!
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Unroll cake on work surface but leave parchment underneath. Dollop ice cream over cake by large spoonfuls. Gently spread ice cream into even layer, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) plain border on the long side opposite parchment border, then sprinkle ice cream with remaining crushed candy. Again, using parchment to help, roll up cake, enclosing ice cream in cake, but do not roll the parchment within. Place cake, seam side down, on long platter; cover with plastic wrap or foil. Freeze cake at least 8 hours or overnight.
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For the Meringue & Assembly: Have a large platter available that is big enough to hold your buche and can also fit in your freezer.
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Using electric mixer and a clean bowl, beat egg whites until frothy in a large bowl, then beat in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until meringue is stiff, but not dry. Beat in vanilla.
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Cut log in two on an angle, in slightly uneven lengths. Place them together to create a “Y” configuration of branches; use images for inspiration. Then cut off about one-eighth of the end of the cake and press onto one of your “branches” to create a “knot”.
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Spread meringue all over top, sides, and ends of cake. Using a small icing spatula, make long grooves in meringue down length of cake and in circles on ends to resemble tree bark and rings. Freeze cake until meringue is cold and firm, at least 3 hours. Using propane or butane torch, brown meringue as desired. Cake can be served immediately or returned to the freezer overnight. Serve cake slices with warm chocolate ganache as a sauce.
Notes:
- I chilled the platter that I used for the log. That way as I was spreading the meringue and browning it the log was kept somewhat chilled.
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
• Cocoa: Monash University has lab tested what they call “cocoa” and also “cacao” and they show different FODMAP content. The problem is that from the chocolate manufacturing industry’s perspective, there is no difference between cacao and cocoa powder. The FDA, The Food Standards for Australia and New Zealand, the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) and the National Confectioners Association do not even recognize the term “cacao” to describe cocoa powder. We have an article, All About Cocoa, that we encourage you to read. It attempts to explain the discrepancies in the Monash lab testing.
• Eggs: Eggs are high in protein and do not contain carbohydrates, according to Monash University.
• Lactose-Free Dairy: Lactose-free dairy, such as lactose-free milk or lactose-free cream cheese, has lactase enzyme added that breaks the disaccharide molecules and creates a more digestible dairy product, from a lactose perspective. The resulting product is not dairy-free, but it is lactose-free. Some products might have miniscule amounts of lactose remaining, but the amount is small enough for the product to be labeled as lactose-free. For instance, Breyers Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 99% lactose-free, while Lactaid Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 100% lactose-free.
• Oil: All pure oils are fats and contain no carbohydrates, therefore they contain no FODMAPs.
• Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is 1/4 cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.