Buche de Reims

It must have been after the year 2008 when we arrived in Reims for the third time. Yet, the first one when we actually felt what the capital of Champagne is. Living on the third floor of their beautiful house in Reims, we stayed at our friend’s house, discovering the city with their eyes. Eyes so different from ours. The places we passed by before, thinking that they were too touristic, were exactly the ones the locals go to. Black tea, which we hated, became our new love; rose biscuits, which seemed like a tourist product before, now is something we cherish so much, especially since they are used in this cake, which is a recipe that I was so lucky to get from my friend’s mother, Marie Christine de Thésut.

Bûche de Reims (Reims log) is a classic Reims cake made with pink biscuits Rose Biscuit de Reims, which have been a culinary symbol of Reims for a long time. Beautiful, airy, and slightly dry, traditionally served with slightly sweet champagne.

200 g butter
1 medium egg
320 g rose biscuits*
130 g almond flour
90 g icing sugar
pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp orange liquor

glaze:
150 g dark chocolate pieces
6 tbsp full-fat milk, hot


Melt the butter and when melted and hot, mix the egg, whisking with a hand whisk. Add cookies, flour, and sugar. Add liquor, and mix everything thoroughly.

Spread foil on a dish. Put the dough on the foil and shape the cake with your hands, classically in the form of a log.

Put the chocolate in a pot with milk and melt on low heat, stirring slowly and constantly. When the mixture is uniform, pour it over the cake and level.

Put the cake in the fridge to set, about 3-4 hours.

P.S. It can be put in the freezer and taken out 1-2 hours before eating.

* you can replace this half-half with ladyfingers and amaretti