Get in the festive mood – French style – with these edible gifts and spectacular Bûche de Noël from Patisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber, published by Kyle books.

Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Praline Bûche de Noël

Serves 10

The Bûche de Noël is the classic French Christmas cake and, come December, pâtissieries go all out creating the most elaborate, beautiful versions you have ever seen. These high-end cakes can also be extremely expensive; I have seen them sell for as much as €120! My version might be simpler, but it is still an impressive Christmas cake – and much cheaper!

For the chocolate sponge:

Butter, for greasing

70g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

4 large eggs

100g caster sugar

30g cocoa powder

For the decoration:

125g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

¼ teaspoon edible gold powder (optional)

For the praline buttercream:

50g milk chocolate (30% to 40% cocoa solids), finely chopped

125g caster sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

225g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced

4 tablespoons hazelnut praline paste

For the hazelnut syrup:

40g caster sugar

2 tablespoons Frangelico

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven)/gas 4 and grease a 33 x 23cm rimmed baking tray (known as a quarter sheet pan) and line with a sheet of baking parchment. Grease the parchment and then dust with a little flour, tipping out any excess.

2 To make the sponge, put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and, using an electric whisk, beat until pale and thick, so that when the beaters are lifted from the bowl the batter leaves a trail. Put the flour and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix together. In three additions, sift this mixture over the egg mixture, gently folding together with a spatula until fully combined. Pour this batter into the prepared baking tray and gently level out. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch.

3 Meanwhile, put a tea towel on a work surface and cover with a piece of baking parchment. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately turn it out onto the parchment. Peel off the parchment from the base of the cake, and then carefully roll the cake tightly, with the parchment and tea towel inside. Leave to cool, wrapped inside the tea towel, for 20 minutes. This will help the cake to unroll and re-roll later without cracking.

4 Put the hazelnuts for the decoration on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

5 To make the buttercream, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Leave to cool slightly.

4 Meanwhile, put the sugar and 75ml water in a small pan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. When the sugar has dissolved, cook until the syrup reaches 120°C on an instant-read thermometer. When the syrup is around 115°C, put the egg and yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk until pale and thickened (this is best done using a freestanding electric mixer). Once the syrup reaches 120°C, and with the mixer still running, carefully pour the syrup into the egg mixture. Continue whisking until the egg mixture has cooled to room temperature.

5 Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating until you have a silky smooth buttercream. Once all the butter has been added, add the praline paste and the melted milk chocolate, mixing to combine.

6 To make the syrup, put the sugar and 40ml water in a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, then cook for two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the Frangelico.

7 To assemble, unroll the sponge and remove the baking parchment, then brush liberally with the syrup. Spread three-quarters of the buttercream evenly across the sponge, then carefully roll it up tightly. Carefully lift the roll onto a serving plate and spread the remaining buttercream in a thin layer over the outside of the cake. To make the decoration, put the chopped hazelnuts in a small bowl and mix with the gold powder, if using. Press the nuts onto the buttercream, coating the cake.

8 The cake is best eaten on the day it is made, but it will still taste great up to two days later, as long as it kept in an airtight container. The buttercream can be made up to one week in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature and beat it until light and fluffy before use.

Salted Butter Caramels

Makes 30

These are little nuggets of addictive sweetness: the original salted caramel – the classic that started a modern trend. Salted butter caramels hail from Brittany, a region famous for its butter, my favourite of which is studded with flecks of sea salt. This mixture of butter and sea salt makes a caramel that is, for me, perfection. The key to a soft caramel is cooking to the correct temperature, and I find an accurate instant-read thermometer is a great help.

100g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing

300g caster sugar

150ml double cream

2 tsp flaked sea salt

1 Lightly grease a 23 x 13cm loaf tin (the exact size is not crucial) and line with foil or baking parchment, then grease the lining. Have this ready by the hob, so that it is right by you when the caramel reaches the correct temperature. Put the sugar in a medium, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and cook, without stirring, until the it is a dark copper-caramel colour.

2 Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small pan and warm it over a medium heat. When the sugar has cooked to the correct colour, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add half the cream. This will bubble up violently, so pour slowly. Once the bubbling has settled, pour in the remaining cream and add the butter and salt. Cook the caramel until it reaches 122°C, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Leave to set for at least four hours.

3 Turn the set caramel onto a chopping board and peel off the paper, then, using a thin, sharp knife, cut into squares or your chosen shape. These caramels will keep for up to one week wrapped in baking parchment and stored in an airtight container. CL