Mae's Bakery is a woefully underrated bakery and coffee shop, tucked off Lenox Road in the Lenox Village Apartments shopping center. They brew Counter Culture coffee and bake homemade baked goods daily. The bakery has recently launched a custom cake program, where guests can pre-order cakes worthy of Cake Boss, adorned with fondant and decorations that are so artfully created, you'll feel bad having to actually eat the cake.
One such cake that is popular during the holidays is the Buche de Noel, a jelly roll cake that looks like a log. The decorating duo behind this creation and Mae’s cake program is Mary Hosch and Marian Rescigno, who are celebrities in Atlanta’s cake scene. They have worked with Highland Bakery among other top bakeries to produce beautifully designed cakes, including creations for Usher, Chevy Chase and “Walking Dead.”
Hosch and Rescigno gave us some tips for creating a Buche de Noel that will enamor your guests. If you don’t want to attempt it, their fondant creation is available to order.
Buche de Noel is traditionally made with a sponge cake recipe. The duo provided their recipe for chocolate sponge cake below.
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 400, line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray and flour.
- Beat egg yolks on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form and slowly add sugar.
- Fold yolks into the whites.
- Sift flour and cocoa powder in the mixture and gently fold until combined.
- Bake 9 to 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, lay the sponge cake (which should be 9X13 in) on parchment paper.
- Frost with one 1/4 in layer of buttercream frosting.
* Cake decorating supplies can be bought at Michael's or Cake Art in Tucker.
The process of making the fondant Buche de Noel was a little more elaborate, as detailed below.
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