Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

Yule Log Cake or Bûche de Noël is a fantastic French dessert that is a Christmas Classic. Traditionally baked around the holiday season it consists of a chocolate cake rolled up with whipped filling, and topped with chocolate ganache.

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Christmas Yule Log Cake

I have been making a version of a Yule Log Cake for my family since I was a kid, it was always my responsibility!

Every year it was made, and as you can image for someone who has been making one for over 20 years the versions have changed.

I had finally perfected my recipe and this fall I thought I had lost it. I had to start over…

So you can image my sweet relief when I found it! I figured then it was my due diligence to share it one the blog, mostly so it never can get lost again!

A Yule Log Cake or Bûche de Noël as it is called in French is a cake made during the Christmas season. It is baked to look like the traditional yule log that is burned in households across France and other French speaking countries. The yule log would be burnt for the new year to symbolize a new beginning and any misfortunes to be burned away.

A baker in the 1800’s started baking a cake to look like the yule log and the cake stuck!

So now we have this beautiful Yule Log Cake, a Christmas tradition in its own right.

This is a fun cake, made to look like a log it is not only unique but delicious as well.

Purposefully the cake isn’t overly sweet, making it the perfect end of the evening on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

The Yule Log Cake is made up of four different components. The cake/sponge, the filling, topping, and garnishes. So it makes it easy to prep ahead or assign different people the different parts to get the cake done and ready to eat!

Equipment

Luckily you don’t need anything too out of the ordinary to make the cake.

You will need either a stand mixer or hand mixer. The eggs and whipping cream will have to be whisked.

Besides that you will need standard kitchen equipment like a baking sheet, bowls, measuring cups, ect…

ingredients

• Cocoa Powder – The base of the sponge of the cake is made up of cocoa powder as the star. You will want 100% cocoa powder that is unsweetened.
• All-Purpose Flour – A surprisingly low amount of flour is in the sponge of the cake, just enough to help keep a light fluffy consistency.
• Baking Powder – Baking powder to help the cake rise just a little more beyond what the eggs can do.
• Eggs – The treatment of the eggs in this dish is what gives the cake its lovely spongy light consistency but keeps it palatable and solid as you roll and un-roll the cake. You will want to separate the yolks from the egg whites. The egg whites will be beaten until medium peaks form and the yolks will be mixed with sugar and beaten until light and fluffy.
• Cream of Tartar – Known as potassium bitartrate cream of tartar helps stabilize whipped egg whites. (It is also what gives snickerdoodle their unique taste, so maybe make some Eggnog Snickerdoodles now that you have some).
• Salt – Just a pinch of salt for the cake.
• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar, also just regualr old sugar is in the sponge of the cake but is also used to make the sugared cranberries and rosemary for the ‘snowy’ garnishes.
• Confectioners’/Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar is also used twice in this recipe. You will want to use some for laying out on the clean kitchen towel before you roll the cake up to keep it from sticking It will also go into the whipped cream filling to help sweeten it.
• Vanilla Extract – Some vanilla extract to flavor the whipped cream filling. I like a plain vanilla but if you were looking to switch it up you certainly could use peppermint to taste instead!
• Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy whipping cream is also used twice in this yule log. It is of course used in the whipped cream and it is also one of two ingredients in the ganache topping.
• Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet, used for the ganache topping, this topping is where my yule log cake differs from some others. I use a simple two ingredient ganache opposed to a chocolate frosting.
• Fresh Cranberries – Really the garnishes are optional but they are one of my favorite parts, have you ever eaten a sugared cranberry, they are so delicious! So you will want fresh cranberries for the garnish.
• Fresh Rosemary – And fresh rosemary for the garnish, once covered in sugar they look like snow covered pine, so pretty!

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

instructions

The nice thing about this cake is it is in 4 manageable sections. The cake/sponge, filling, topping, and garnishes.

And really on their own none of the are that difficult.

You can even prep some parts of the cake a fun day in advance. Most often I will bake the sponge the night before, leave it rolled up overnight and finish the cake the next day.

It is also easy enough to prep the garnishes a day ahead of time as well.

I personally recommend making everything in this order.

1. Bake the Cake. The cake needs to be rolled up while it is still warm and then cool down completely. So by doing this first you will never have to wait for the cake to finish cooling.
2. Making the Garnishes, if you are using. The garnishes will work best if they are fully dried when used. So doing this early in the process should help to ensure that they are dry and ready to use.
3. Once the cake is cool, prepping the Chocolate Ganache Topping. Once the ganache has come together is needs about 25-30 minutes to come to the right consistency to top the cake. Plus if you wait too long it will thicken too much to be spreadable on the log cake. So time this out to about 30 minutes before you are ready to decorate.
4. Make the Whipped Cream Filling while the ganache is coming to consistency. This only takes a few minutes.
5. Unroll, fill, and Re-Roll the cake.
6. Make a side Branch.
7. Top with the Ganache.
8. Decorate.
9. Serve.

Baking the Cake:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet with cooking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper as well. Set aside.

In a small bowl add the cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder. Whisk togther to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until foamy and frothy then start to gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Continue to whick until medium shiny peaky form, about 5 minutes.

If using a hand mixer use a clean bowl, if using a stand mixer transfer the egg whites to a clean bowl and place the bowl back on the stand mixer. Set the egg whites aside.

With the same beaters or whisk attachment add the egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and vanilla to the bowl. Beat until the mixture becomes very pale and thick, about 4 minutes.

Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites. Once combined fold in the flour mixture in 2 batches. Mix together until just mixed, do not over mix the cake batter.

Spread into the prepared baking sheet, making the cake batter as even as possible.

Transfer the baking sheet ot he middle rack of the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes util the cake springs up lightly when touched with a finger.

Dust the confectioners sugar over a large clean kitchen towel. Run a butter knife around the edge of the cake pan to ensure it is loose from the edges. Invert the cake onto the prepared towel. Carefully lift of the baking sheet and peel off the parchement paper. Roll the cake up into the towel, starting from a short side. Let the cake cool completely.

Once the cake is cool it is time to make the whipped cream and ganache topping.

For the Whipped Cream Filling:

For the whipped cream, add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the bowl of the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high until it starts to become solid. Turn to low and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Turn back to medium-high and whip until the whipped cream is stiff. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Ganache Topping:

For the ganache you will want to ensure you begin making the topping precisely 20 to 25 miute before you are ready to top the cake because that is when the ganache will be at a good state for frosting.

Add the chocolate chips to a bowl, a bowl with a lid works best (if no lid use a cover like aluminum foil).

Bring heavy cream to just a simmer on the stove top, stirring occasionally 5 to 6 minutes on medium. Take off the heat once you start to see a simmer. Or microwave until hot and steaming about 2-3 minutes. Pour over the chocolate chips, swirling the bowl to make sure all chips are covered.

Place the lid or cover the bowl to trap the heat and let sit undisturbed (no mixing) for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and whisk slowly starting in the center and working outward until smooth. It will turn velvety as you continue to mix together. Once it’s velvety, let it sit uncovered at room temperature (70˚F) for about 25-30 minutes before using a spatula to spread it onto the cake.

To Assemble the Cake:

Gently unwrap the cake from the towel. Spread the whipped cream over the entire cake. Carefully re-roll the cake with the filling. Transfer to your serving platter or plate with the seam side down.

To create the side branch of the log, with a serrated knife carefully cut off about 3 inches of the end of the cake off, for best results do the at a slight angle.

Carefully take the cut piece and place it on one of the sides about 2/3 of the way up nice and close, once frosted it should look like a branch that split off.

Once the cake is on the platter and the ganache is at the right consistency (25 to 30 minutes of resting) frost the log cake with the ganache using and offset spatula.

Once the log cake is fully covered with the ganache it is time to make it look like bark. Use a fork to gently create the patterns to make it look like bark, don’t press too hard or the topping might come off.

Garnish the cake with the sugared cranberries and rosemary. If you would like a snow covered log using a sifter gently ‘snow’ the log with confectioners sugar.

Sugar Cranberries & Rosemary Garnishes:

Add the cranberries and rosemarry sprigs to the simple syrup. Let rest undisturbed in the syrup about 10 minutes.

Remove the cranberries and rosemary and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let simple syrup start to dry on the cranberries and rosemary until sticky and tacky, 10 minutes.

Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a bowl or pie plate. Add the cranberries and rosemary to the sugar and toss until completely covered in sugar. Carefully transfer back to cooling rack. Let dry completely. And then use to decorate the cake!

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