Originating from France, this impressive-looking dessert, which is also called a Buche de Noel, is based on the old tradition of bringing a trunk of the Yule tree inside, sticking the large end of the tree into the fireplace, and burning it through the 12 Days of Christmas. While some may still burn a Yule tree, over time, people have adapted the tradition to creating a log-shape chocolate cake to celebrate the holidays instead.
While it may look complicated to make, each component of the Yule log cake is quite straightforward and can be made ahead of time for an easier assembly. With my step-by-step guide, you’ll have this showstopper ready in no time. Try my gorgeous star bread, pfeffernusse cookies, or cut out sugar cookies decorated with my royal icing recipe for another festive treat!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Eggs — eggs are easier to separate when cold. Egg whites whip up easier when closer to room temperature. I recommend separating them in advance if you have the time.
Cream of tartar — it may not seem like a lot but don’t skip the cream of tartar! It helps stabilize the egg whites, so the meringue mushrooms don’t turn out hollow.
Unsweetened cocoa powder — I like using natural 100% cocoa powder for this buche de noel recipe, but Dutch-processed cocoa will work in place of it.
Heavy cream — it is vital that you use heavy cream with a fat content above 35% to ensure that the whipped cream will thicken. The higher the percentage, the better! The heavy cream must be cold as well, or it’ll affect the volume of the whipped cream.
Butter — be sure to use unsalted butter. There isn’t a consistent amount of salt between different butter brands, so it’s best to add salt as needed instead of relying on salted butter. Be sure to set out the butter beforehand, as it needs to be at room temperature so you can easily beat it for the frosting. To tell that the butter has reached room temperature, you should be able to leave a dent in the butter when you press down with your finger.
Powdered sugar — also labeled as icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar, you’ll need this as a sweetener for the filling and frosting. If you do not have any, you can make powdered sugar at home.
How to Make Yule Log
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until about doubled in volume and velvety. Add ¾ cup sugar and continue beating until very pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and sprinkle into the egg mixture, and beat just until combined.
3. In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until light and frothy. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Continue beating until stiff, about 4 minutes. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture in three batches, folding just until no white streaks remain.
4. Spread the batter in an even layer in a parchment lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. While the cake bakes, prepare the mushroom meringues. The meringue takes 2 hours to bake, so prepare them ahead of time. Dip the flat bottom of the meringue mushroom tops in melted chocolate and place on top of a stem to form a mushroom shape. Set aside until set while you prepare the Yule log.
6. Dust a clean tea towel with confectioners’ sugar. Immediately invert the hot cake onto the towel. Remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Starting at a long end, somewhat tightly roll up the cake with the tea towel. Place on the counter seam side down to keep it from unrolling, and let cool completely for about 1 hour.
7. In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium speed until thickened. Add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until stiff. Unroll the cooled cake, leaving it on the tea towel. Spread the whipped cream over the cake, leaving a 1-inch border.
8. Using the tea towel to help, roll the cake up again, starting from the same long end. If any excess cream squeezes out the seam, scrape it off, and place the cake roll seam-side down on a tray. Place in the fridge.
9. Make the chocolate frosting by beating together the butter, salt, and cocoa powder. With the mixer on low, beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Slowly stream in the heavy cream while beating. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy and easily spreadable. Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake roll, leaving the ends exposed.
10. Trim the un-cut end of the Yule log to expose a perfect swirl. Run fork tines through frosting in one direction to give the appearance of bark, and then refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Before serving, decorate the Yule log with a few meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberry and rosemary, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure the flour for this buche de noel. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- Avoid over-mixing as you risk over-developing the gluten in the batter leading to a tough, dry, and dense Yule log cake.
- When folding in the egg whites, turn the mixture in on itself with a cutting motion, not stirring. This way, you do not deflate the egg whites.
- When whipping the egg whites, make sure there’s no water or liquid in the mixer as it’ll prevent the egg whites from forming peaks.
- As the cake for the Yule log is thin, keep a close eye on it to prevent it from overbaking. When overbaked, the cake will be dry, and you risk cracking it as you roll it.
- Don’t wait long to roll the chocolate cake. The cake needs to be warm as when the cake cools in the rolled shape, it will make rolling the cake with the filling inside much more manageable and decrease the chances of the cake cracking.
- The cake will be sticky, so do not skip dusting the cake and tea towel with confectioners’ sugar.
- The meringue mushroom recipe makes about 20 mushrooms. These add a festive touch served in a bowl next to the Buche de Noel. When slicing and serving the cake, place one or two on everyone’s plate.
- Vanilla bean paste or the scrapings of half a vanilla bean is a great visual addition to the filling.
- Want to add some flair? Mix 2 tablespoons of simple syrup with 2 tablespoons of liquor such as Frangelico, Grand Marnier, or brandy. Brush the mixture onto the cooled chocolate cake before topping with the filling and rolling up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make components of this Yule log ahead of time. You can make and store the meringue mushrooms for 2 to 3 days before serving. Keep them in a dry place at room temperature.
You can bake the chocolate cake a day or two in advance. Roll and allow it to cool before wrapping the cake with plastic wrap until you’re ready to assemble. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Finally, you can make both the filling and frosting two days ahead of time as well. Keep them covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the Buche de Noel.
How do I store leftovers?
If you have leftover unsliced Yule log, stick a few toothpicks across the cake. Then, loosely cover the leftover cake with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. The toothpicks keep the plastic wrap from clinging directly onto the cake itself.
Can this cake be frozen?
While the meringue mushrooms cannot be frozen as they’ll become soggy, the cake is freezer-friendly. Place the Yule log cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer until completely frozen. Then, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and a layer of tin foil before freezing for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator and decorate as you desire.
Is this the same as a swiss roll?
The main difference between the two cakes is the way the cakes are decorated. The Yule log cake, or buche de noel, is made to look like the logs burned on Christmas eve, whereas the exterior of a swiss roll is decorated much more simply, such as with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Yule Log recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Yule Log
Video
Equipment
- Stand or electric mixer
- Large round piping tip
- 12x17 rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Meringue Mushrooms:
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 6 tablespoons superfine sugar
- cocoa powder for dusting
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate melted
For the Chocolate Cake:
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (80g)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (33g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 large eggs room temperature and separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided (200g)
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting
For the Filling:
- 1¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream (300mL)
- ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar sifted (40g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter softened (284g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons cocoa powder sifted (48g)
- 2¾ cups confectioners’ sugar sifted (330g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For the Garnish:
- sugared cranberries
- sugared rosemary
- confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
For the Meringue Mushrooms:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on medium speed until frothy and doubled in volume. With the mixer running, slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Once all of the sugar is added, continue beating until stiff and glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Place the meringue in a piping bag fitting with a large round tip. (I used a Wilton 2A tip.)
- Pipe half of the meringue into stems by placing the piping tip on the parchment and squeezing the piping bag while slowly moving the tip up, creating a column of meringue, about 1-inch tall. Pipe round tops about two times wider than your stems by placing the piping tip about ½-inch above the parchment and squeezing the bag until the desired size. Dust the tops and stems very lightly with cocoa powder, if desired.
- Bake for about 2 hours or until the meringues easily release from the paper. Turn the oven off and let cool completely in the oven.
- Once cool, use a sharp knife to remove any points on the tops of the stems if needed. Dip the flat bottom of the mushroom tops in melted chocolate and place on top of a stem. Set aside until set, about 1 hour.
For the Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 12x17-inch rimmed baking pan with baking spray. Fully line with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until about doubled in volume and velvety. Add 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating until very pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour mixture and beat just until combined. (Mixture will get very thick.)
- In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until light and frothy. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue beating until stiff, about 4 minutes. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture in three batches, folding just until no white streaks remain. Spread the batter in an even layer in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the center. Dust a clean tea towel with confectioners’ sugar. Immediately invert the hot cake onto the towel. Remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Starting at a long end, somewhat tightly roll up the cake with the tea towel. Place on the counter seam side down to keep it from unrolling, and cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the Filling:
- In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium speed until thickened. Add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until stiff. (Be careful not to go too far and curdle it.)
- Unroll the cooled cake, leaving it on the tea towel. Spread the whipped cream over the cake leaving a 1-inch border. Using the tea towel to help, roll the cake up again, starting from the same long end. If any excess cream squeezes out the seam, scrape it off, and place the cake roll seam-side down on a tray. Place in the fridge.
For the frosting:
- Place the butter and salt in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and beat until well combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl a few times, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Slowly stream in the heavy cream while beating. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy and easily spreadable, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the cake log from the fridge. Cutting at a diagonal, cut about two inches off of one end. Place the log on a serving plate. Spread a few tablespoons of frosting onto the end of the cut-off and stick to the side of the log. (The diagonal cut should be facing out.) Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake roll, leaving the ends exposed.
- Run fork tines through frosting in one direction to give the appearance of bark. Trim the un-cut end of the log to expose a perfect swirl. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, decorate the log with a few of the meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberry and rosemary, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- Avoid over-mixing as you risk over-developing the gluten in the batter leading to a tough, dry, and dense cake.
- When folding in the egg whites, turn the mixture in on itself with a cutting motion, not stirring. This way, you do not deflate the egg whites.
- When whipping the egg whites, make sure there’s no water or liquid in the mixer as it’ll prevent the egg whites from forming peaks.
- As the cake is thin, keep a close eye on it to prevent it from overbaking. When overbaked, the cake will be dry, and you risk cracking it as you roll it.
- Don’t wait long to roll the chocolate cake. The cake needs to be warm as when the cake cools in the rolled shape, it will make rolling the cake with the filling inside much more manageable and decrease the chances of the cake cracking.
- The cake will be sticky, so do not skip dusting the cake and tea towel with confectioners’ sugar.
- The meringue mushroom recipe makes about 20 mushrooms. These add a festive touch served in a bowl next to the Buche de Noel. When slicing and serving the cake, place one or two on everyone's plate.
- Vanilla bean paste or the scrapings of half a vanilla bean is a great visual addition to the filling.
- Want to add some flair? Mix 2 tablespoons of simple syrup with 2 tablespoons of liquor such as Frangelico, Grand Marnier, or brandy. Brush the mixture onto the cooled chocolate cake before topping with the filling and rolling up.
- My recipe is a classic-style sponge cake, in the way that it doesn’t include added oil, only fat from the egg yolks. If you plan to make your yule log in advance or want a little extra rolling-insurance with a more flexible sponge, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the egg yolks at the beginning of step 3.
