Bûche de Noël (Christmas Yule Log)
A Yule Log or Bûche de Noël is a traditional French Christmas dessert, filled with chocolate mousse and iced with chocolate ganache. This Christmas cake roll recipe will be the star of your holiday menu! Sold yet?
This Christmas Bûche de Noël will be the star of your holiday menu! Make this Yule Log Recipe a Christmas tradition!
Why You Must Make
- It’s a classic Christmas dessert!
- This chocolate version is out of this world!
- It makes a gorgeous presentation with the bark-like frosting and meringue mushrooms.
Literally translated, Bûche de Noël means “log of Christmas” in French. A simple chocolate genoise cake is rolled around a chocolate filling, then iced to resemble a large tree limb. Replete with striated bark and mushrooms, it’s both a memorable and delicious holiday dessert.
The original yule logs were real logs decorated with holly, pine cones, or ivy to welcome the winter solstice and cleanse the air. This tradition began centuries ago in the Iron age. Fast forward to the 1600s when the tradition may have continued with logs being burned in smaller hearths, ones which were also used for baking. The genoise, or sponge cake, dates back to this time as well. According to History.com, this may be when the first Bûche de Noël was created.
Expert Tips
- Use superfine sugar to make your meringues. If you can’t find a box in the market, just whiz regular sugar in a food processor for about a minute.
- PRO-Tip: If any grease or egg yolk gets into your whites, they won’t beat properly. If this happens, you must begin again.
- Make sure you beat your sugar and egg white mixture until the sugar is dissolved. I like to rub some meringue between my thumb and pointer finger to feel for sugar granules. If the meringue feels gritty, beat longer.
- Ina Garten recommends heating your sugar on a sheet pan before adding to the egg whites to make the sugar dissolves more easily. I have not attempted this, but it might be worth a try if you’ve had trouble with meringues in the past!
- The cake in this recipe is a chocolate genoise. Most times the eggs are separated and the whipped whites are folded into the batter to lighten the mixture. In this case, the eggs and sugar and heated in a double boiler before beating. PRO-Tip: This mixture must be beaten until tripled in volume which takes about 5 minutes. Under-beating will make for a shorter, not as tender cake. Be patient.
- After the cake is baked, and it’s cooled enough so you can handle it, roll it up in a slightly damp tea towel along with the parchment to finish cooling. This allows the cake to take the shape of a log and that helps when you unroll and then reroll the cake after it’s filled. The towel helps the cake from drying out.
- I rolled my cake from short end to short end. The recipe I used called for rolling from long end to long end, making a narrower cake. I wouldn’t cut the ends off for branches unless making the longer cake. PRO-Tip: Feel free to trim the ends for a prettier presentation.
- I used a 3 Sided Decorating Comb (affiliate link) to make striations along the top and sides of the yule log to resemble tree bark.
How to Make
These photos are from 2010, but will still give you some guidance.
- Make the cake batter.
- Pour into a rimmed baking sheet and bake as directed.
- While the cake is warm and pliable, roll it up in a lint-free towel.
- Unroll when the mousse filling is ready. Spread over the cake, roll up using the towel to assist, then frost using an icing blade if desired.
You Might Also Like:
- Chocolate Peppermint Bark from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Buche de Noel from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cranberry Moscow Mule from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Chocolate Gingerbread Crumb Cake from Hungry Couple
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Chai Spiced Frosting from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
- Apres Ski Boozy Tea from Pineapple and Coconut
- Raspberry Almond Torte from Magnolia Days
- Fruit and Nut Bars from What Smells So Good
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s the English translation for Bûche de Noël, so the terms are interchangeable.
There are three components in a yule log cake roll:
1. Chocolate genoise cake or a sponge cake
2. Chocolate buttercream, chocolate mousse, or chocolate or vanilla whipped cream filling
3. Whipped chocolate ganache frosting
A thin genoise cake is rolled around a chocolate filling and iced with a whipped chocolate ganache to form a Bûche de Noël. A genoise, also known as a sponge cake, is flexible enough to roll following the technique in the recipe below. This Yule Log Cake is really just a fancified jelly roll cake or roulade.
Whether or not a yule log needs to be refrigerated depends on the filling. If filled with mousse, it definitely needs to be refrigerated and not left out at room temperature for over 2 hours. Christmas is not the time to get food poisoning.
But if your holiday cake is filled with buttercream frosting, it can stay out at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out. Refrigerating either version may help lengthen its shelf life, but make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.
This Christmas Cake takes some planning with cooling times and numerous steps. For the first go-around, I had some friends over to help me bake, so we took a few shortcuts.
But I still couldn’t finish it in the time we had allotted. So if you’re planning to make a yule log for the holidays, clear your calendar. Plan to make the meringue mushrooms ahead of time and set aside a good 3-4 hours for baking the cake and assembly.
I love the concept of this festive dessert recipe and have used a couple of different fillings, both buttercream frosting, and chocolate mousse. Other Bûche de Noël cakes are filled with thick custard. So this time, I filled my cake with chocolate buttercream!
It was a thing of beauty when I cut my first slice. Whew. Everyone gave this Yule Log rave reviews!
More Holiday Desserts:
- Strawberry Filled Meringue Roulade
- Brownie Baked Alaska
- Creme de Menthe Cake
- Death by Chocolate Cake
- Creme Brulee Recipe
- Plus More Christmas Desserts
- More Cake Recipes
- More Holiday Recipes
Bûche de Noël
A traditional French Christmas dessert that is perfect for chocolate lovers!
Ingredients
For mushrooms:
- ½ cup egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup superfine sugar (I used Dominos brand)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
For chocolate buttercream filling (mousse alternative in notes below):
- 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For cake:
- 5 tablespoons butter, plus more to butter pan
- ⅔ cup cake flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting cake
- Pinch of baking soda
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For ganache:
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Make meringue mushrooms up to 3 days ahead. Preheat the oven to 225º. Line the baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to whip egg whites till foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping till egg whites form soft peaks (if you make a peak with the meringue, the tip will not stay upright).
- Slowly add the sugar while continuing to whip on high…a tablespoon or so at a time…till the whites form stiff peaks (the peaks will stay upright).
- Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Or do what I do and use a ziplock bag fitted with a large plain tip. For stems, press out a bit of meringue onto the baking sheet and lift the tip straight up.
- For caps, squeeze out round mounds of meringue. I just used a teaspoon dough scoop to form my rounds. You can use a wet finger to gently pat down any major imperfections.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- To make mushrooms, melt semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave…stopping and stirring at 30-second increments till melted. Add vegetable oil and stir. Use a toothpick to make a hole in the bottom of the cap…just large enough to insert one of the stems. Spread a small amount of chocolate on the underside of the cap and connect the stem to the cap.
- It may take a bit of fiddling to make the holes the correct size and to get the mushrooms to stand alone. You should have plenty of caps and stems with which to practice. Dust mushrooms with cocoa powder to finish.
- Make chocolate buttercream. Melt chocolates in the microwave, stopping and stirring at 30-second increments till smooth. Let cool slightly.
- Beat the butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add the chocolate, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Beat until it reaches a spreading consistency. Cover with plastic until ready to use.
- To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350º. Butter 10½ x 15½ x 1-inch jelly roll pan. Line with parchment paper then butter and flour paper. Tap out excess flour.
- Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda twice into a medium bowl. Set aside while you clarify the butter. Over low heat, melt butter. Skim off the white foam and then pour the butter into a bowl, leaving any white solids that remain in the pan. Set aside and don’t forget to add this to the cake batter (I nearly did).
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. Place over a pot of simmering water and heat and whisk till the mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and beat on high till tripled in volume, this will take about 5 minutes. Be patient. Reduce speed to medium and add vanilla. Beat another few minutes.
- Sift about a third of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fold in with a spatula. Repeat two more times, adding in the butter with the last addition.
- Spread batter evenly in the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, till cake, pops back up when lightly tapped. Do not over-bake. Place on rack till cool enough to handle.
- Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder. Cut around the perimeter of the cake to loosen. Place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the cake, followed by a damp dishtowel.
- Invert the cake onto a work surface, peel off the parchment, and sprinkle with cocoa. Starting with one short end, carefully roll up the cake in the towel. Wrap in plastic if desired and refrigerate till needed.
- Make ganache: Microwave cream in a large measuring cup till hot. Add chocolate and whisk till smooth. Refrigerate till cold.
- Whip cold ganache at medium speed till it has the consistency of soft butter. Start assembling the cake.
- To assemble: Carefully unroll the cake onto the backside of a baking pan. Discard the wax paper and any plastic wrap.
- Spread mousse on cake leaving a one-inch margin on each long edge.
- Reroll cake starting with the other end…using a towel to help roll. Cover with plastic and chill for one hour.
- Ice with the ganache. Make lines or ridges on the cake to resemble tree bark if desired. Garnish with meringue mushrooms.
Notes
If you'd rather fill with chocolate mousse, here is that recipe:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
4 eggs separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 cup heavy cream
- To make mousse, melt chocolate and butter in microwave, stopping and stirring at 30 second increments till smooth. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk in egg yolks. Let cool to room temperature.
- In large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar till stiff peaks form. Whisk a third of the whites into the chocolate, then carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Whip the heavy cream till soft peaks form, and fold into the chocolate mixture.
- Chill till set, about an hour.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 622Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 204mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 3gSugar: 65gProtein: 8g
67 Comments on “Bûche de Noël (Christmas Yule Log)”
I just made this cake last night, and unfortunately was not too pleased with it. The meringue mushrooms are cute and taste good, the chocolate buttercream was really my favorite part. However, the sponge was pretty bad. Super dry with not much flavor. Too many steps for not a great result. 🙁
It’s very easy to overbake a thin cake and I imagine that’s why it was dry as I’ve never had this happen. It could be that your oven bakes a little too hot. I’m sorry this happened—that’s got to be frustrating.
Did anyone actually make this cake or are most of these comments shout-outs and website promos from fellow food bloggers?
Valid question, Kitty. I’ve made it more than once, and I doubt I have 20 food blogger friends who would leave a rating. Hope you give it a try! Merry Christmas.
Such an awesome chocolate roll log!!! I feel like I get lost in a jungle xD Wish you and your family have a Merry Christmas 🙂
– Natalie
Lizzy this buche de Noel looks fantastic !!!
Merry christmas dear Lizzy !
This looks really cute and delicious!!
Drooling. I love cake rolls and this triple chocolate one is my fantasy! I’ll have to wait to see if the kids ever come home again. I’m not against celebrating in July!
Seriously beautiful, Liz! I have never attempted a buche de noel, and now I really want to remedy that!
Fantastic
Chocolate, chocolate and chocolate? I’m obviously in 🙂
This was a really delish cake! It was a huge hit!!
I really appreciate the step-by-step photos. Beautiful job!!
Liz this looks positively perfect! It should be in a book or bakery. Your mushrooms look incredible too! You certainly make this look easy. I bet it was so tasty too! I haven’t made one of these in years. You’ve certainly tempted me to make one again.
So fun and festive!
Yule logs are great and yours looks really delicious, Liz! I’ve never made one, but you have definitely given great directions for it. Awesome job, Liz!
We look forward to making this every year!
Not only stunning but, delicious too!
I’ve always wanted to try and make this! Yours is absolutely gorgeous. Love the mushrooms!
Your Christmas Yule Log looks amazing! I like those cute mushrooms too. I still haven’t got the courage to bake a jelly roll/swiss roll. Ah, perhaps one day!
I have got to say this is a very well written and detailed recipe. My family made a version of this when I was growing up. My mother added a bit of anise extract to the mousse filling, delicious!
Thanks so much, Aly! I proof read it so many times as it is more complicated than my usual recipes 🙂 Merry Christmas!!!
This is beautiful!
Wish I had a big ole slice right now! This is still on my holiday to-do list… Happy Holiday Baking:@)
That’s beautiful, Liz! I’m sure Santa would be good to anyone who made a Buche de Noel that looked that good. 🙂
Absolutely wicked! No wonder Katie also pinched all the meringue mushrooms. The trimmings are always so much fun at Christmas, aren’t they? Nick sure has a lot to catch up on over the holidays 😉
This is so pretty and festive, Lizzy!
This looks so Delicious, I can’t wait to make it! Beautiful photos 🙂 thanks for sharing! Liz xx
This turned out gorgeous, Liz! I love the idea of a light chocolate mousse filling to contrast the ganache. Fabulously festive!
You are far better than I – I haven’t made a roll cake in ages!
Very ambitious treat but well worth it. Love your presentation!
A beautiful job. This would grace any Christmas table.
*jaw drops* I need to become French. Because this is myyyy ideaaaa of a meryy Christmas! Drooling. Pinned!
Airy mousse over custard would definitely be my choice. Liz. And lo-la-la what a très bien celebration of Christmas!
Buche de Noel! I make one every year and serve it on Christmas Eve. This is such a festive and pretty and gorgeous dessert. You are very good at desserts that need to be rolled, Liz xx
OMG this is sooooo rich! I can almost taste it from the description! Beautiful job!!
Oh, if only I had lots of uninterrupted time… I would be making this! I saw a Buche de Noel recipe in Susan Purdy’s “The Perfect Cake” cookbook and thought it was so cool. But the intimidation factor is high because it seems tricky! Congrats on a beautiful cake!
I can’t believe I’ve never made one of these, it’s spectacular!
That mousse!!! How can anyone turn down this treat?!
That mousse!!! How can anyone turn down this treat?!
I seriously wish I could make my rolls look as perfect as yours!
This looks fantastic, Liz. You make the best sweets!
Beautiful! This is one of my favorite Christmas desserts. Yours is just perfect!
This is beautiful! I’ve always looked longingly at Yule logs, but have never made one. Maybe this is the year to try. 🙂
I love buche de noel cakes!! I made one years ago before kids and my husband ate 90% of it. He is my chocoholic. Time consuming but such a show stopper dessert. Love the little meringue mushrooms you made too!
I think you’re being too hard on yourself, Liz! This looks absolutely glorious and I’m sure it was ridiculously delicious. I’d rather take the mousse over a buttercream filling any day. I’ve always wanted to make a jelly roll but that would require me to buy a jelly roll pan and the skills not to crack the cake into a million pieces while rolling! I’ll just ooh and aah over yours from a distance 🙂
I can’t believe I’ve never made this. Yours looks perfect, I need to give it a try. I know my family would love it, if I didn’t eat it up before they saw it.
This buche de noel is a show stopper, Liz! And what a tempting slice…
I know this didn’t quite live up to your expectations, Liz, but I think it’s looks perfect – just as if you bought it from a posh patisserie!
Happy December!
Wow, Liz, this is a cracker of a festive dessert! I think the first one of these I made was in 1974 High School Home Ec class. Thank you for the memories.
This looks gorgeous Liz! It obviously gave you some hard work with the holes in the mousse, but the end result is picture perfect.
Wow, Liz! You are certainly in the holiday spirit with this lovely cake! I appreciate that you included how to make the meringue mushrooms, too.
What an absolutely gorgeous cake roll! I would love to have a few slices of that with coffee this morning!
Bravo for this holiday beauty! You did a masterful job and it’s almost a shame to eat it. Not that it would stop me. Pass the fork!
Your log looks so pretty and festive. I’m with Katie – I’d be fighting for those meringue mushrooms!
What an incredible dessert and so festive and fun for the holidays.
You had me at chocolate!!! and a triple chocolate yule log or Bûche de Noël . . yum!!! I’ve always wanted to try making one of these. . pinning and need to take a stab at this recipe for the holidays!!! love love love!
LOVE this!!! What a lovely and delicious dessert… and from some of my favorite bloggers!! So fun!
This cake is gorgeous. The bakery I worked at in college made these and they went for $50 a pop. I don’t know if I could pay that much for cake but seeing this one makes me want to have a slice so made. Desperate cravings…
Last year I finally tried Stollen, one of these buche-de-noel’s is on my to-do list:@)
This buche de Noël looks amazing ! My mother in law cooks one every Christmas and is not good. This year I will give her, this recipe !!! Lol!
It’s not even 9am here in the UK and I totally want a slice of this for breakfast 🙂 I just wish I was better at baking!
Lizzy, what a gorgeous dessert!!!!
Thanks, Sandra! I have a feeling Alex would like this! xo
Gorgeous Liz! 19 steps. Wow. That’s an amazing amount of work. I’m not worthy!
I agree with you.. chocolate desserts are always a hit.. at least for me:) I simply adore chocolate. This is really amazing, I can imagine the taste.
Just beautiful, this brings back memories of the yule logs my grandma made every Christmas while we were growing up!