Yule Log Cake

Yule Log Cake is a traditional holiday dessert made from a chocolate cake rolled with a chocolate filling. It’s as beautiful as it is tasty!

While it does take time, a Yule Log Cake is quite easy to make – and worth the effort! For more delicious Christmas treats try Christmas Crack Candy, Peppermint Bark Cheesecake, and Easy Toffee.

What is a Yule log?

The French Bûche de Noël is definitely one of the more unique, beautiful, and slightly intimidating Christmas desserts out there. However, it’s actually much easier to make than I thought.

A Yule Log Cake has A LOT of steps and takes quite a long time to put together, but each of the steps is pretty easy and straightforward. It’s mostly a lot of chill time.

It’s definitely something I would save for a special occasion, though. It makes a perfect Christmas cake!

I’ve included a lot of notes that I think you’ll find helpful when creating this dessert in your own kitchen. Bonne Cuisson! (French for Happy Baking) 

While it does take time and effort it is not complicated. Each step is broken down for you below and is easy to follow. Just be sure to plan ahead and set aside plenty of time to create this tasty confection.

The chocolate buttercream filling

BUTTER. To make the filling, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

COMBINE. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.

FOLD. Fold in the mascarpone using a rubber spatula.

CHILL. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredient notes

• Room temperature ingredients. When making the buttercream filling it is really helpful to have softened butter. It mixes up more quickly and more smoothly. 
• The mascarpone cheese is Italian-style cream cheese. It is added to give a subtle tangy layer to this decadent dessert.

Things To Note Before You Start

Sifting Confession. Some recipes call for first sifting dry ingredients. My confession: instead of sifting, I simply whisk. Sometimes if it’s a recipe I make often, I’ll skip the dry ingredient mixing all together.

HOWEVER, there is one dry ingredient that I will always take time to sift – cocoa powder. It tends to clump together and may leave pockets of dry cocoa powder in your dessert. YUCK!

I would hate for the effort it takes to make this beautiful Bûche de Noël to be marred because I didn’t take a few extra minutes to sift the dry ingredients. 

Mixing the cake. I have several tips for the best mixing technique.

• Use room temperature eggs NOT cold eggs.
• An electric mixer will be most effective.
• Use a very clean metal bowl or the egg whites won’t whip well. Mix until white in color and thickens. When you lift the beater the mixture should run off like a thick cream. You do not want it to form peaks at all.
• Add the sifted cocoa mixture a little at a time. Do not overmix. In fact, finish mixing it with a spoon to keep it light and fluffy.

Prep the pan. Lightly brush the baking pan with butter before adding the parchment paper. The butter will help keep the parchment paper in place while you generously brush the top of the paper with butter or cooking spray. 

Baking tip. Use a baking spatula to evenly spread the batter. The finished cake will have thinner edges, but it is actually beneficial when rolling.

Also, lift and tap the pan down on the counter a few times to remove any of the larger air bubbles before putting it in the oven. 

Frosting filling. Add as much or as little frosting as you desire. You want a nice, even frosting so the rolled cake resembles the rings of a tree, like a swiss roll. Keep in mind that the more frosting you add, the more likely it is to ooze out of the rolled cake. Also, if the consistency of the frosting is too thin, it will leak out.

Rolling it up. After frosting, use a nice light touch to roll it up. The sponge should “remember” the rolled shape it had while cooling, and roll fairly easily.

How to Make a Yule Log

PREP. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray or spread with butter and set aside.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a small bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, salt, and flour.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until they are light in color, fluffy, and slightly thickened.

COMBINE. Add the vanilla and half of the cocoa powder mixture, and mix until combined. Add the remaining cocoa powder, and mix until combined.

BAKE. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Tap lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. Bake the cake for 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the edges of the cake pull away from the sides of the pan.

TOWEL ROLL. Dust a clean kitchen towel evenly with powdered sugar, then invert the cake onto the towel. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.

Roll the cake up into a spiral, starting from the long edge, wrapping the towel inside the cake. Cool for 15-20 minutes.

Why roll the sponge cake in the towel?

This chocolate sponge cake is very delicate, and rolling when it is warm allows the sponge to adapt to a rolled shape. This keeps the cake from cracking when you roll it later. 

• Use a kitchen towel that is smooth and without texture.
• Add powdered sugar to the top of the towel AND the top of the cake to help keep this sticky sponge cake from clinging to the towel.
• Be gentle when you roll it in the towel. Do not press firmly or wrap too tightly. 

continued…

FILL. After the cake has cooled, gently unroll the cake and spread the filling evenly across the cake, reserving about ½ cup of filling.

ROLL. Gently roll up the cake, being careful not to roll so tightly that the filling squishes out.

CHILL. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

TRIM. Take the cooled cake, and trim ½ inch from both ends of the log to display the spiral pattern. Make a diagonal cut about 3 inches from one end of the cake, then attach the cut piece to one side of the log with the remaining filling. Fill in any gaps with the filling.

make the ganache

HEAVY CREAM. To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream to boiling in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, for about 2 minutes.

CHOCOLATE. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for one minute, then stir until the ganache is smooth, and the chocolate chips are completely melted.

COOL. Let the ganache cool for 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Decorating the Log

SPOON. Spoon the chocolate ganache over the yule log, covering all surfaces except the cut ends of the cake.

CHILL + SWIRL. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then make a swirl pattern in the ganache using the back of a spoon to resemble tree bark. Refrigerate for at least one hour, until set.

ENJOY! When ready to serve, move the cake to a serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The yule log itself is absolutely amazing and can certainly stand alone. However, to really make this a show stopper add beautiful garnishes:

• Make cute Meringue mushrooms.
• Add sprigs of rosemary and sugared cranberries.
• Dust with dirt/cocoa powder.
• Dust with snow/confectioners’ sugar.
• If you’re good at using your piping tips, pipe on a frosting poinsettia. You can also use silk poinsettias.
• Nestle clean pine cones to the side of the yule log.
• Add a few holly leaves with a berry or two on each leaf.

storing info

Make ahead of time. As mentioned before, this is a time-consuming recipe. To break up the steps, and get things made ahead of time:

1. The sponge cake can be baked 1-2 days in advance. Once cooled in the towel, remove the towel, place a piece of wax paper over the top, and reroll it. Wrap it with plastic wrap until you’re ready to assemble. 
2. The filling can also be made 1-2 days before. Store in a separate airtight container in the fridge. 
3. When ready, let the frosting come to room temperature. Unwrap the cake on a dusted towel and spread it on the frosting. Roll, wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You can also wrap it again with foil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
4. When you’re ready to decorate, thaw if applicable, cut the little side log, and top with ganache frosting and other decorations.

STORE the finished cake, and any leftovers, in the fridge. Covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container, the yule log should last around 5 days.

FREEZE. You can also place it in a freezer-safe container and keep it frozen for about 4-6 weeks.

For more Christmas Desserts:

• Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Snowball Cookies
• Brownie Christmas Tree
• Christmas Trifle
• Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert
• Eggnog Milkshakes