Yule Log Cake Recipe (Bûche de Noël)
This festive yule log cake is chocolate cake filled with whipped cream, rolled into the shape of a log, and coated with a chocolate ganache – a classic European holiday tradition! This post walks you through how to make a yule log cake, and ideas for decorating a yule log cake for a beautiful holiday dessert centerpiece! Serve with a White Hot Chocolate or Cranberry Mimosa for an extra festive celebration.
Averie said: “This was my first time making a log cake and it was definitely much easier than I anticipated! The instructions were clear, easy to follow, and it turned out beautifully. Will definitely be adding this to my holiday baking list every year! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“
After Thanksgiving is over, I head into full Christmas mode. I'm assuming I have some sort of invisible switch that flips on at midnight after Thanksgiving that apparently indicates that Christmas mode is now activated.
- The tree and other Christmas decorations (however minimal they may be) went up the morning after Thanksgiving.
- I'm playing Christmas music in the house, almost exclusively.
- All baking involves Christmas cookies, peppermint, gingerbread, eggnog, and snowflake sprinkles.
And that means it's the perfect time for my favorite Christmas cake. Do you recall the most classic Christmas cake of aaaaaaaaaaaall? (yes, that was sung to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”, shush)
A Bûche de Noël!
What's a Bûche de Noël?
If you're not familiar, a Bûche de Noël (or “yule log”) is a traditional European dessert that's served during the holidays, and it's intentionally created to look like an actual yule log. It's typically chocolate cake with a whipped cream filling.
Although not the same size as a real yule log, because sweetbabyjesus that would be a really big cake. That would be a yuleOMGCAKE.
Okay, now I kinda wanna make one. Can you imagine showing up to your family's house with this log-shaped cake that's the size of an Australian Shepard? Although, that would make a good story for future Christmases.
“Hey, remember that time that Leslie showed up to Christmas Eve with that giant cake that ended up all over the front door? And Snoopy's face? And your niece?”
… good times.
Bûche de noël pronunciation
I absolutely love that I've had people message me asking how you pronounce “Bûche de noël”.
I'm sure you can find a site online that will play an audio clip of how to pronounce it, but phonetically it is: boosh day no-el.
What's the difference between a yule log cake and a cake roll?
Cake rolls have no holiday affiliation, and a yule log is a cake roll that's all dressed up for Christmas.
Just look at it, all fancy.
Swiss roll vs. yule log
Same deal! They're essentially the same thing, except the yule log is decorated in more than just a smooth chocolate ganache.
Ingredients for yule log cake
Chocolate cake
These ingredients will create a light chocolate sponge cake in a thin layer that is easy to roll into shape:
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cake flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Espresso powder – This is optional if you don't have it, but all this does is bring out the chocolate flavor of the cake. You won't taste the espresso at all!
- Salt
Chocolate ganache frosting
- Bittersweet or dark chocolate – You can use baking bars and chop them up, or chocolate chips. I prefer to use darker chocolates because if you use anything sweeter, it's going to make the whole cake overwhelmingly sweet since there's so much chocolate.
- Unsalted butter – This will give the ganache a smooth and pretty sheen!
- Vanilla extract – This rounds out the flavors
- Salt – To cut the sweetness a bit
- Heavy cream – The cream is heated in a saucepan and then poured over the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and left to melt it all. Makes it much easier to mix it all together without much work needed on your part!
Whipped cream filling
A very simple whipped cream filling that you can make as sweet as you'd like by adding additional powdered sugar:
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to make yule log cake
I'm going to break this down step-by-step with process photos for each section of the cake-making process: the chocolate cake layer, the whipped cream filling, the chocolate ganache, and the assembly and decoration.
Making the chocolate cake layer
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
Perfect! Set that bowl aside.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well combined and a pale yellow color. Add vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
Step 4: Add the medium bowl of dry mixture to the large bowl of egg yolk mixture and stir to combine – it will be very thick!
Step 5: Add half of the egg whites to the batter mixture and stir vigorously to combine completely. Then gently fold in the other half of the egg whites. Take your time and, again, be gentle – you don’t want to eliminate all the air you whipped into them.
Step 6: Pour batter onto the prepared pan, gently using a spatula to evenly distribute the batter. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cake is spongey and bounces back when touched.
Be careful not to overbake or else it will be dry and it will crack when you try to roll it.
Step 7: While it's baking, lay out a flour sack or clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle it with a layer of powdered sugar.
Tip: I like to use my flour sifter so that it's a relatively even layer and I don't miss any spots!
Step 8: Let the cake cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then carefully turn it out onto the towel and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
Step 9: Starting from one of the short ends, roll the cake up (rolling the towel with it as you go). Lay the wrapped cake seam side down and let cool completely.
Making the chocolate ganache and whipped cream filling
Step 1: While the cake is baking, make the ganache. In a small heatproof bowl, combine chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt.
And in a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low heat until you see the edges start to bubble. Remove from heat and pour over the bowl of chocolate mixture.
Step 2: Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely combined and smooth.
Set aside to cool (or place in the fridge until you’re ready to use it – you’ll just need to give it a stir once you take it out before you can frost the cake).
Step 3: In the large bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar (to taste) and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Assembling the Christmas roll cake
Step 1: Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it. You'll notice crinkles and wrinkles, and that's completely okay and expected. You're about to cover them all up, and no one will see that part anyway!
Step 2: Using a spatula, add an even layer of the whipped cream filling to the top of the cake, leaving about 1/2″ of space on the edges.
Step 3: Gently re-roll the cake and then move it, seam side down, to a serving platter.
Step 4: At this point, you are welcome to just leave the cake roll whole and move on to decorating! But if you'd like to make it a little fancier, you can use a large serrated knife to slice off one end of the cake at an angle, and then place it on one side of the main “log”.
Step 5: Use a spatula to coat the outside of the roll with the chocolate ganache frosting, on all sides. Now it's time to make it look like a log! Here are a few suggestions:
– Use a fork to drag lines down the ends and across the top, lengthwise.
– Use a toothpick or skewer to draw lines lengthwise across the top, and in spirals on the ends.
– Use a small spatula to give it some wavy texture.
Step 6: Let that set, then garnish! My personal favorite is to top it with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, then a little coating of powdered sugar just before serving to make it look like fresh snowfall.
- I like my yule log cake to be simple: a light, chocolate sponge cake, lightly sweet whipped cream filling, and coated in a dark chocolate ganache.
No crazy flavors or ingredients, and just the addition of some espresso powder to the cake to enhance the chocolate flavor. - For garnish, I like to top mine with a handful of fresh cranberries, a couple of springs of rosemary, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- And for the ganache, I require a thick layer of ganache on the outside. I like to make enough that while I'm icing the cake, I'm thinking to myself, “Yikes, this is too much. OH GOD this is too much”, and then by the time I'm finished I remember that it's exactly the right amount.
It's kinda like when you're making spaghetti and you keep adding more pasta to the pot, and then at the end you go, “OH GOD this is too much”, except this is the opposite of that. - It doesn't need to be ornately decorated! I put very little effort into my design on the outside: I just drag a fork lengthwise across the top and down the sides.
You can do that, or use a toothpick or skewer to draw wavy lines lengthwise across the top, and in spirals on the ends.
Or you can just use a small spatula to give it some wavy texture (I never seem to get this right, but it looks beautiful when it's done right).
My top 2 tips for making yule log cake
#1: Don't overbake it!
I repeat: do not overbake the chocolate cake.
Because we're making this in the form of a very thin sheet, if it's overbaked it will be too dry and it will crack when you try to roll it. It will also just taste less awesome because it won't have enough moisture.
#2: Roll it as soon as you can
Similarly to the above, you want to avoid it getting too dry before you roll it because it will be too difficult to roll, won't hold it's shape, and could crack.
So only let the cake cool on the pan for a minute before you turn it out onto a kitchen towel and roll it into shape.
How to cut yule log cake
I highly recommend using a large, sharp serrated knife to cut each slice of your yule log. It's less likely to squish the cake, or drag crumbs as you slice as opposed to something like a chef's knife.
How to store yule log cake
Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to stick toothpicks into a few places on the cake so that the plastic wrap isn't clinging directly to the cake itself.
Freezing a yule log
It's better to store the yule log cake before it's been frosted and decorated, but if you need to store it in the freezer after you've already covered it in the chocolate icing… it can be done.
- Make sure you have enough space in your freezer to let the uncovered cake (on a baking sheet) set for at least an hour.
- At this point, the frosting should be hardened and you can wrap it in plastic wrap and store it inside an airtight container or large bag for up to 3 months.
But I highly recommend not fully decorating it until after you've thawed it and you're getting ready to slice and serve.
Thawing a yule log
Keeping it covered, transfer the cake from the freezer to the fridge and let it thaw slowly for at least a day. Then you can place it on a counter (still covered) and let it come to room temperature.
If you uncover it before it's come to room temperature, the frosting will form condensation. While it will still taste good, it wouldn't be as pretty!
Behind the scenes
This is the face of a cat who saw me pour heavy cream into a bowl, and not into his face. Needless to say, he is mad and disappointed in me:
FAQs
Check out the photos above and the video for the most detailed answer, but the short answer is that you can do a few things to decorate the chocolate ganache, such as using a fork to drag lines down the ends and across the top, lengthwise. And then after its set, you can top it with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, then a coating of powdered sugar to make it look like freshly fallen snow.
Check out the photos above and the video for the most detailed answer, but the short answer is that once you've got the cake on your powdered sugar-dusted towel, you'll peel the parchment paper from the bottom. Then starting from one of the short ends, you'll use gentle but firm pressure to roll the cake up (rolling the towel with it as you go). Then lay the wrapped cake seam side down and let it cool completely.
I highly recommend using a large, sharp serrated knife to cut each slice of your yule log. It's less likely to squish the cake, or drag crumbs as you slice as opposed to something like a chef's knife.
Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to stick toothpicks into a few places on the cake so that the plastic wrap isn't clinging directly to the cake itself.
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Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 4 large eggs, separated and room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup cake flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate ganache frosting
- 8 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Whipped cream filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), more or less, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Chocolate cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 10"x15" baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.4 large (4) eggs
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well combined and a pale yellow color. Add vanilla and whisk again to combine. Set aside.4 large (4) eggs1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.1/2 cup (62 ½ g) cake flour1/4 cup (21 ½ g) unsweetened cocoa powder1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) espresso powder1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) salt
- Add the medium bowl of dry mixture to the large bowl of egg yolk mixture and stir to combine – it will be very thick!
- Add half of the egg whites to the mixture and stir vigorously to combine completely.
- Gently fold in the other half of the egg whites. Take your time and, again, be gentle – you don't want to eliminate all the air you whipped into them.
- Pour batter onto the prepared pan, gently using a spatula to evenly distribute the batter.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cake is spongey and bounces back when touched. Be careful not to overbake!
- While the cake is baking, lay out a flour sack or clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle it with a layer of powdered sugar.Tip: I like to use my flour sifter so that it's a relatively even layer and I don't miss any spots!
- Let the cake cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then carefully turn it out onto the towel and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
- Starting from one of the short ends, roll the cake up (rolling the towel with it as you go). Lay the wrapped cake seam side down and let cool completely.
Chocolate ganache frosting
- While the cake is baking, make the ganache. In a small heatproof bowl, combine chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt.8 ounces (226 ⅘ g) bittersweet or dark chocolate1 tablespoon unsalted butter1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractPinch salt
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low heat until you see the edges start to bubble. Remove from heat and pour over the bowl of chocolate mixture. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely combined and smooth. Set aside to cool (or place in the fridge until you're ready to use it – you'll just need to give it a stir once you take it out before you can frost the cake).3/4 cup (178 ½ g) heavy cream
Whipped cream filling
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- Add powdered sugar (to taste) and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.1/4 cup (30 g) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Assemble the cake roll
- Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it. Using a spatula, add an even layer of the whipped cream filling to the top of the cake, leaving about 1/2" of space on the edges.
- Gently re-roll the cake and then move it, seam side down, to a serving platter.
- At this point, you are welcome to just leave the cake roll whole and move on to decorating! But if you'd like to make it a little fancier, you can use a large serrated knife to slice off one end of the cake at an angle, and then place it on one side of the main "log".
- Use a spatula to coat the outside of the roll with the chocolate ganache frosting, on all sides.
- Time to make it look like a log! Here are a few suggestions:– Use a fork to drag lines down the ends and across the top, lengthwise.– Use a toothpick or skewer to draw lines lengthwise across the top, and in spirals on the ends.– Use a small spatula to give it some wavy texture.
- Let set, then garnish! My personal favorite is to top it with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, then a coating of powdered sugar. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
Photos from 2018
If you want to see the photos from when I originally published this recipe in 2018, take a trip down memory lane with these photos!
I’ve tried 3 different recipes for yule log cake/buche de noel and this one is by far the best! The cake didn’t crack, the ganache set up perfectly and was easy to spread per your instructions. I printed this out for next year! Thank you!
This was delicious and looked beautiful. I froze the log before frosting it and defrosted it in the fridge. When I frosted it, it firmed up pretty quickly which made it look great. I kept it in the fridge until serving and unfortunately it cracked – pieces of ganache split off- when I cut it. Can you advise where I may have gone wrong?
Thank you!
This was a great recipe and loved by everyone for our Christmas dessert! My only note is that I needed more butter in my ganache to make it not as thick and more easily spreadable. Other than that, the recipe and instructions – especially on rolling the sponge – were great and a new Christmas tradition has been born!
overly bitter and textures don’t come together at all
I was so excited to try this recipe! it was to be a treat for my family. Unfortunately I heeded all the warnings about not overcooking the sponge. my oven cooks a little slower and ended up with a chocolate mess . my first and last try!!!!
This was my first time making a Yule log cake and the directions were so easy to follow and my log came out perfectly! I give it five stars not four but for some reason it won’t let me select five stars.
Forgot to rate. 5/5 for sure!
This recipe is perfect! I was very intimidated by the idea of making a yule log cake, but decided to just go for it. I was shocked by how well it went. Thank you!
love your recipe and how well you explain.
thank you I just made it and hope it turns out well. it’s my 1st rolled cake
Diane
Excellent recipe with easy step by step instructions. Definitely a keeper and looks beautiful for the holidays. Very tasty!
Absolutely perfect recipe! The directions are spot on and easy to follow, and the taste is out of this world. I never thought I could nail this on the first try, but it worked. Thank you!!!
How would doubling this recipe work? I want a longer cake not thicker — do i need a bigger pan?
do you think this would be nice with some cinnamon or something mixed into the whipped cream to add a christmassy flavour to it? or would it not work?
Made this cake for a dear friends birthday and it was a huge hit!! We will definitely make it again – thank you for the recipe