Yule Log Cake (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! Serve with a White Hot Chocolate or Cranberry Mimosa for an extra festive celebration.

Once Thanksgiving is over, I’m in full on Christmas mode now. 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. 

Please tell me I’m not the only one.

So I was trying to decide what my first post-Thanksgiving recipe should be, and since last week I did a cookie recipe I figured now is as good a time as any to put a Christmas cake out there into the internet ether. Do you recall the most classic Christmas cake of aaaaaaaaaaaall?

(yes, that was sung to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”, shut up)

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 their 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.

Serving yule log cake

I know a lot of people like to slice off one end at an angle, and then attach it to one side so it really looks like a log, but I like to keep it simple. Easier to make, easier to plate, easier to serve. Easy.

What’s the difference between a yule log 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.

How I like to make yule log cake

I like my yule log cake to be simple: a light, spongey chocolate 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 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.

Of which – why is spaghetti such a surprisingly difficult thing to measure the right amount of, even though you’re using the hole in the middle of the spaghetti spoon and it looks like it’s not enough so you add more than then remember that you’re an idiot and you should have trusted the spoon? WHY.

Okay, spaghetti rant over. And don’t make spaghetti – make this, and impress your family and friends with the presentation. 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).

Make it, slice it, serve it, and enjoy it. And then forget about the calories because it’s the holidays and spending precious time with loved ones is what matters… right? [shrug]

After you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment below with a rating – and if you came from Pinterest, add a photo to the Pin of what you make to the pin to share your experience!

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