yule log cake

The Bûche de Noël cake is a French Christmas tradition that dates back to the 19th century. Get in the holiday spirit with this show-stopping yule log cake recipe.

Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake)

Cooking spray

eggs,

c. all-purpose flour

cocoa powder

c. granulated sugar, divided

kosher salt

sugar,

heavy cream

c. sugar

gelatin (optional)

pure vanilla extract

c. (1 stick) butter, softened

c. powdered sugar,

Chocolate curls,

Cranberries,

rosemary sprigs,

Do you make your Christmas Buche de Noel?

Merry Christmas! Thank you for this recipe! Will be making it today.

This is a perfect recipe for a chocolate yule log cake.
The delish video gave me confidence to make this and it turned out perfect.
I have made this 3 times and love this recipe.
Thank you!!

Turned out impressively. The cake was so light and flavorful, the fluffy filling held up well with the gelatin, but the frosting could have been lighter. It was dense compared the rest of the cake. The video details were especially helpful.

Made this for last Christmas and everyone loved it!  Made three of them today - one for dinner tonight and one for each of our children’s families.  Thought this would be a great Valentines treat!

My daughter and I made two of these for separate family Christmas events. I thought the portions and directions were spot on. Cakes look marvelous and can’t wait to taste them.

I made it for this Christmas and it turned out great! Followed the video and recipe. Will def make it again.

The gelatin should not be optional. Because I didn’t get it and only had a whipped cream that made it impossible to roll the cake without the cream squishing everywhere. I’m pretty disappointed.

This was sooo good! Thank you for the recipe - I’ll be making it again!

I loved the step by step video.
I made it exactly as the video showed and it turned out wonderful.
Thank you..i have made it twice.

I was so afraid to make this, but it turned out so well! I had to add 1 tablespoon more of heavy cream to the butter cream frosting to get the right consistency. I'll absolutely make this again

https://streaming.hearstdigitalstudios.com/2f6a8f59-2b12-48be-a031-11e3db9a6e26/video_rover_16x9_1080p_hd_1575383628_40007.mp4

It looks like a log but we promise it will be the most delicious tree you'll ever eat in your life: chocolate sponge cake, soft whipped cream, and cocoa buttercream all come together in a perfect bite of Christmas in this recipe for Bûche de Noël.

Feel Extraordinarily Festive With A Homemade Bûche de Noël Cake

This chocolate yule log recipe will make your whole holiday! Chocolate cake spiraled around a fluffy chocolate filling &amp; frosted with whipped ganache.

Yule Log

eggs ((large))

sugar

vanilla extract

salt

all-purpose flour

cocoa powder ((I prefer natural, not Dutched))

baking powder

sour cream

unsalted butter ((1/2 stick), melted)

milk

cream cheese

chocolate,

egg white ((large))

cream of tartar

semisweet chocolate, (melted)

cocoa powder ((for garnish))

greens

cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, lightly mist the sides of a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray, and line it with parchment.

Place the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl on whip on high speed for a full 5 minutes.  (The mixture should be very pale and fluffy, and tripled in volume.)

Fold in the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.

Whisk the sour cream, melted butter, and milk together, then fold the mixture into the batter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing it out to the corners in an even layer.

Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, or until the cake is fully set and springy in the center but not dried out.

While the cake is still hot, dust it generously with powdered sugar and lay a clean kitchen towel on top.

Starting at one of the short sides of the cake, carefully roll it into a tight log and allow it to cool completely before filling, frosting, and garnishing.

To Make the Chocolate Sponge Cake

Place the powdered sugar, cocoa, cream cheese, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and whip together until smooth.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and slowly drizzle the cream in while continuing to whip on medium speed.  (Stop frequently to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, to avoid lumps.)

When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the filling holds stiff peaks.

When the cake has completely cooled, gently unroll it and spread the filling on in an even layer.

Carefully roll the cake back up into a log, frost with whipped ganache, and garnish.

To Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling

Warm the cream in the microwave (or in a small pot on the stove) until just beginning to simmer, then pour it over the chocolate and allow it to stand for 5 minutes.

Whisk the ganache together until smooth, then allow it to cool until firm but still soft.

Whip the ganache on high speed until fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Use a small spatula to frost the yule log cake with the whipped ganache, dust with powdered sugar, and garnish.

To Make the Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Place the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl, and add the cream of tartar and salt.

Whip the whites on medium speed until foamy and just beginning to turn white.

While continuing to whip, add in the sugar very slowly (about 1/4 teaspoon at a time).

When all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the meringue is glossy and very stiff.

Transfer the meringue to a clean piping bag fitted with a jumbo round tip, and pipe half the meringue into small dome shapes; half the meringue into tall stems.

Bake the meringues for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until light and crisp.

When the meringues have fully cooled, trim the points away from the tops of the stems with a sharp paring knife.

Dip the bottoms of the caps in melted chocolate and adhere them to the tops of the stems, then dust the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder for garnish.

To Make the Meringue Mushrooms (Optional)

Dust the cake roll with powdered sugar, then garnish with meringue mushrooms, fresh greens, and sugared cranberries.

To Garnish the Yule Log Cake

This classic Yule Log Cake is a tender chocolate sponge cake filled with mascarpone whipped cream and covered with whipped chocolate ganache! It's delicious, festive and made completely from scratch!

Yule Log Cake (Bûche De Noël)

(98 grams) all-purpose flour

(38 grams) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

tsp baking powder

tsp salt

eggs, divided

(155 grams) granulated sugar

tbsp (72 grams) sour cream

butter, melted

tsp vanilla extract

(86 grams) powdered sugar

oz (226 grams) mascarpone cheese, softened but still chilled*

semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

heavy whipping cream

Sugared cranberries, optional*

Sugared rosemary, optional*

Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 17&#215;12 inch jelly roll sheet pan with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper sticks up at least an inch above the sides of the pan on all sides. You’ll use the parchment paper later to lift the cake out of the pan and roll it up.
2.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk together until well combined.
4

Add the sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
5

Add the dry ingredients and gently whisk together until well combined, then set aside.
6

Add the egg whites to a large mixer bowl and whip of high speed until stiff peaks form.
7

Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen up the batter.
8

Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until well combined.
9

Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when toughed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
1

. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on the counter.
1

. While the cake is hot, use the parchment paper the cake was baked in and start at the shorter end of the cake to slowly roll the cake up. Set the cake aside to cool completely.
1

. When the cake has cooled and is ready to be filled, make the filling. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
1

. Add the mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
1

. Unroll the cake roll very carefully, looking out for areas where it may be sticking to release it. You can use an offset spatula or something similar and run it along the parchment paper as you unroll the cake to help release it as it unrolls.
1

. Spread the filling evenly onto the unrolled cake, then roll it back up without the parchment paper.
1

. Wrap it up in plastic wrap with the seam side down and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.
1

. When you&#8217;re read to decorate the cake, make the chocolate ganache. Add the chocolate to a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in the microwave just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate.
1

. Allow the chocolate and cream to sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the ganache cool to about room temperature, then transfer to a large mixer bowl.
1

. Whip on high speed until lightened in color and thick enough to spread.
2

. To decorate the cake, use a large serrated knife to gently cut off a piece of the log about 3 inches in length. Make the cut with a slight diagonal.
2

. Use some of the chocolate ganache to attache the small log to the side of the larger log.
2

. Spread the remaining chocolate ganache all over the cake, then use a fork to create bark-like lines all over it. Decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary (instructions in notes), if desired.
2

. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Looks beautiful and im excited try this for Christmas Day dessert. Im jelly roll pan is 10" x 15". Will it work or or do i need to get a new one that's 12" x 17"?

This is an amazing post. Where do you get all your ideas?! I'm so going to make this yule log!

I just made this recipe. Everyone enjoyed it. 
The cake crumble on me upon unrolling after cooling off.  mascarpone filling, however once I applied the mascarpone filling and rolled back, it held together. Once the chocolate ganache was applied the cake looked awesome! 
It’s so good!

This recipe is amazing. I made it this year for Christmas and my whole family loves it. Fairly simple and cheap to make also!

So fun to make !! Mine cracked a bit when rolling up the filling but I wrapped it good and will wait to decorate it!!

I made this tonight and it is such a good recipe! It was easy to follow and the cake is so beautiful and delicious! The only change I made was that I used an espresso mascarpone cheese. This was unintentional, as the store was out of the original kind. But it turned out amazing! I'm looking forward to making this again but with the original mascarpone instead. Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe. It's a keeper!

I’m so excited to make this! Im looking to make these into cupcakes instead. Do you think I need less batter? Or should this be just fine? Thank you for sharing!

Really enjoyed making this recipe. I tried another one last year with a heave chocolate filling and it was just too much chocolate. (if you can imagine) We ate it for Christmas desert and it sat in the fridge for a few days before I tossed it. This one is a keeper. Cannot wait to share it. 

I added some orange emulsion to the filling for a little twist. 

Merry Christmas Lindsay.

My daughter made this for the Winter Solstice.  The comments we received from guests is that it is deceptively light.  And it is.  The filling also contrasts nicely with a very rich, chocolatey sponge.

Made it tonight Christmas Eve . will fill and leave in fridge for tomorrow then ganache.  Going to decorate with candied raspberries and mint leaves instead of cranberries since my fam won't eat those tart things.  (but they eat sour patch kids?) I'm thinking the creamy filling will also moisten the cake as it sits a bit.  I use a stoneware bar pan lined with parchment for baking and flip it right onto cocoa powdered paper towels right away, don't let it cool in the pan; it will take forever and get rubbery.  waiting for it to cool completely before filling.  My mom makes a vanilla jelly roll and I wanted this to offer a choice for the family get together!  Has been easy so far, and nicely spongy cake.  Didn't have dark powder but the crumbs tasted good anyway!  Thanks for a good recipe and can't wait to try it!

I was intimidated by this recipe because it seemed like a big undertaking, but decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did. It was absolutely delicious and I was the star of the Christmas Eve dinner. The wow factor was definitely there! And so so yummy! Thank you! 
I wasn't able to get marscapone so I used 2 oz. Cream cheese in the filing, just to help stabilize it. I didn't want the flavor of the cream cheese to come through much. It ended up being perfect!

Merry christmas! I had to come tell you (like you didn’t know already) that this turns out amazing! I followed your recipe and instructions (started yesterday and it worked out great), and the family is eating this with lots of happy noises as i write. The cake itself is moist, tender and so flavorful against the filling and ganache. Everyone is loving the whipped filling and frosting, and that it’s not the typical overly-sweet buttercream... just this perfectly delicious fluffyness. 
I had absolutely no problems making this with your instructions.. my first jelly-roll style cake, and it’s just wonderful. Thank you so much!

I made this for Christmas and it was a huge hit.  I didn’t have time to make the sugared cranberries or rosemary, but it still looked great.  The cake did break during the unrolling, but I patched it with the filling.  Couldn’t tell anyway.  Thanks for a great recipe!

Thank you for this post. I made this with gluten free flour and it was delicious. It rolled fine in parchment but when I rolled w filling it was like a large log w cream inside but everyone loved it regardless. I also put some fresh berries inside. Can’t believe how easy it is to make whipped ganache- that will now be my go to for frosting. Merry Christmas.

I made this cake twice over the holidays and it is really tasty. Love that the mascarpone isn't too sweet - each time I made it, it came out beautifully and it went quickly! Just two things I had to tweak - I would suggest unrolling the cake when it is still slightly warm - the one I waited until it was completely cooled and it cracked horribly. Still salvaged it, but the one i unrolled and frosted while just a bit warm turned out much better. Also, I had to add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the ganache to get it to a thicker spreadable consistency. Will definitely make this again!! Thanks!

I made this for Christmas and it turned out perfectly! I was a bit nervous about having to roll and unroll the cake, but I didn't have any issues at all. I received tons of compliments and will definitely save this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

I made this for Christmas dinner this year and it came out perfectly beautiful. I had an issue with the cake breaking across the width of it as I was rolling it up, and that break could be seen in the finished cake. I'm wondering if I rolled it up too tightly after it came out of the oven...what do you think? Anyway, it was absolutely beautiful and everybody raved about it. It tasted really fantastic. It is several steps to make and took quite awhile, but it was soooooo worth it. I even made the sugared cranberries and rosemary. What a show-stopper!!! I will definitely be making this again next year AND I think I will try making this - but not as a Yule log - by making the sheet cake, cutting into squares, spreading the filling on a square and topping with another square...then add the whipped ganache. Does this make sense? Think it would be great as an "anytime cake" rather than just as a Yule Log. Many thanks...I am about the try your Chocolate-Raspberry cake!!

This isn't a Christmas tradition. This is Yule tradition.

Lindsay! The sponge was incredibly light and the mascarpone was a nice touch balancing the sweetness and richness of the dessert! This was my first attempt at the recipe, or any Yule log for that matter. It carefully outlines each step, making this complex and intimidating dessert accessible to  novices like me!  The taste and balance of flavors are spot on! This was a practice run for Christmas night dessert! Thank you for sharing your talent. 

This recipe is delicious. I made it keto last year and it was amazing but 2020 has me down so I'm going to make it just like the recipe this year and I can't wait. 
I do want to add, Yule is a pagan holiday and the yule log is part of our Yule celebration, hence the name. It's not actually a christmas tradition though a lot of pagan rituals and sabbats are celebrated by christians now.

My first roll cake and not only was it easy, it was delicious!! So in love with these flavors. I can’t wait to take it holiday gatherings. This Busche de Noel will be a yearly tradition. Thank you!! 

I love this recipe! I made it today, and it looks amazing. I didn’t have a jelly roll pan, so i used a cookie sheet lined with parchment and it did the trick. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Hi,
For the mascaporne whipped cream - I have sweetend whipping cream instead of heavy whipping cream.
 Can I omit the powdered sugar and add the sweetend whipping cream to the mascaporne cheese? Also will the quantity remain the same that is 300 ml, if not how much will it be ?

Thank you,
Mayanka

Would this cake be okay sitting out for a few hours at room temp? 

I made it last week with my MIL and it turned out fantastic. I would like to enter it in a baking contest this weekend but they are not accepting entries that must be refrigerated and they will be sitting out for a few hours.

I made this cake yesterday and it turned out wonderfully!  My cake roll did crack after it cooled, but the filling and frosting held it together perfectly.  I used regular cream cheese and hersheys chocolate cocoa powder (not dark chocolate) and it still tasted amazing!  I really like the way the frosting on the log turned out. I didn't need to use a fork to make lines. Applying the whipped frosting with a small frosting spreader made the most realistic bark pattern!  Thanks for the recipe! Everyone loved it and I'm definitely going to make it again!

Yule Log Cake is a sweet and tender, chocolaty roll, that is the perfect fancy dessert to celebrate the holidays.

Yule Log Cake

unsalted butter (softened)

cocoa powder (sifted)

chocolate

sea salt

vanilla

mascarpone cheese

eggs (at room temperature)

white sugar

chocolate chips

beat

In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, vanilla, and mix on medium speed until well combined.

Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat in the cooled melted chocolate.

fold

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the mascarpone. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:

preheat

grease

Spray a 13 x 18 baking sheet with cooking spray, line it with parchment paper, spray the parchment paper with cooking spray, and set the pan aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, salt, and flour.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.

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

pour

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

bake

Bake the cake 8-11 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan.

prep towel

In the meantime, dust evenly a medium to large clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar, then invert the cake onto the towel, on the side with powdered sugar.

roll

Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the cake with more powdered sugar. Immediately roll the cake up into a spiral, starting from the long edge, wrapping the towel inside the cake. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes.

Cake:

unroll

After the cake has cooled, gently unroll it and spread the chilled filling in an even layer, reserving about 1/2 cup of filling.

Gently roll back the cake, careful not to squish out the filling. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours.

Add the filling:

trim

After the cake has been chilled, trim about 1/2 inch from both ends to display the nice spiral pattern.

After that, make a diagonal cut about 3-4 inches from one end of the cake. Then using a bit of filling, attach that piece on one side of the other piece, creating a log. Fill in any gaps with the remaining filling.

Make a log:

heat

Add the heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl and heat to boiling, about 2 minutes.

melt

Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream on top, let sit untouched 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.

spread

After that, spoon and spread the ganache over the yule log, do not cover the trimmed ends.

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The most viewed yule log cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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