YULE LOG RECIPE (Bûche de Noël)

This Yule log recipe will help you make classic Yule Log Cake with a soft and fluffy chocolate sponge cake filled with silky smooth vanilla whipped cream and covered with a very chocolatey chocolate ganache!

WHAT IS A YULE LOG

The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. It was originally a Nordic tradition. 

The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony.

A Yule Log Cake, also known as a Bûche de Noël, is a cake made based on that old tradition.

It’s basically a chocolate sponge cake roll that’s filled with cream and covered with chocolate ganache and made to look like a log.

HOW TO MAKE A YULE LOG CAKE

To make this Yule log cake or Buche de Noel, we need to prepare

1. The Chocolate Sponge cake
2. The filling
3. The frosting
4. Cake decorating ,meringue mushrooms (optional)

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS YULE LOG CAKE RECIPE

1. It’s simple and easy to make than usual yule log cake recipes.
2. The rolling of chocolate sponge cake is easy and uncomplicated.
3. The filling cream used in this chocolate log cake recipe is super easy to make and its smooth, light and delicious.
4. The entire process of making the Yule log cake (except the meringue mushrooms )can be done in less than 2 hours!

HOW TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

The chocolate sponge cake is the main part of this yule log cake or Buche de Noel.

Its so easy to make this chocolate sponge cake.

To make this chocolate sponge cake, we use 5 eggs, which is the most important ingredient to make this sponge cake layer.

We don’t use any chemical leaveners like baking soda or baking powder to make this sponge cake.

The sponginess and softness of the chocolate sponge cake is from the magic of whipped eggs.

INGREDIENTS

1. Eggs :5
2. Flour :100 g or approximately 3/4 cup
3. Oil :50 ml or approximately 3 and 1/2 tbsp
4. Milk :50 ml or approximately 3 and 1/2 tbsp
5. Sugar :100g or 1/2 cup
6. Vanilla Extract:1 tsp
7. Cocoa Powder :7 g or 1 tbsp
8. Salt :1/8th of a tsp

METHOD

Step 1: Seperate the Egg whites and yolks

Whip up the egg whites until they become foamy.

Add salt and sugar(little by little) while whipping the egg whites.

We need to beat the egg whites until they become glossy and form medium stiff peaks.It may take around 6-8 minutes.Lift the beater from the foam and look at the shape of the peak at the end of the whisk; it should hold a lazy curve.)

For getting the best results:

1. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature.Cold egg whites will take longer time to whip up.
2. The bowl is clean and non greasy.Any fat content in bowl or in beaters will retard the formation of stabilized egg white foam.
3. Adding 1 tsp of lemon juice or a tsp of cream of tartar will help to yield more stabilized egg white foam.Here I have not used any acidic ingredient and we got a good stabilized egg white foam with medium stiff peaks.
4. Take care not to overbeat the whites as they will become grainy and brittle if we happen to over do whipping.

Step 2: Mix together all the rest of ingredients in the bowl of egg yolks

Then Add in the milk ,oil, vanilla extract and mix.

Then sift in, the flour and cocoa powder mix and combine to form a smooth homogenous mixture.

Step 3.Mix together the egg white foam and chocolate batter

Take a small part of the beaten egg whites and gently mix it with the chocolate mixture.This will help to loosen the chocolate mixture and then mix the rest of egg whites in three parts.Gently mix them together until we get a smooth airy foamy batter.

Be careful not to deflate the lovely air pockets that we have created.If we are not gentle enough there are chances that the air pockets may get deflated and as a consequence our cake batter may not be able to rise properly in the oven.

Now pour in this batter into tray greased with butter and lined with a parchment paper.

Pan Size :28cm x 40 cm x 2.5 cm

Slight variation in size is okay.

Tap the pan on the counter a few times to break any large air bubbles in the batter .

Step 4: Bake the Chocolate Sponge cake

Bake at 325 F (160-170 C) for 25-30 minutes.

Take the cake out of the pan.

Lay a clean towel on the cake and flip it over and remove the parchment paper .

Cover the cake with a clean towel and let the cake cool down completely at room temperature.

HOW TO MAKE THE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM FILLING FOR YULE LOG CAKE

In this Yule log Cake Recipe we use simple vanilla whipped cream filling.

I love it because it’s so light and not overly sweet, and it holds its shape well enough to be made ahead of time.

We can also use butter cream filling or cream cheese filling according to your preference .The method is so simple and the recipes are shared.

INGREDIENTS for vanilla whipped cream filling for yule log cake.

1. Whipping Cream :1 cup or 240 g
2. Powdered sugar :30g or 1/4 cup
3. Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

METHOD

Beat the cold whipping cream and vanilla in a bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer just until they hold a loose peak.

Sift the sugar over the cream and continue to beat just until it holds a soft peak.

Take care not to over beat the cream otherwise, the fat will get separated and it will be look curdled.

 Make sure the whipping cream is cold because the fat globules emulsify faster and stay emulsified longer when cold.

Why is it important to use cold whipping cream

Whipping cream introduces air bubbles. When the cream is cold, these bubbles are held in place by a network of tiny globules of solid fat, which allow the cream to eventually expand into a light, airy mass. At warmer temperatures, that fat starts to soften and the globules collapse, so the cream can’t whip up as fully, and it takes longer to reach its maximum volume.

HOW TO MAKE THE GANACHE FROSTING FOR YULE LOG CAKE (BUCHE DE NOEL)

INGREDIENTS

1. Whipping Cream :90 g or 92ml approximately 6 tbsp
2. Chocolate :90g or approximately 1/2 cup

METHOD

Add warm heavy cream to the chopped chocolate.

Let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir to combine.In a minute it will combine together to form a smooth chocolate ganache.

If in case the chocolate chips are bigger, and if we find, some solid chocolate pieces; Just place this bowl over some hot water taken in a bigger bowl.The chocolate will slowly melt and then stir to form smooth and shiny chocolate ganache.

The mix will get a little thicker in consistency when it is cold and set.

Adding more cream will make it thinner and more chocolate will make it thicker.

HOW TO MAKE MERINGUE MUSHROOMS FOR YULE LOG CAKE (BUCHE DE NOEL)

INGREDIENTS

1. Egg whites of 2 eggs
2. Sugar : 75 g or 6 tbsp
3. Cream of tartar :1/4 tsp
4. Salt :A pinch

METHOD

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, on medium low speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating, on high speed, gradually adding the superfine sugar, until the whites are shiny and hold stiff peaks.

I tried making meringue mushrooms without any acidic ingredient like cream of tartar and lemon juice.The shape of the mushrooms and stems were not so great.

I found the shape of mushrooms were better when I used cream of tartar(we can use half tsp of lemon juice instead of cream of tartar).They were more smooth and the stems of mushrooms were able to hold its shape.

The cream of tartar is important and stabilizes the egg whites so the cookies don’t turn out hollow.So I recommend to use cream of tartar while making meringue mushrooms.

Make sure not to over beat the egg whites as they can become gritty and brittle. 

Transfer the meringue to your piping bag.The opening should be large.

How to pipe caps :Hold the pastry bag upright and close to the parchment paper, and with even pressure, pipe the meringue into round shape(approximately 4 cm diameter and 2 cm height).

The tips on top can be smoothen with a wet fingertip.

How to pipe the stems :Hold the pastry bag upright and close to the parchment paper, and with even pressure, pipe the meringue into pillar shape of 2-3 cm height.

The tips on top can be cut off before decorating.

Some of the stems may fall over during baking, so it is best to make a few extra stems.

BAKING TEMPERATURE AND DURATION FOR MAKING MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Bake the meringues at 200 F for about  1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the meringues are firm enough that they easily release from the parchment paper without sticking. 

When they come out of the oven, they will be crisp on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside, but will harden as they cool.

I am not sure, if my place is humid; for me, even though the meringue baked well in oven but when I kept them outside for more than two hours, it became sticky and lose its crispiness.

So I kept mine inside the oven with oven lights on.They need a dry environment to stay healthy 🙂

Dip the bottom of mushroom caps in melted chocolate and then join it with the stem.

Makes about 15-18 (4 cm) Meringue Mushrooms.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE YULE LOG CAKE

While the cake layer is cooling down, we prepared our whipping cream and the chocolate ganache.

I kept the vanilla whipped cream in fridge so that they will remain cold,stiff and firm.

The chocolate ganache was left at room temperature and it will become very stiff if kept in fridge.

When the cake layer has cooled and it is ready for filling, spread the vanilla whipped cream,all over the cake and then carfully roll the chocolate sponge cake layer to form the shape of a log.

If your place is warm, please keep this rolled chocolate sponge cake covered in fridge until it become cold, stiff and firm.

HOW TO DECORATE A YULE LOG CAKE

Take the cake cylinder out from fridge.

Cut a piece of the log off (about 3 inches in length) and use a little chocolate ganache to attach it to the side of the cake to make it look like a little branch.

Spread the chocolate ganache over the cake, leaving the ends exposed. Use a serrated knife to create bark lines in the cake, then decorate with sugared cranberries or with some fresh red currants and rosemary sprigs.

Place some meringue mushrooms here and there around the yule log.Dust the top with some cocoa powder.And then the entire yule log cake with some powdered sugar.

When you’re done, you’ll have an amazing chocolate Yule Log to serve for Christmas

HOW TO MAKE YULE LOG CAKE VIDEO

YULE LOG,CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE RECIPE FOR SMALLER BAKING TRAY

Though the measurement of ingredients differ slightly, the method of making the chocolate yule log cake or Buche de noel remains the same.

1. Eggs :4
2. Flour :80 g
3. Oil :40 ml
4. Milk :40 ml
5. Sugar :80g
6. Vanilla Extract:1 tsp
7. Cocoa Powder :1 tbsp
8. Salt :1/8th of a tsp

YULE LOG,CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE RECIPE FOR LARGER BAKING TRAY

Though the measurement of ingredients differ slightly, the method of making the chocolate yule log cake or Buche de Noel remains the same.

1. Eggs :6
2. Flour :120 g
3. Oil :60 ml
4. Milk :60 ml
5. Sugar :120g
6. Vanilla Extract:1 tsp
7. Cocoa Powder :1 tbsp
8. Salt :1/4th of a tsp

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING FOR FILLING THE BUCHE DE NOEL

INGREDIENTS

1. Cream cheese: 3 ounce /80g/ 2/3 cup
2. Unsalted butter: 3 tbsp/ 43 g
3. Powdered Sugar: 1 cup / 125g
4. Vanilla powder: 1/2 tsp or vanilla extract 1 tsp
5. A pinch of salt to balance the sweetness
6. If you want more thinner frosting, you can add 1-2 tbsp milk into it.

METHOD

It is so easy to make this cream cheese frosting.

Keep the butter and sugar at room temperature as it will help us to combine them easily.

Into a bowl add the Softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla sugar/vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.

Thoroughly beat until they are light in texture and pale yellow in color.

Then add the powdered sugar little by little.Beat everything together until you get a silky smooth, light cream cheese frosting.

You can add some milk/heavy cream if you want your cream cheese frosting a little more thin.

We have used this delicious cream cheese frosting on our Quick and easy cinnamon rolls recipe

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING FOR FILLING YULE LOG CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1. Powdered sugar :3cups
2. Soft Butter :3/4 cup
3. Vanilla extract :1 tsp
4. Milk :1-2 tbsp
5. Salt to balance the sweetness 

METHOD

Beat the soft butter until smooth and creamy.

Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.

Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.

Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
Add more milk until desired consistency is reached, then add salt to taste.

Why my Yule log cake sheet crack when rolled?

A moist cake has less chance of cracking. So make sure the cake batter spread evenly in the pan and it is baked properly  i.e.,the cake is  baked evenly and the cake can remain moist.

Overbaking can cause the moisture to get evaporated and can make the cake dry. Overbaking may occur in two different ways either too long baking time or the baking temperature is too high.The thin layer of cake batter takes only about 25 minutes @ 160 C to bake properly. Check your cake after 20 minutes and watch closely until it tests done.

It should be lightly browned, and the top should spring back when lightly touched and the sides will start to separate from the baking tin.

Remove the cake from the pan onto a towel as soon as you take it from the oven. Roll up the cake when it is just cooled down.Cake stiffens as it cools, so it’s going to crack less if you roll it immediately when they are just cooled.

Why my Yule log sponge cake layer turned rubbery?

When you overmix cake batter, the gluten in the flour can form elastic gluten strands – resulting in a more dense, chewy, rubbery texture.Such a cake layer will be dense and gummy.  The correctly-mixed cake will be light and airy.

Over mixing the cake batter, usually happen when we use electric beater to mix the cake batter after adding the flour.