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White Yule Log (Buche de Noel)

Bûche de Noël (Christmas Yule Log)

This classic French dessert is elegant and beautiful, and a fun way to serve cake at Christmas. The Yule Log look adds whimsy and the flavors and decorations can be tailored to your liking.

Ingredients

Vanilla Chiffon Roll

  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • ½ cup vegetable or safflower oil
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract GET RECIPE
  • 2 large egg whites

Ganache

  • 6 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 oz milk chocolate
  • ½ vanilla bean
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Buttercream (See notes)

    Instructions

    Vanilla Chiffon Roll

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a Jelly Roll Baking Sheet with butter and a sheet of parchment.
    • Sift together 1 cup of the sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda onto a sheet of parchment; add the salt.
    • In a large bowl, whisk the yolks, oil, water and vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the yolk mixture, whisking all the while; set aside.
    • Beat the 6 egg white in a stand mixer on low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until the whites are thick and shiny and hold medium peaks.
    • Fold 1/3 of the whites into the yolk/flour mixture to lighten it, then turn the yolk mixture into the whites and gently fold together until thoroughly incorporated.
    • Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it evenly with an Offset Spatula. Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Immediately invert the cake and roll it into a log. See my video to watch me do this.

    Ganache

    • Place the chopped chocolate in large bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Put the heavy cream in a sauce pot on medium heat. Place the vanilla bean and seeds in the cream, bring to a boil.
    • Remove from heat and add chocolate to the cream, remove the vanilla bean. Make sure all the chocolate is submerged in the hot cream. Let sit for about 3 minutes then stir gently until perfectly smooth.
    • Pour into a glass baking dish and allow to set up at room temperature, about an hour.

    Assembly

    • (Here is the recipe for the praline buttercream you see in the photos) – the following directions match the yule log in my video.
    • Unroll the cake and spread all but a 1/4 cup of the cooled ganache over the complete surface of the cake with an offset spatula.
    • Using the parchment to help you roll the cake over the ganache into a tight log starting at the long end.
    • Wrap the log of cake and refrigerate for at least an hour to set the ganache, which will make the cake easier to work with.
    • Once the cake is chilled cut it at an angle in half. Cut one of the halves again making one of the pieces 1/4 and the other 3/4. Place the 3/4 piece against the half log and the 1/4 piece will sit on top of the half log.
    • Spread the buttercream over the surface of the cake. You want to create the appearance of bark so don’t worry about it being too smooth, you probably will not use all of the buttercream. I even swirl the ends to resemble the cut end of the log. Save at least a small portion of the buttercream to mix with the reserved ganache.
    • Blend the reserved ganache with the buttercream to create a contrasting color. Use your spatula to spread this onto the log in patches. You want to be able to see the lighter buttercream underneath.
    • Use a fork to create the bark texture on the Bûche de Noël and swirl the two buttercream colors together.

    Rate and Review!

    • If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!

    Notes

    Praline Buttercream and Meringue Mushroom recipes can be found in the Better Homes & Gardens article here. You could also use one batch of my Mocha Buttercream or White Chocolate Buttercream.
    The vanilla chiffon roll recipe is by Mary Bergin in Baking with Julia.