A Yule Log or Bûche de Noël is a classic French Christmas dessert: a thin chocolate sponge rolled around a chocolate filling and finished with chocolate ganache. This elegant cake roll—filled here with chocolate buttercream (or mousse, if you prefer)—makes a stunning centerpiece for your holiday table.
This Christmas Bûche de Noël is sure to become a holiday favorite. Follow the tips and steps below for a beautiful, bark-like finish and optional meringue mushrooms for garnish.
Why You Must Make
- It’s a classic and festive Christmas dessert.
- This rich chocolate version is deeply satisfying for chocoholics.
- The bark-like ganache and meringue mushrooms create a dramatic presentation.
Bûche de Noël literally means “log of Christmas.” The dessert originated as a delicate sponge cake—often a genoise—rolled around a chocolate filling and frosted to resemble a timber log, complete with ridged “bark” and little mushroom decorations. The modern cake honors older seasonal traditions that celebrated the winter solstice with a ceremonial log.
Expert Tips
- Use superfine sugar for the meringues; pulse regular sugar in a food processor for a minute if needed.
- If any grease or egg yolk contaminates the whites, they won’t whip properly — start over if that happens.
- Beat the sugar into the egg whites until the mixture is smooth; rub a bit between your fingers to check for grittiness.
- To help stabilize and dissolve sugar, some bakers gently warm the sugar on a sheet pan before adding it to the egg whites.
- The cake here is a chocolate genoise. Eggs and sugar are warmed, then beaten until tripled in volume—this aeration is what makes the sponge light and rollable.
- Beat the warmed egg mixture until it triples (about 5 minutes). Underbeating yields a denser, less tender cake.
- When the cake is cool enough to handle, roll it (with parchment) in a slightly damp towel to set its shape. This prevents cracking when you fill and reroll it.
- Rolling direction affects the look: short-end rolling produces thicker spirals; long-end rolling produces a narrower log. Trim ends for a tidy appearance if desired.
- Use a small icing comb or spatula to create bark-like striations in the ganache for a realistic log texture.
How to Make
These process photos (from earlier years) show the key stages and should help guide you through assembling the cake and decorations.
- Prepare the chocolate genoise batter and bake it in a rimmed jelly-roll pan.
- Allow the cake to cool just enough to handle, then dust with cocoa and roll it up in parchment and a damp towel to set its shape.
- Once the filling (buttercream or mousse) is ready, unroll the set cake and spread the filling evenly, leaving a margin at the edges.
- Reroll the cake, chill briefly, then frost with whipped ganache. Use a spatula or comb to add bark texture and finish with meringue mushrooms.
You Might Also Like:
- Chocolate Peppermint Bark
- Buche de Noel variations
- Cranberry Moscow Mule
- Chocolate Gingerbread Crumb Cake
- Apres Ski Boozy Tea
- Raspberry Almond Torte
- Fruit and Nut Bars
Frequently Asked Questions
A Yule Log is the English name for Bûche de Noël; both terms refer to the same rolled holiday cake.
A typical yule log includes a thin chocolate genoise (sponge) cake, a chocolate filling (buttercream, mousse, or whipped cream) and a whipped chocolate ganache or frosting to resemble bark.
Bake a thin sponge in a jelly-roll pan, roll it while warm to set the shape, unroll to fill, then reroll and coat with whipped ganache. The sponge’s flexibility is key to prevent cracking.
If the filling is mousse or another perishable component, refrigerate and don’t leave it out more than two hours. Cakes filled with buttercream can be stored at room temperature for a while but will keep longer when chilled; bring to room temperature before serving for best texture.
Plan a few hours for baking, cooling, and assembly. For first-timers, set aside 3–4 hours, and consider making meringue mushrooms ahead of time.
More Holiday Desserts:
- Strawberry Filled Meringue Roulade
- Brownie Baked Alaska
- Crème de Menthe Cake
- Death by Chocolate Cake
- Classic Crème Brûlée
- Christmas Sweets and other holiday recipes
If you make this recipe, please share a photo on social media and tag the creator. A five-star rating on the recipe card is always appreciated when you love the results.
Bûche de Noël
1 hour 20 minutes
1 hour 20 minutes
2 hours 40 minutes
12 servings
A traditional French Christmas dessert that is perfect for chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
For mushrooms:
- ½ cup egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
For chocolate buttercream filling (mousse alternative in notes):
- 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For cake:
- 5 tablespoons butter, plus more to butter pan
- ⅔ cup cake flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
- Pinch of baking soda
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For ganache:
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Make meringue mushrooms up to 3 days ahead. Preheat oven to 225º and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Whip egg whites until foamy; add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping to soft peaks.
- Slowly add superfine sugar while whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe stems and caps for mushrooms; bake for about 1 hour and cool completely.
- Melt semi-sweet chocolate with a bit of oil to attach caps to stems; dust with cocoa to finish.
- Make chocolate buttercream by melting the chocolates, then beating with butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla to spreading consistency. Alternatively, prepare chocolate mousse (see notes).
- For the cake, preheat oven to 350º. Butter and line a 10½ x 15½ x 1-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment, then butter and flour the paper.
- Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Clarify and cool the butter, saving it for the batter.
- Whisk eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until warm and sugar dissolves. Beat on high until tripled in volume (about 5 minutes), then add vanilla.
- Fold in dry ingredients in three additions, adding the butter with the last addition. Spread batter evenly and bake 15–20 minutes until the cake springs back lightly. Cool until manageable.
- Dust the top with cocoa, loosen the edges, place waxed paper and a damp towel over the cake, invert, peel off parchment, and sprinkle with more cocoa. Roll from a short end in the towel. Chill if desired.
- Make ganache by heating cream, pouring over chopped chocolate, whisking until smooth, and chilling until firm. Whip chilled ganache until spreading consistency.
- Unroll the cake, discard paper, spread filling leaving a 1-inch margin, and reroll. Cover and chill for an hour.
- Ice the outside with whipped ganache, create bark-like ridges, and garnish with meringue mushrooms before serving.
Notes
If you prefer chocolate mousse for the filling:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
½ cup heavy cream
- Melt chocolate and butter, let cool slightly, then whisk in egg yolks and cool to room temperature.
- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar to stiff peaks and fold a third into the chocolate, then fold in the rest.
- Whip cream to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate mixture. Chill until set, about an hour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 622
Total Fat: 34g
Saturated Fat: 19g
Trans Fat: 1g
Unsaturated Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 155mg
Sodium: 204mg
Carbohydrates: 77g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 65g
Protein: 8g
