France Bûche de Noël (Yule Log)
Bûche de noël is a classic French Christmas cake. Meaning “Yule log,” it consists of a rolled, buttercream-filled sponge cake frosted with chocolate ganache. A fork is used to mark the length of the ganache to simulate bark. Mushrooms made of marzipan and chocolate twigs finish off the log, creating a cake that is as beautiful as it is tasty. Yule log cakes are so popular that they are now an international holiday confection.
Recipe Servings: 8–10
Prep Time
50 minutes
+ 23 hours resting
+ 23 hours resting
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
24 hours 15 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggs
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 3/4 cup (90 g) cake flour
- 2 Tbsp (30 g) melted butter
- 2 Tbsp (13 g) powdered sugar
- 2 cups (480 ml) frozen whipped cream topping
- 3 Tbsp (45 g) butter
- ½ cup (90 g) dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (90 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) whipping cream
- Marzipan mushrooms and chocolate twigs, as needed for decoration (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven 350°F (180°C).
- Line 11x10-inch (28x25-cm) jellyroll pan with greased and floured parchment paper.
- Whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt to a light froth in mixing bowl, until mixture about triples in size.
- Sift flour into mixture and gently fold in.
- Fold in melted butter and pour batter into pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes to a light gold.
- Turn cake out onto a towel, remove parchment, and sprinkled cake with powdered sugar.
- Firmly roll up cake, taking care not to break it, and let cool wrapped in towel.
- Unroll cake and spread on whipped cream topping over it.
- Roll up cake, wrap it well in parchment, and put it in the freezer for 2–3 hours before frosting.
- Melt butter, dark chocolate, and chocolate chips on stovetop over low heat or in the microwave for 3–4 minutes.
- Fold in whipping cream.
- Frost cake with ganache.
- Run tines of a fork along the length to simulate tree bark.
- Decorate with marzipan mushrooms and chocolate twigs, if desired.
Cake:
Ganache and Assembly:
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