Yule Log Bûche de Noël Cake


Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

Servings: 8

The Yule Log Cake, aka Bûche de Noël is a tradition that dates back to the 19th century and still a favorite! Watch our video tutorial on how to make this delicious chocolate sponge cake roll cake made to look like a wooden yule log. This is an old-school holiday dessert that never fails to get some “ooohs” and “ahhhs”.

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 17×12 inch jelly roll sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

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

Step 3

Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until combined. Add sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.

Step 4

Add cocoa flour mixture in batches to the egg mixture, whisk until combined and set aside.

Step 5

Add egg whites to a large mixer bowl and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes.

Step 6

Gently fold in whipped egg whites in 3 batches until well combined.

Step 7

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.

Step 8

Remove the cake from the oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Scour edges of the cake with knife.

Step 9

Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar. Flip cake over onto powdered dish towel. Peel away parchment paper inch by inch.

Step 10

Sprinkle powdered sugar on exposed side of cake. Gently roll up the sponge cake from the short side, towards the other short side with the towel as you go. Set aside and allow cake to cool inside the towel.

Step 11

Prepare Whipped Cream Filling: Whisk together whipping cream, 3/4 cup powdered sugar and almond extract. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes

Step 12

Prepare Sugared Fruit & Mint: Wash and dry raspberries and mint sprigs. Whisk 3 egg whites until smooth. Lightly brush 1 cups of raspberries and mint sprigs with the egg whites. Pour 1/2 cup granulated sugar in shallow bowl. Roll the egg white covered fruit and mint in sugar. All to air dry for 30 minutes on cooling rack or parchment paper.

Step 13

Prepare Chocolate Ganache: Heat 1 cup whipping cream over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil, remove from heat. Pour heated whipping cream over chopped chocolate and allow to sit 1-2 minutes to melt chocolate. Whisk the chocolate until smooth and creamy.

Step 14

Once cake has cooled, unroll. Spread whipped cream filling evenly over cake. Sprinkle non-sugared raspberries on top. Gently roll the cake in the same direction as before into a log shape.

Step 15

Cut a 2-4" slice from one end of the cake. Cut a diagonal slice from the small slice and set aside (or eat). Attach the diagonal sliced cake to one side of the log (acting as a branch off of your log).

Step 16

Frost the log with chocolate ganache, covering one end of the yule long, leaving one end and end of branch exposed with whipped cream spiral revealed. Run tines of a fork down the log to looks like bark. Decorate with additional raspberries and mint leaves (optional). Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving (optional).

Cook's Notes

You may use plain raspberries and mint leaves or the sugared as decoration for this recipe. You may use water instead of whisked egg whites for the sugared fruit, if desired.