Christmas Yule Log Cake, or Bûche De Noël, a traditional Christmas cake in the shape of a log. Moist chocolate sponge, with a mascarpone chocolate buttercream filling, and a chocolate buttercream icing that has a hint of orange - this is the very definition of indulgence.
This French Christmas cake is a must-bake at Christmas, not only it looks festive, but it's heavenly scrumptious too. There are many variations out there, but mine is a well simplified version that still delivers when it comes to big flavours though.
The chocolate sponge only uses a few ingredients, and it's out of the oven in 2 shakes on a lamb's tail. For the filling and topping I chose to go for the same delicious orange and chocolate buttercream, but the half used for the filling has added mascarpone for a richer, creamier touch.
You can totally omit the mascarpone if you wish, and that's won't alter much the final product. But its silkiness and utter creaminess makes it impossible to resist not adding a bit of it for an ever better filling.
It might look complicated, but it's actually very easy to get the log shape, and the beauty about it, you don't need to be extra skillful to get a super sooth topping, just spread the cream with a butter knife, and you get a beautiful presentation.
HOW TO MAKE YULE LOG CAKE
The prep itself is minimal, what takes longer is the cooling time, as the sponge has to be completely cooled before adding the cream and filling to it, otherwise it will melt and create a lot of unnecessary mess.
For the chocolate sponge:
- in a bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until it triples its volume and has a pale yellow colour
- sift in the flour and cocoa powder, and fold in gently using a spatula
- line a rectangle baking tray with non-stick paper, spread the batter over, and bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes or until golden
For the orange chocolate buttercream
- break the chocolate into pieces, and add it to a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of boiling water to melt
- beat the soft butter, icing sugar, orange extract and milk to get a smooth icing
- add the melted chocolate and beat again
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE YULE LOG CAKE
We have the basic recipe, all that is left is to assemble the cake, which is a super easy job. Once the sponge is baked, leave it to cool slightly, then roll it starting from a long side, then leave to cool completely while rolled. This will prevent the sponge from breaking later on.
The chocolate buttercream can now be divided into to bowls. Once half will be used for decorating, the second half will have mascarpone added for an even creamier touch.
Unroll the sponge, spread the mascarpone cream over, and roll again. Cut about a quarter of the roll, and stick it on the side of the roll. Cover with icing using a knife to look like bark. Sprinkle caster sugar on top.
This log is such a treat! Another yummy roll, my Chocolate Cake Roll can be another luxurious addition to your festive dessert menu. Do give them a go!
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Christmas Yule Log Cake, or Bûche De Noël, a traditional Christmas cake in the shape of a log. Moist chocolate sponge, with a mascarpone chocolate buttercream filling, and a chocolate buttercream icing that has a hint of orange - this is the very definition of indulgence. My variation of the classic Christmas cake is easy to make, and uses simple ingredients. Delicious, a must-bake over the festive season.
- 3 eggs
- 100 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 60 g self-raising flour
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 150 g butter, at room temperature
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoon mascarpone
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To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
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In a bowl, add the eggs, lemon juice and sugar, and beat well with an electric mixer until the mixture triples its volume, and has a pale yellow colour.
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Add the flour and cocoa powder, and use a spatula to combine all the ingredients into a smooth batter.
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Line a rectangle baking tray with non-stick paper, spread the mixture evenly, then bake for 15 minutes until the sponge springs back when pressed.
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Leave the sponge to cool slightly, still keeping the non-stick paper on, and roll it starting from the long side.
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Leave to cool completely while still rolled.
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To make the cream, beat the soft butter with the icing sugar, orange extract and milk to get a smooth cream.
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Break the chocolate into pieces and add them to a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
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Leave to melt, then add the melted chocolate to the buttercream, and mix well.
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Divide the cream into 2 parts.
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Add the mascarpone to one half of the cream, and mix well.
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When the sponge is cooled, unroll it, and spread the mascarpone cream over it.
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Roll it again starting from the long side.
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Cut about a quarter of the cake, and attach it to one side of the roll.
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Spread the buttercream on top, and use a knife to spread it so that the icing looks like bark.
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Sprinkle icing sugar over the cake.
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
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