Impress with an Easy Buche de Noel Recipe

Create a show-stopping dessert for the holidays.

 Words by Justin Butts Recipe by Kayla Butts Photo by Rachel Benavides

Buche de Noel, or yule log cake, is a classic French dessert. In ancient France, a specially prepared yule log was ceremoniously burned in the hearth on winter solstice. The ashes from this log were said to have medicinal properties. French chefs transformed the idea of a magical yule log into a culinary work of art: Buche de Noel.

Buche de Noel covers all the elements of French dessert baking. With this simplified recipe, anyone can prepare, from scratch, a sponge, meringue, filling, ganache, syrup, and gorgeous piped decorations. This sophisticated cake is actually quite easy once broken down into its component steps. Follow the numbers, and this unforgettable dessert will quickly become a favorite for any Christmas table, pot luck, or holiday office party.   

The greatest challenge in a Buche de Noel is the rolling, but this flourless sponge is quite moist and malleable compared to a typical cake sponge. Make sure to roll the sponge tightly the second time around with the mascarpone cream filling to give the center its signature tight spiral layers.

The most fun part of making this cake is piping the marzipan mushrooms and fungi. These delicious garnishes would make an amazing dessert all on their own. Be careful when applying the chocolate bark, because temptations arise to eat the entire batch during the application—it really is that good.  

For that matter, hide this cake well until the big reveal, or it will disappear faster than a magical yule log in the fire.

How to Make Buche de Noel (Yule Log Cake):

Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Directions:

Sponge:
Preheat oven to 400°F. With a stand or handheld mixer, beat egg whites and salt together until stiff peaks are formed. Clean mixer and bowl. Beat egg yolks and sugar until batter forms a ribbon as it falls off the beater. Mix in sifted cocoa powder and vanilla. 

Stir a large spoonful of meringue into the yolk mixture. Fold resulting yolk mixture into the meringue until well-incorporated. Pour batter into a 9”x13” cake pan lined with parchment paper that has been greased with non-stick baking spray.

Bake for 12-16 minutes, until cake is fully set. While cake is still warm, invert it onto a clean dish towel coated with a thin layer of confectioner’s sugar. Using the towel, roll the cake up like a Swiss roll and leave to cool. 

Mascarpone Filling:
In a standing mixer, beat mascarpone and sugar until creamy. Set mascarpone mixture aside. Beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold whipping cream into mascarpone and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Syrup:
In a medium-sized sauce pan, cook water, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla over medium heat. Stirring mixture constantly, heat for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. 

Chocolate Ganache:
Set up a double boiler, and heat the water to a simmer. Finely chop the chocolate. Add the chocolate and cream to the top of the double boiler and cook, stirring constantly, until melted. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Meringue Mushrooms & Fungi:
Preheat oven to 200°F. In a standing mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fill a pipette bag or a plastic storage bag with the end cut off with meringue. Pipette meringue disks, pulling the tip off to the side to prevent having a pointy top to your mushroom, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pipette small dollops, about 1/2”- 3/4” in diameter, and pull bag straight up to finish. Stems should have a conical shape. For fungi, pipette a small circle and spread it out using a spatula until it’s about 1/8” thick. Dust mushroom tops and fungi with cocoa powder. 

Bake meringue for about an hour and a half, until dry. To assemble mushrooms, apply a small amount of ganache to the top of the stem, and use it to adhere the top. 

Assembly:
Unroll cooled sponge and brush on syrup. Dollop filling in the center of the sponge, and spread outward until the surface is covered with a 1/2” cream. Roll the cake in the same direction as it was when it was cooling and place it, seam side down, onto serving tray. Cover sponge with ganache, and if desired, finish with chocolate “bark.” Decorate with meringue mushrooms and fungi. Dust cake with confectioner’s sugar and store in a cool place until ready to serve.