Step by Step Bûche de Noël or Yule Log Cake

This is probably going to be one of the longest posts in the history of blogdom, but I hope to pass along some very helpful tips on creating a beautiful Bûche de Noël.  I love this cake because it is so woodsy and heartwarming.  I decided to start this project on December 21st, the shortest day and longest night of the year, Winter Solstice. 

The instructions below are a time-line of the cake’s assembly.  Instead of creating a separate post on how to make meringue mushrooms, I’ve included it in the time-line of this cake. Recipes will be provided at the end of the post for exact measurements. 

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with shortening. Line with parchment paper and grease parchment paper in the same manner. Set aside and prepare the sponge cake batter.


(see printable recipe at bottom for ingredient measurements)

The batter appears to be a complex task, but it is not.  Beat your egg yolks and sugar until thick. The mixture will resemble prepared cake batter.  Beat your egg whites until stiff in a separate bowl.  Flour is folded into the yolk mixture, yolk mixture is then folded into the whites. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Prepare a thin tea towel with a generous amount of powdered sugar.  I use 1/3 cup and spread the sugar with the palm of my hand to the edges. Turn cake out onto floured surface.

Fold over one end of the sugared tea towel onto the cake and begin rolling from that end.  Roll tea towel into the cake, as you would roll up a newspaper.


Leave to cool on a wire rack.  Meanwhile, you can prepare the meringue mushrooms.

Carefully prepare the meringue mixture.  Make sure all bowls and mixing tools are clean before beginning. Any spot of grease will cause your meringue to flop.  Place prepared meringue in a large piping bag. I used a disposable bag fitted with a coupler and no tip.  This made nice evenly sized mushroom caps.

Your mushroom caps will most likely have peaks after you pipe them.  With a little water, wet your index finger and press the peaks into the wet meringue.

For stems, pipe a 1″ base and continue piping,  gently lifting your bag strait up, until the stem tapers and breaks from the tip.  To me, these look like very large Hershey Kisses.  I practiced the stems with this in mind.

You’ll then bake these at 200 degrees for 45 minutes, then rotate and bake for another 45 minutes.  When time is up, turn off the oven and leave them until the oven is cool. You can also leave them overnight.

While waiting on the meringues to bake, you can begin working on the bark. I really like the natural peeling bark look of thinly layered chocolate over the whipped frosting. I use Microwaveable Fondue Chocolate in a 7 oz. tub.  It can be found at Cost Plus World Market.  You can also use any chocolate with a high fat content that melts easily and dries solid. The instructions could not be more simple.

Melt chocolate, until uniform and smooth, then heat for 30 seconds more.  Spread chocolate across a large piece of parchment, and allow to dry.  That’s pretty much it.  As you peel the chocolate off the parchment you’ll notice it will break along natural fault lines.  This is part of the beauty.  Bark is imperfect and you can’t mess this up.  Flip the chocolate to the reverse side (the part that was touching the parchment) and you’ll find bark-like impressions from the drying process.  This is from over-heating the chocolate.  Neat eh?

Your mushrooms are probably baked and cooled by now, so let’s take a look at assembly.

With a skewer, make a hole in the middle of the mushroom caps.  To affix caps to stems, you’ll need white chocolate or white easy-melt candy wafers.  Apply a little melted chocolate to the top of the mushroom stem and top with cap.  Allow to stand undisturbed until set, about 10 minutes.

While initially piping the stems, some may have fallen over (see above pic) like mine did.  Go ahead and bake them.  You can affix these on the side of the log, as if they were growing upwards (see left).

I love it. Even the rejects are pretty.

Now that our mushrooms are setting, let’s begin the sponge cake filling. 

I can’t say I love this filling.  It tastes great, but to me it’s a little too loose, and takes quite a while to firm up in the refrigerator.  I’ve included it in the printable recipe, but feel free to substitute your favorite chocolate frosting in place of this.

Gently unroll your sponge cake from the tea towel.  Spread open.  You will find it is very pliable and will not break.  Spread frosting to within 1/2″ of outer edge of cake.  For the sake of time (and daylight) I glazed the inside of the spongecake with some of the not-yet-set filling.  I would suggest letting the icing set for the recommended time if you are using the recipe provided.  If you choose to glaze as I did, use a pastry brush to paint on the glaze, and do not use the entire amount.

Re-roll cake and place on the surface from which you will be presenting it.  Here, I used a rectangular cardboard cake pad covered with aluminum foil.  Cut one end of the cake slightly on the bias and reserve piece for later use.

You are now ready to frost the outside of the cake!  I love the whipped icing this recipe calls for, it is SO very easy and nearly foolproof.  I won’t go into the making of the icing because I suspect you will have no problem in this area.  (Email if you do have problems, we’ll chat.)

The reject mushrooms (for lack of a better name) need to be placed on the log after icing, and before anything else goes on the cake.  That is, if you choose to use them.  Next, the piece of cake we bias cut earlier and saved can be placed cut-side-out and iced to the side of the log.  We could stop here, I mean it’s pretty darn cute at this stage, right?

You’ll further embellish by placing the chocolate bark pieces all around the cake.  Place as many pieces as you can on any exposed icing surface.  Use little bitty pieces to cover the icing around the reject mushrooms.

Now all that’s left is the garnishing.  Below you will see a couple of sliced almond pine cones.  I don’t have a tutorial for those in this (already very long) post.  Would you believe me if I said it’s as easy as sticking a bunch of sliced almonds into a hunk of Marzipan?  Well, it is!

I dusted the mushrooms with a little cocoa powder, to give them an authentic look.

Place mushrooms on and around cake with a little whipped icing on the base of the mushroom stems. If you still have some white chocolate leftover, it makes a nice fixitive that holds a little stonger than the icing.  Dust the entire scene with confectioner’s sugar.  Garnish with fresh flowers if desired.

[click to print]

Meringue Mushrooms

2 egg whites, at room temperature

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup white chocolate chips or candy coating

¼ cup cocoa powder

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place room temperature egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. It is important that the bowl and whisk both be very clean, so that the egg whites whip properly.

Begin beating the egg whites on medium speed. Once they are very frothy, stop the mixer and add the cream of tartar. Start the mixer again and continue to beat the egg whites. Once they form soft peaks, increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat the whites until they are very shiny and hold stiff peaks, but are not dry or crumbly.

Spoon the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip, or the open end of a coupler.

First, pipe the mushroom caps: hold the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle about ½ inch from the parchment paper. Using firm and even pressure, squeeze out a round meringue disc about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Stop squeezing, then twist the bag and lift it from the meringue to get a clean “break” from the cap. Repeat in regular intervals on the baking sheet until you have approximately 2 dozen mushroom caps. You can smooth out the tops of your mushrooms by wetting your index finger and lightly running it along the caps.

Next, pipe the mushroom stems. Again position the bag perpendicular about ½-inch from the baking sheet. Begin squeezing the bag to form a 1-inch round base. Continue to squeeze as you slowly and evenly draw the bag up, forming a tapering stem about 1.5 inches tall. Use the remaining meringue to pipe as many stems as possible—some stems invariably tilt and collapse, so you should always make extras.

Bake the meringues at 200 degrees for about 90 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. The meringues should be hard and dry to the touch, and you should be able to easily lift one from the parchment. Once the meringues are done, turn off the oven and let them sit in the oven for several hours or overnight.

To assemble the mushrooms, melt the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Use a toothpick to carve a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Dip the top of a stem in the white chocolate, and stick the chocolate-covered stem top in the hole of the mushroom cap. Place the mushroom on a baking tray to set, and repeat with remaining caps and stems.

Place the cocoa powder in a sifter, and lightly sift cocoa over the tops of the mushrooms.

Mushrooms can be stored for up to a month in an airtight container in a cool, dry room. Note that humidity can make the mushroom soft and collapse, so do not place them on a cake or in a refrigerated environment until immediately before serving.

[click to print]

Bûche de Noël

Cake and Filling:

¾ cup cake flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

5 eggs, separated

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon rum

Cocoa Frosting:

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted*

½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake and Filling:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 15-1/2X10-½-inch jelly-roll pan; line pan with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper; set pan aside. Place flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; stir to combine. Beat egg yolks and ⅔ cup granulated sugar in small bowl with electric mixer at high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored, scraping down side of bowl once. Beat in vanilla; set aside.

Beat egg whites in clean large bowl using clean beaters with electric mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.

Fold flour mixture into egg yolk mixture; fold into egg white mixture until evenly incorporated. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger.

Lightly sift powdered sugar over clean dish towel. Loosen warm cake from edges of pan; invert onto prepared towel. Remove pan; carefully peel off waxed paper. Gently roll up cake in towel from short end, jelly-roll style. Let rolled cake cool completely on wire rack.

For chocolate filling, place chocolate chips and cream in heavy 1-quart saucepan. Heat over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. Pour into small bowl; stir in rum. Cover and refrigerate about 1-½ hours or until filling is of spreading consistency, stirring occasionally.

Prepare Cocoa Frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use. (see below for frosting instructions)

Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with chilled chocolate filling to within ½ inch of edge; re-roll cake. Spread Cocoa Frosting over cake roll. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Cocoa Frosting:

Beat cream, cocoa, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Do not over beat. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

 


If you’ve made it this far through my wall o’ text and pictures, then I’d like to extend a heart-felt thank you. I really enjoyed putting this tutorial together.  Hopefully I’ve not missed anything, and if I have please let me know! I welcome your correspondence.

P.S. The chocolate bark portion is not in the printable recipe, as it is my own flourish to the completed cake.

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April
April
14 years ago

It's gorgeous!! I made one for the DBer challenge a couple of years ago and my mushrooms looked more like ice cream cones!!

Sue
Sue
14 years ago

WOW! You're amazing! Your Yule Log looks so fantastic, and your instructional tutorial is so organized and clear! Thanks so much! I probably won't be making it this year, but it will go in my file:) Merry Christmas!

cookies and cups
cookies and cups
14 years ago

wow! that is awesome! your hard work paid off!

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

well that's awesome looking 🙂 Too pretty to eat! though I don't think I'd have any issues digging in 🙂

Kitchen Butterfly
Kitchen Butterfly
14 years ago

Oh WOW…..and the post was not 'long'. We love step-by-step. Fantastic and it was great seeing it all come together. My kids would love this

Mara Campbell
Mara Campbell
14 years ago

wow wow wow!! That is one fantastic cake! Thanks for all the steps, I loved seeing how you made those mushrooms. All the details are just amazing. Thanks for sharing it all!!

Nithya
Nithya
14 years ago

Wow, I don't see myself ever making this, but if I do, I know where to come. I thoroughly enjoyed your post and photos. Thank you!

Nicole Maki
Nicole Maki
14 years ago

What an amazing cake. I have wanted to make one for years but was always tripped up by the mushrooms and the bark. Next year I plan to have this grace our Christmas table.

Great, clear instructions. Thanks so much.

Ingrid_3Bs
Ingrid_3Bs
14 years ago

WOW, it's beautiful! You did an amazing job! Plus, you really made it seem as if I could easily make one myself.
~ingrid

Katie
Katie
14 years ago

Wow, this is beautiful! I love the chocolate bark. I am definitely adding that to my recipe!

Sinful Southern Sweets
Sinful Southern Sweets
14 years ago

So gorgeous! I have always wanted to make one of these. I saw a similar "log cake" the other day that was called a Lincoln Log (for presidents day) Maybe I'll have to try your recipe and we'll call it a president's day specialty!

Judy
Judy
14 years ago

wow. this yule log is pretty much the most badass thing ever!

saheel88
saheel88
13 years ago

Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, I made the cake. and I was overjoyed when she secured it, taste delicious and wonderful and impressed my family and friends, that allowed me the opportunity I will send you pictures, but my applied a beginning and you are a professional. My success in the application of this recipe encouraged by the experience of other recipes. You're wonderful and I'm
very impressed the way you love your cooking. I repeat my thanks once again

Viagra Online
Viagra Online
13 years ago

I have never tried a piece of this amazing cake, I am feeling so good to eat this wonderful cake, making this wonder everybody will get impressed with this.

Brooke
Brooke
13 years ago

I am endeavoring to make this for my son's birthday party this weekend. It is so beautiful I hope I can do it justice! I am trying to do some of the steps ahead of time to save myself a headache on party day. If I make the chocolate bark early on in the week and put it in the fridge will it be all sweaty once I put it on the cake?

Brooke
Brooke
13 years ago

Thanks so much for this tutorial! It went off great. One person asked where I bought it!

alyona
alyona
13 years ago

I can't wait till Christmas where I can have access to a kitchen…this looks amazing! very delicious, although it would be a bit hard letting people devour this masterpiece so quickly! 🙂

Amy
Amy
13 years ago

Omg, this is so beautiful!!! I will have to try this next Christmas!!! Can't wait. Thank you for the tutorial!

snippets of thyme
snippets of thyme
13 years ago

I cannot wait to make this yule log cake. I make a buche every Christmas. I think I have mine in my blog in the "Labor for my Love" post (Sept). My husband asked me to make one for his birthday. Like you did at first, I cringe at my initial photography attempts. I am getting better at the photo part but I have always wanted a better looking buche. Thank you for all of your photo tips. I cannot wait to go down this culinary path!

acheter levitra
acheter levitra
12 years ago

SO many times I read stupid post but this time I must say i'm impressed! Well done! Cheers!

Amanda
Amanda
12 years ago

the pine cone! w o w

Jenn
Jenn
12 years ago

I used your techniques (I decorated a store bought pumpkin roll) last night and I really liked the results. I would have liked more information about making meringue (I googled how to do it and failed twice before getting something usable) and my chocolate didn't get the white bark texture but i tore it apart and it worked out great. I used the brown frosting (I made chocolate cream cheese buttercream) to attach the mushroom caps and it looked nice, like the brown gills(?) of a mushroom. Sprinkled Cinn, Coco, and P. Sugar. I even make the pine cones using… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

SWEET! (literally) 🙂

Cuisinart ss 700
Cuisinart ss 700
12 years ago

This is very sweet. Best if we add up a nice coffee using Cuisinart ss 700

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

What a pretty yule log cake! I can't wait to try and make it this christmas. I went to Cost Plus to look for the microwavable chocolate fondue but no luck. Would candy melts work? Not sure how to look for chocolate that dries solid.

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

MAde this 2 days ago. It turned out AWESOME! It was so pretty no one wanted to cut it! What are those cool green ferns? you have on the platter?

Life's Lesson and Lecture
Life's Lesson and Lecture
11 years ago

This is THE.BEST. Yule log I've ever seen. and you made it seems like this was so easy to make.. salute!

Life's Lesson and Lecture
Life's Lesson and Lecture
11 years ago

by the way.. I can't make the wood bark exactly like yours.. the colors never seems right.. can you tell me the trick?

AJ Koser
AJ Koser
11 years ago

This is by far the coolest thing I've ever seen! I'm making it this year and I can't wait! Thank you so much for sharing this with us and please don't worry, it was not a "long" post at all. the instructions were so clear, photos are great and we would be happy to hear even more. 😀

Willow
Willow
11 years ago

Hi, I was wondering if it was possible to use a pan that was deeper than 1 inch for this cake. Would it still work?
Thanks

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
11 years ago

Yes! It will still work!

Willow
Willow
11 years ago

Delish! Made it here- http://bluelacedaisy.blogspot.com/2012/12/x-mas-eve.html Everybody loved it!

Sarah
Sarah
10 years ago

Hi Heather!
I love your site, and I love your Yule Log, but the recipes don't seem to be available on this page anymore and I'd love to use your cake for the base of my roulade. Can you repost the recipes?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
10 years ago

Hi Sarah, you can find it here. The recipe cards in this post may not show up if you're using a mobile device.
http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/171105/print/ -let me know if the link doesn't work. I'll add the recipe in the blog post text (which I need to do soon anyway)

-h

Unknown
Unknown
9 years ago

What a fun time! My 10 year old daughter and I spent a lazy day yesterday making this cake. Your clear instructions and photos really helped bring this amazing cake presentation down to our level. It turned out so "real" looking, especially the mushrooms and the bark. This is our new December 26 tradition, so thank you very much for the fun! TIP: If it is less than 40 degrees outside, try putting your filling outside to chill if it is runny. Ours thickened so quickly, we had to microwave it for 10 second intervals to be able to stir.… Read more »

FoodMamaNYC
FoodMamaNYC
8 years ago

Just wanted to say that I made your cake, step by step, for christmas eve this year and it came out perfect! Thank you for such a fantastic recipe. The only thing i changed wss instead of the rum in the chocolate spread filling I replaced it with strong espresso. Delicious!!! Thanks

Anonymous
Anonymous
7 years ago

can i make the cake part a day in advance, then the next day do the filing and decorating? Thank you

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
7 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Hi Florence – yes! Absolutely. The cake will keep well.

Tyson Harold
Tyson Harold
6 years ago

Wow nice.

BountyHunter
BountyHunter
3 years ago

Hi, great recipe. Thank you! Any chance you can fix the link to the printable version for the cake itself? Both printable links end up being for the meringue.

Den M
Den M
4 months ago

Heather, You have a detailed, lengthy post here, thank you for this very necessary guidance. I am going to ask you a detailed, lengthy question, I hope you can offer some direction.  Last Christmas season I made your cigars and wowed my guests, we had so much fun playing card games while waving and “chewing” our delicious cigars. You were able to give me some great tips, they came out perfectly. This year I want to do a yule log with a variety of components from your different options. My questions: I love the idea and consistency of the chocolate pudding… Read more »