Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake )

Our youngest daughter has been taking French in Middle School, and their teacher has offered extra credit opportunities, occasionally through the opportunity to cook an authentically French dish!  Because it was the holidays, her French teacher provided a recipe for Bûche de Noël, an extremely popular traditional desert that many French Bakeries will make to order, as long as you submit your order months in advance!

It is a challenging recipe to make, with multiple stages and steps, but our daughter took on the challenge, and spent a few hours making it remarkably successfully for her first attempt!  It turned out delicious.  Although we did learn that because the recipe uses Mascarpone cheese (I had her substitute Cream Cheese), any un-eaten portions should be refrigerated, or it may unsettle the stomach after a couple of days!

Also, this recipe makes a lot!  We created a smaller version than the recipe called for, and it was more than our family of six could eat!

Each of  the photographs I used are from her first attempt, and spruced up very nicely with some fresh rosemary from our spice garden, still thriving outside our house even though it was December!

Introduction:

This classic Bûche de Noël is a tender chocolate sponge cake filled with mascarpone whipped cream and covered with whipped chocolate ganache! It’s delicious, festive, traditional, and made completely from scratch!

Burning a yule log is a Christmas tradition that dates back before Medieval Times. People would carefully select a Christmas tree, bring it into their home and place the largest end into the fire. The whole tree would be burned and keep the fire going for the day.

A Yule Log Cake, also known as a Bûche de Noël, is a cake made based on that old tradition. Fortunately for us, we won’t burn it – we’ll eat it! It’s basically a chocolate sponge cake roll that’s filled with cream and covered with chocolate ganache and made to look like a log.

How to Make a Yule Log Cake

When making a Yule Log Cake, you’ll start by making the chocolate cake. If you’ve ever made a Pumpkin Cake Roll, it’s very similar, but uses a larger pan size. The larger size allows for you to later cut part of the log off and attach it to the side for a little branch. Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper, which will be used later to roll the cake in.

After the cake is baked and while it’s still hot, use the parchment paper to lift it out of the cake pan. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the cake up tightly using the parchment paper that it’s on. Allow the cake to cool completely. This will allow the cake to keep it’s shape and not break when you unroll and fill it.

Make the filling and spread it evenly over the cooled cake, then re-roll it. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until cool and firm.

How to Decorate a Yule Log Cake

When it’s time to decorate the cake, you’ll make the chocolate ganache. Whipping the chocolate ganache will make it a little lighter (in color and texture), but you can use it as is – without whipping it.

So while the cake is chilling, make the chocolate ganache. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature, then whip it on high speed until lightened, fluffy and spreadable.

Cut a piece of the log off (about 3 inches in length) and use a little chocolate ganache to attach it to the side of the cake to make it look like a branch.  Spread the chocolate ganache over the cake, leaving the ends exposed. Use a fork to create bark lines in the cake, then decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

When you’re done, you’ll have an amazing chocolate Bûche de Noël to serve for Christmas!

Why did my Daughter's French Teacher Select this Recipe?

There’s a lot to love about this particular Yule Log Recipe...

• The cake itself. Some cake recipes tend to be tough and lack flavor. This cake uses a little bit different method where only the egg whites are whipped and added at the end. It lends a much more tender cake. It also uses dark cocoa for better flavor.
• The filling. Rather than filling it with a simple whipped cream, it uses traditional mascarpone whipped cream. It doesn’t take over the cake, but lends a flavor that is just a little more special.
• The whipped chocolate ganache. The whipped texture of the ganache lightens it up and keeps this cake from feeling heavy when eating it. 
• Since the cake and filling are so light, it needs a light frosting. The whipped chocolate ganache has rich flavor, with a light texture. Remarkable!

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp sour cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mascarpone Whipped Cream Filling

• 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract1/8 tsp salt
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened but still chilled*
• Optionally substitute with Cream Cheese
  
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 17×12 inch jelly roll sheet pan with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper sticks up at least an inch above the sides of the pan on all sides. You’ll use the parchment paper later to lift the cake out of the pan and roll it up.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk together until well combined.
4. Add the sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredient mixture (previously set aside) to the wet ingredient mixture and gently whisk together until well combined, then set aside.
6. Add the egg whites to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen up the batter.
8. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until well combined.
9. 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.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on the counter.
11. While the cake is hot, use the parchment paper the cake was baked in and start at the shorter end of the cake to slowly roll the cake up. 
12. You can just set the cake roll aside to cool completely, if you like. But to avoid the cake from cracking later, it is recommended to unroll and re-roll the cake a few times during cooling to help it keep its elasticity. 
13. First unroll it after about 5 minutes, then after another 5 minutes, and again after another 10 minutes. From there, you can roll it out 2-3 more times after 10-15 minute intervals. 
14. It should take about an hour to an hour and a half to cool completely, depending on the temperature of your home.
15. You’ll want to fill it once it’s completely cool. Don’t let it sit for several hours.

When the cake has cooled and is ready to be filled, make the filling:

1. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add the mascarpone cheese (optionally cream cheese or Neufchâtel) to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
3. Unroll the cake roll very carefully, looking out for areas where it may be sticking to release it. You can use an offset spatula or something similar and run it along the parchment paper as you unroll the cake to help release it as it unrolls.
4. Spread the filling evenly onto the unrolled cake, then roll it back up without the parchment paper.
5. Wrap it up in plastic wrap with the seam side down and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

When you’re ready to decorate the cake, make the chocolate ganache:

1. Add the chocolate to a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in the microwave just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate.
2. Allow the chocolate and cream to sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. 
3. Let the ganache cool to about room temperature (or cooler, you don’t want it too warm/thin), then transfer to a large mixer bowl.
4. Whip on high speed until lightened in color and thick enough to spread.

To decorate the cake, use a large serrated knife to gently cut off a piece of the log about 3 inches in length. Make the cut with a slight diagonal.

1. Use some of the chocolate ganache to attach the small log to the side of the larger log.
2. Spread the remaining chocolate ganache all over the cake, then use a fork to create bark-like lines all over it. Decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary (instructions in notes), if desired.
3. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
   
   

Additional Notes

Cocoa powder: The recipe originally listed Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. You can use any Dutch process cocoa powder, including Hershey’s. The Dutch process cocoa gives the cake a richer chocolate flavor than natural unsweetened cocoa powder, but you can also use that.

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs w/ powdered sugar (simplified):  My daughter didn't want to go to the trouble of cooking sugared cranberry's, so instead she went out to our garden and cut a few sizes of Rosemary Sprigs, arranged them decoratively on the plate, and sprinkled with powdered sugar to represent freshly fallen snow!

How to make sugared cranberries and rosemary (optional): 

1. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until sugar has melted. 
3. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. 
4. Spread 1/2 cup of sugar evenly on a shallow dish. 
5. Dip cranberries and rosemary springs to the sugar water, then roll in the sugar. 
6. Let dry before adding to the cake. You can use some of the clumps of sugar left behind to add “snow” to the cake.

Cheese Options: Neufchâtel Cheese is often used by French bakeries, but Mascarpone is also used.  We used Cream Cheese, as that is more readily available, and has the closest match in flavour and texture to  Mascarpone cheese.  French Neufchâtel cheese and cream cheese contain similar ingredients, but their production processes differ. Namely, cream cheese involves cream and pasteurization while Neufchâtel involves neither. 

If using Mascarpone, it is best when still cool, but softened, so that it’ll incorporate without chunks, but not get too warm. The warmer mascarpone cheese is, the more likely it is to soften to the point that it won’t firm up well again and can make too soft of a whipped filling.

Traditional Neufchâtel, which dates back to the sixth century and is the oldest cheese in France, is a cow’s milk cheese that often comes in a heart shape. When the soft cheese ripens, French Neufchâtel develops a soft, edible rind like that found on Brie or Camembert cheese.  Neufchâtel cheese takes its name from the maritime commune of Neufchâtel-en-Bray in Normandy.

Mascarpone Cheese offers a richer, sweeter, buttery taste and velvety texture due to its high fat content (Italian "triple cream"), ideal for light mousses and tiramisu; Mascarpone is less stable and needs careful mixing, whereas cream cheese holds shape well but can be dense, often requiring whipping with cream to mimic mascarpone's lightness.

Cream Cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese with origins in the United States. In the late 1800s, William Lawrence, a dairyman in New York, created the first cream cheese after buying a Neufchâtel factory and adding cream to the cheesemaking process. This cream cheese—sometimes dubbed “American cream cheese” or “regular cream cheese”—cannot bear a Neufchâtel label, as it doesn’t hail from France, where Neufchâtel cheese originates.