Bûche de Noël Cake
This traditional French Christmas dessert combines a light chocolate sponge cake rolled with whipped cream and covered in a silky ganache. Decorated with meringue mushrooms, this festive Yule Log looks stunning and tastes decadent yet surprisingly easy to make.
Equipment
- stand mixer
- mixing bowls
- whisk attachment
- parchment paper
- jelly roll pan (10x15 inch)
- pastry bag
- spatula
- tea towel
- paring knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy cream (for filling)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (for filling)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour chocolate pieces into a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream until small bubbles form, then pour over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Chill until spreadable.
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add sugar gradually until stiff peaks form. Pipe mushroom tops and stems onto parchment and bake 1¼–1½ hours. Let cool in the oven with the door ajar, then assemble with ganache and dust with cocoa powder.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat eggs until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Sift together flour, corn starch, and cocoa powder, then fold into eggs. Spread batter on a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan lined with parchment and bake 10 minutes. Roll in a towel dusted with powdered sugar and cool for 30 minutes.
- Whip heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks. Chill until ready to use.
- Unroll the cooled cake, spread filling evenly, then roll back up. Frost with ganache, attach a small diagonal slice to form a knot, and decorate with meringue mushrooms. Dust with powdered sugar and cocoa powder before serving.
Notes
To make a vanilla filling instead of chocolate, omit the cocoa powder in the filling step. The meringue mushrooms can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. For extra flair, decorate with sugared cranberries or rosemary sprigs for a snowy woodland look.