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Buche de Noel, is a lovely traditional Christmas sponge cake styled to resemble a log. This dessert consists of a tender chocolate cake rolled and filled with a sweet homemade whipped cream then coated in a chocolate frosting. Decorated with meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberries, and rosemary, this is a festive and showstopping dessert! A Yule log on a platter with a slice of the cake on a plate in front of it. While it may look complicated to make, each component of the Yule log cake is quite straightforward and can be made ahead of time for an easier assembly. With my step-by-step guide, you’ll have this showstopper ready in no time. Ingredients needed to make a Yule log.
Eggs — eggs are easier to separate when cold. Egg whites whip up easier when closer to room temperature. I recommend separating them in advance if you have the time. It helps stabilize the egg whites, so the meringue mushrooms don’t turn out hollow. Dutch-processed cocoa will work in place of it. The higher the percentage, the better! The heavy cream must be cold as well, or it’ll affect the volume of the whipped cream.
Butter — be sure to use unsalted butter. There isn’t a consistent amount of salt between different butter brands, so it’s best to add salt as needed instead of relying on salted butter. Be sure to set out the butter beforehand, as it needs to be at room temperature so you can easily beat it for the frosting. To tell that the butter has reached room temperature, you should be able to leave a dent in the butter when you press down with your finger. Powdered sugar — also labeled as icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar, you’ll need this as a sweetener for the filling and frosting.
If you do not have any, you can make powdered sugar at home. Set of two photos showing sugar added to egg mixture and then combined with a flour mixture. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until about doubled in volume and velvety. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and sprinkle into the egg mixture, and beat just until combined. Set of two photos showing egg whites folded into a batter and then spread onto a sheet pan.
In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until light and frothy. Continue beating until stiff, about 4 minutes. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture in three batches, folding just until no white streaks remain. Spread the batter in an even layer in a parchment lined pan.
Set of two photos showing the meringue mushrooms being assembled and caked being rolled. While the cake bakes, prepare the mushroom meringues. The meringue takes 2 hours to bake, so prepare them ahead of time. Dip the flat bottom of the meringue mushroom tops in melted chocolate and place on top of a stem to form a mushroom shape. Set aside until set while you prepare the Yule log. Dust a clean tea towel with confectioners’ sugar.