Using a detailed recipe, step-by-step photos, and a complete video tutorial, let me show you how to make a lovely from-scratch yule log, also known as a Bûche De Noël in French. This traditional Christmas cake is decorated to resemble a log. My recipe starts with a cocoa flavored sponge cake that we’ll fill with cocoa hazelnut whipped cream. We’ll top it with chocolate ganache and a variety of fun optional garnishes including mushroom shaped meringues plus sugared cranberries and rosemary for a shimmery finishing touch. It’s show-stopping and elaborate, yet completely doable in your home kitchen!
Christmas is a time rich with tradition. Christmas cookies for Santa, ornaments and decorations, jingle bells and hot cocoa by the fire. For some and in European regions, it’s making a yule log cake, also known as a Bûche De Noël in French. I’ve tasted plenty during the holiday seasons, but hadn’t attempted a from-scratch recipe until this year. Initially overwhelmed by the process, I learned that it’s just like other at-home baking projects: fun quality time in the kitchen. Made even better with an extra dose of chocolate!
By the way, here’s another at-home baking project: a homemade gingerbread house with a free printable template for constructing it.
Tell Me About This Yule Log Cake
- Texture: Underneath all this festive decor, we have a soft and airy sponge cake. If you’ve tasted angel food cake before, you’ve had sponge cake. What’s interesting about sponge cake is that, unlike most cake recipes, it’s (usually) made without butter or oil. All of the magic happens with the eggs, a crucial ingredient in any sponge cake recipe. Note: I include a touch of oil in this cake for added moisture.
- Flavor: My Bûche De Noël includes a light cocoa cake, cocoa hazelnut whipped cream spiked with Frangelico (can definitely skip the booze if you want), and is topped with smooth chocolate ganache. Since ganache is incredibly rich, the other elements have lighter cocoa flavors. In fact, the cake tastes like a mug of hot cocoa.
- Ease: Advanced, but it’s a fun project to do by yourself or with your family. If you watch the video tutorial and read through the very detailed recipe prior to beginning, you’ll be set up for success.
- Assembly: If you’ve ever made pumpkin roll or any other jelly roll cake before, you’re familiar with this assembly. If you haven’t, it’s nothing to be nervous about as long as you have a solid recipe and the right equipment. (Tools list below.) Have fun with the garnishes and watch my video tutorial before beginning.
- Time: Yule log cakes aren’t anything you can rush; this recipe will take you all day. My advice is to concentrate on one element/step at a time. Make sure you’re following the cooling and chilling times closely. I don’t want you to ruin all your efforts by not letting portions of this recipe cool/thicken/set up properly.
Yule Log Christmas Cake Video Tutorial
4 Parts to This Yule Log Cake:
- Cocoa Sponge Cake
- Cocoa Hazelnut Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Ganache
- Decorations
Let’s review each part with step-by-step photos to guide us along.
Cocoa Sponge Cake
Start by whisking a few of the ingredients together. In terms of volume, there isn’t much: cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder for added lift, and a little salt. Eggs are the cake’s main ingredients. Separate the eggs, then whip the egg whites with sugar into stiff peaks. Set those aside. Then whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, a little oil for moisture, and vanilla extract until thickened. You get more volume with room temperature eggs than cold eggs. Before beginning, set the eggs in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes to warm them up.
Below left: whipped egg whites + sugar. And below right: thickened egg yolk mixture.
Below left: In 2 additions, fold the fluffy egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. And below right: In 2 additions, fold in the dry ingredients. Like the finished cake, the cake batter is very light and airy.
Bake the cake roll in a 12×17 inch pan. So there’s plenty of cake for sectioning off and decorating, this a larger roll cake than my champagne cake roll and red velvet cake roll, both of which are baked in a 10×15 inch pan. Feel free to use any of my roll cake recipes as the base of your bûche de Noël, but know that if they’re baked in a smaller pan, you’ll have a smaller cake.
How to Shape a Yule Log
Shaping a cake roll is easier than it looks. There are two tricks:
- The 1st trick is to roll the cake up, without filling, while it’s still hot. Why? If the cake cools in the rolled shape, it will make rolling the cake with the filling inside EASIER.
- The 2nd trick is to roll the cake up with a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment paper. Why? The warm cake will be sticky and stick to itself otherwise. Dust the towel or parchment paper with cocoa powder to prevent any chance of sticking!
These two tricks help guarantee no rips, no cracks, and no sticking.
Cocoa Hazelnut Whipped Cream
As the warm rolled cake cools down, make your whipped filling. Heavy cream is the base and we’ll sweeten it with a little confectioners’ sugar and flavor it with cocoa powder and hazelnut liqueur. Feel free to swap with the same amount of another flavored liqueur such as amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, or other. You can also replace the alcohol with strong (cold or room temperature) coffee or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Or if you want to skip the cocoa and liqueur in the filling completely, make this whipped frosting instead.
Feel free to add finely chopped hazelnuts on top of the whipped filling. As you roll the cake, if it appears sticky and moist, dust with more cocoa powder.
Assembling the Yule Log
One end of the yule log cake is traditionally cut off and placed on the side or on top of the roll to resemble a branch. You can cut it at a diagonal angle as pictured below:
Chocolate Ganache
I have a separate and very detailed post showing you how to make chocolate ganache. Feel free to review it if you’re a beginner. You need 2 ingredients: pure chocolate and warmed heavy cream. The ganache is very thin right after you make it, so it’s imperative you let it cool down before using. Ganache thickens as it cools.
Spread the thickened ganache all over your shaped cake. This next part is easy– lightly drag a fork through the ganache so that it resembles tree bark.
Decorating Your Bûche De Noël/Yule Log
Your cake is nearly complete! Some garnish suggestions include:
- meringue mushrooms (recipe below)
- sugared cranberries & rosemary (recipe below)
- pinecones set on your platter
- herbs & edible flowers
- shaped marzipan
- chocolate shavings
- a dusting of confectioners’ sugar to resemble snow
I’m extremely detailed in these recipe directions, so don’t be overwhelmed. If I can do this, you can do this. See my make ahead instructions if you want to get prepared– there’s plenty of ways you can prep this yule log cake in advance. Take your time and enjoy the festive process. Wishing you a season of good cheer. We all need it!
Tools You Need:
- Electric Mixer (hand or stand) for cake batter, meringues, and filling.
- An egg separator is very helpful for the eggs.
- 12×17 inch baking pan for the cake.
- Parchment paper for lining the pan. I love these sheets.
- Offset spatula for spreading the whipped cream filling and ganache.
- Fine mesh strainer for dusting cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar.
- Wilton 2A piping tip or any tip with around a 1/2 inch opening (plus a disposable or reusable piping bag) for meringue mushrooms.
- Thin kitchen/tea towel or parchment paper. You need either for rolling the cake, but I strongly recommend a towel because it’s better at helping to prevent cake cracks. It will get pretty dirty from the cocoa powder and cake, but stains should come right out in the wash especially if you rinse it with warm water first.
- Plus the usuals: mixing bowls, whisk, rubber spatula, cutting board, saucepan, etc
- Pictured: large white platter from Juliska’s Whitewash Berry & Thread line and square appetizer Christmas plates from Pottery Barn
Bûche De Noël (Yule Log)
- Prep Time: 8 hours (includes cranberries)
- Cook Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (includes meringues)
- Total Time: 10 hours
- Yield: 10-12 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Description
The meringue mushrooms and sugared cranberries & rosemary are completely optional garnishes. The recipe below includes both. For all make-ahead instructions, see recipe notes. I recommend watching the video tutorial above and reading the full recipe below before beginning. There’s a lot of cooling down, chilling, and other moving parts here!
Ingredients
Sugared Cranberries & Rosemary
- 1 cup (120g) fresh cranberries*
- 4–5 rosemary sprigs (optional)
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup (240ml) water
Cake
- 1 and 1/3 cups (157g) cake flour
- 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For Rolling
- 3 Tablespoons (15g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
Meringue Mushrooms
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature
- less than 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (about 1/16 teaspoon)
- pinch salt
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder (optional for dusting)
- 1 ounces (28g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Cocoa Hazelnut Whipped Cream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) Frangelico liqueur
- 1/4 cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (5g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (60g) finely chopped hazelnuts (optional)
Ganache Topping
- 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the sugared cranberries and rosemary: If you want to decorate the cake with sugared cranberries and rosemary, start them the night before because they need to sit for several hours. Place cranberries and rosemary in a large bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of sugar and the water to a boil and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Pour sugar syrup over the cranberries and rosemary and stir to combine. Let the cranberries and rosemary sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator (lightly covered) for 6 hours or overnight. You’ll notice the sugar syrup is quite thick after this amount of time. Drain the cranberries and rosemary from the syrup and pour 1 cup of sugar on top. Toss to coat. Pour the sugared cranberries and rosemary on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet and let them dry for at least 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 12×17 inch baking pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter, so the parchment paper sticks. Then line it with parchment paper so the cake seamlessly releases. Spray or grease the parchment paper too. We want an extremely nonstick surface for this cake roll.
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside until the next step. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and 1/2 cup (100g) sugar together on high speed for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl. Using the same mixing bowl you just had the egg whites in (no need to clean it), add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat together on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until thickened and light in color.
- Add half of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Beat on low speed for 10 seconds. Repeat with remaining egg whites and beat on low for 10 seconds. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low or fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture. Avoid over-mixing and deflating those egg whites. Batter will be very light.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Gently bang the pan on the counter a couple times to pop any air bubbles. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly poked with your finger. Cake will look a little bubbly on top when it’s done. That’s ok. Avoid over-baking cake because it will crack if over-baked. As the cake bakes, get started on the next step.
- Prepare to roll: As the cake bakes, place a piece of parchment paper (larger than the cake) or a thin kitchen/tea towel flat on the counter. (Note: I find a kitchen towel is better to help prevent cracking.) Using a fine mesh sieve, dust parchment/towel with 3 Tablespoons (15g) of cocoa powder. Once the cake comes out of the oven, quickly run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Immediately invert it onto the parchment/towel. Peel off the parchment paper that was on the bottom of the cake as it baked. Starting with the narrow end, begin tightly rolling the hot cake up with the parchment/towel. Do this slowly and gently. The cake will be warm. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up in the parchment/towel. Feel free to place it in the refrigerator to speed it up, about 3 hours and up to 1 day.
- During this time, make the meringue mushrooms: Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a completely clean residue-free large glass or metal mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg white, cream of tartar, and salt together on high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes– this is a small amount and the whisk on a stand mixer might not reach it, so whisk by hand until foamy if needed. With the mixer running on high speed, slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Snip off the end of a plastic bag or fit a round piping tip in a piping bag. I use and recommend Wilton 2A piping tip or any tip with around a 1/2 inch opening. Pipe quarter-sized circles (these will be the round mushroom tops) and 1-inch tall cones (these will be the stems). You will have enough meringue batter for about 16 mushrooms. I usually only make 8-12 and discard leftovers, but feel free to make all 16. Using a moistened finger (just a dab of water is fine), smooth down any peaks. If desired, lightly dust mushroom tops with cocoa powder using a fine mesh sieve. Bake for 2 hours. Do not open the oven as the meringues bake. Turn off the oven after 2 hours and let the meringues sit inside the cooling oven for 20 minutes. Remove meringues from the oven and cool completely. When they’re just about cool, melt the 1 ounce of chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. If using the microwave, melt in 15 second increments, stopping and stirring between each until melted and smooth. Cool for 5-10 minutes. (Easier to adhere mushrooms if the melted chocolate is a bit cool.) Once meringues have cooled, use a flat spatula to remove them from the baking sheets. Dot a bit of chocolate onto the center of the bottom of a mushroom top. Adhere a mushroom stem to it. Place back on the baking sheet to set. If stems or tops still have a little peak, scrape off with a knife or your spatula, as you see me do in the video above. Leaning them against the rim is helpful if they keep toppling over. Repeat with remaining tops and stems to form mushrooms. Let chocolate cool and harden, about 1 hour.
- Remove the cake roll from the refrigerator and allow to sit on the counter for a few minutes to warm up as you prepare the whipped cream.
- Make the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, Frangelico, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa powder on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
- Gently and very slowly unroll the cake. Spread whipped cream evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the cake. I like using a large or small offset spatula to spread. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top. Gently roll the cake back up, without the parchment/towel this time. Roll it slowly. This part is messy. Carefully place on a cutting board. If the exterior of the cake looks moist, dust with a little cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days before shaping and topping with ganache.
- Make the ganache topping: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil– that’s too hot.) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Ganache will be thin, so it has to thicken before using. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour to thicken.
- Remove rolled cake from the refrigerator. Diagonally slice a 3-4 inch section off one end. At this point, I usually place the cake on a serving platter. Place the angled side against a side of the roll, forming a branch. Slowly pour and spread thickened ganache all over the top and sides of cake. Feel free to leave the cut ends exposed (as you see in these photos) or spread ganache over the ends– there should be plenty of ganache to use. Use a fork to make textured lines resembling tree bark. Feel free to wipe the serving plate if ganache dripped all over.
- Decorate with meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberries and rosemary, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
- Cover leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can get started on the sugared cranberries and rosemary 1 day ahead of time. See step 1. You can make the meringue mushrooms in advance (step 7) as long as the weather is dry. (Humidity will ruin them.) Store at room temperature for up to 2-3 days before using. You can make the roll cake in advance (steps 2-6) because it must cool/chill completely before filling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. You can also refrigerate the filled cake roll (steps 9-10) for up to 2 days. You can make the whipped cream (step 9) 1 day in advance too. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. You can make the chocolate ganache topping (step 11) 1 day in advance, but if you let it sit for longer than 1 hour, it will thicken too much. If refrigerating for longer than 1 hour, cover it. To thin it out when ready to use, stir and warm it in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water for about 1 minute. Do not microwave it. Entire cake can be made 1-2 days in advance too. (Steps 1-12.) Cover and refrigerate until ready to decorate and serve. You can also freeze the assembled cake before or after adding the ganache. (Steps 1-11 or 12.) Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before continuing with the recipe. It’s best to decorate with sugared cranberries, meringues, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar (step 13) closest to serving.
- Cranberries: Use fresh cranberries, not frozen. The sugar syrup doesn’t coat evenly on the frozen berries, leaving you with plain shriveled cranberries.
- Frangelico Liqueur: This is a hazelnut liqueur. If desired, feel free to swap with the same amount of another flavored liqueur such as amaretto (almond), Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, or other. You can also replace the alcohol with strong (cold or room temperature) coffee or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or other flavor extract.
- Chocolate: You need 6 ounces of pure chocolate for the ganache topping and 1 ounce for the mushrooms. Pure baking chocolate is sold in 4 ounce bars, so 2 bars will be a little more than enough. I recommend Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands, both sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. You can use semi-sweet or bittersweet. If using white chocolate, reduce the amount of heavy cream in the ganache to 1/2 cup (120ml).
Keywords: yule log, Christmas cake, chocolate, hazelnut
Have you made it down this far? Let me show you how to make the optional garnishes.
Meringue Mushrooms
I taught you how to make meringue cookies before. Meringues require precision, so feel free to visit that post if you need a little refresher. As instructed in step 7 above, pipe mushroom tops and stems using a round piping tip. Moisten your finger with water to smooth down any peaks. Bake in a relatively cool oven, then adhere the cooled pieces with melted chocolate.
These mushrooms look adorable on top of homemade dirt pudding too!
Sugared Cranberries & Rosemary
You need sugar, water, fresh cranberries, and rosemary. Frozen cranberries are not recommended here (although they’ll work for cranberry sauce, if you have a bag that needs using!) and feel free to skip the rosemary if you’d like. As instructed in step 1 above, make your sugar syrup on the stove. Pour over cranberries and rosemary and let it all soak for several hours. (Great to make these in advance.) Drain, then toss in sugar. Let it all dry out for about 2 hours before using as decor. You can also use this glitzy garnish on pumpkin pie, cranberry orange Bundt cake, gingerbread snack cake, too. I love the pop of color that cranberries
I’m going to be trying this out soon and had a question. I’ve made several pumpkin rolls in the past and in those cases, I cooked the cake in a pan on parchment (like your recipe) but then simply rolled the cake up in the parchment that was under the cake when I cooked it. Is the flip onto new parchment/tea towel necessary…or could I just lift out and roll up in the same parchment I cooked it on?
Hi Jen, you can absolutely try it that way as well. The parchment that you bake the cake on is really hot, so that’s why I usually flip it over and roll it out on fresh parchment (that’s dusted with cocoa to help prevent any sticking).
I made this for Christmas last year. It was definitely an all day cake but it was not difficult and was so fun to make! It looked JUST LIKE the picture and was so delicious! Very light and not too sweet. I’m making it again this year!
★★★★★
Overall I’m really happy with this recipe! I did all of it including every garnish. The mushrooms worked great. The cranberries felt like it needed half of everything else or double the berries. A lot of excess syrup and the sugar for coating. Worked ok still I just had to crumble off the layers of sugar. Rolling the cake worked out alright as well. Got a crack at the end when unrolling but it was just *barely* hidden when rerolled and luckily wasn’t on the outside layer. The ganache and decorating all worked out beautifully! I cut off the ends of the log as I could tell Sally did in the video for a cleaner look. Not super wowed with the taste, but maybe it’s better with the hazelnut liquor as I had to use vanilla. Thank you for the detailed recipe and video to make a gorgeous product you can be proud of!
★★★★★
I really want to make this for Christmas, but my SIL is deathly allergic to hazelnuts. Can I substitute the frangelico for any non-nut liquer?!
Hi Chris, You can replace the alcohol with strong (cold or room temperature) coffee or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or other flavor extract.
I love this recipe. Using it twice this holiday season. Some suggestions to myself for next time: Miles, when you’re pouring the batter into the pan, pour half in one blob on the left and half in a blob on the right. Not one blob in the middle. Then spread. Also, don’t think that this will just take a couple hours. You will need 6 hours at least to do it the way you want. Finally, take a photo of the cake before putting any “snow” and don’t put on so much. The wood grain looks much more interesting in photos.
In my oven the cake overbaked, and so did the meringues but it made the meringues so caramely they were delicious. The rosemary cranberry really brought an interesting flavor! I will be making again with a little less baking time, more whipped cream and trying for neater decoration. What a fun recipe!
★★★★
Hi! I wonder if I can make it in advance and keep it in the freezer? If so, for how long? Thank you, can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Marie! See recipe notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions. Enjoy!
This yule log looks amazing. I usually do a 4 egg sponge. I have to make two, one for Christmas Day and the other for Boxing Day. Both for only a few people. Can I somehow divide your recipe into two tins or should I just use my recipe? As I am in Sydney, I will have to use fresh cherries instead of cranberries.
Hi Faye, what you could try is baking the cake as is, and once it is cooled and inverted, you can slice the cake into two pieces to make two much smaller logs. We haven’t personally tried it, but let us know if you do. Hope it’s a hit!
I first made this recipe in 2020 when the pandemic cancelled our Christmas plans. It was a team project-my husband and me. We had so much fun making it together and it was so delicious that it is now a Holiday tradition.
★★★★★
I made this for my big family christmas gathering this past weekend and it was a HIT! My family didn’t believe at first that I didn’t buy it because it looked so perfect 😀 I believe everyone is capable of baking if you’re able to follow a recipe. Thank you for this! It may just have to be a tradition that I make this every year at Christmas.
*I couldn’t find a small thing of Frangelico so I used a locally made coffee liqueur in the whipped cream and it was divine. Huge success.
Can I make this cake part vanilla – if I leave out the cocoa what would I replace it with.
Hi Betty! Unfortunately it’s not as easy as omitting the cocoa powder. You can use the sponge recipe from this strawberry cake roll for the vanilla cake. Just note that it is slightly smaller.
I’ve been told to use buttercream instead of cream for the filling, as the cream isn’t staple and will leak out. Is this true? I would prefer to use the whipped cream filling
Hi Debi, we haven’t had any issues with the whipped cream leaking out (if the recipe is followed closely!). Let us know if you give this one a try.
Could I sub in a different nut? Any recommendations?
Hi Dani! You can leave out the chopped hazelnuts. See recipe note 3 for alternatives to hazelnut liqueur. Enjoy!
When making the rosemary and cranberries do you wait until the syrup cools a bit before pouring it over them?
Hi Debi, allow the syrup to cool for 5 minutes before pouring over the cranberries and rosemary.
The recipe calls for a 12×17 inch baking pan, but the link to the recommended pan on Amazon leads to a 13×18 inch baking pan. Does the slight difference matter? Thank you in advance!
Hi Jackie, that slight difference doesn’t matter here. It’s what I use. The interior dimensions are pretty much 12×17 inches.
This recipe was pretty solid. The whipped cream was great! However the biggest hiccup was the baking time. I cooked it for 10 minutes and that was two to three minutes too long. I thought I read a comment about that, it said 8-9 minutes . However, by the time I went to make the recipe, it was buried in the older comments. Maybe 350 is too high or maybe there was a typo for the 18-19 minutes. Just a heads up check the cake probably around 6-7 minutes.
★★★
Yes! I baked it for just under 18 minutes. It did not crack when rolling but it is the driest sponge I have ever had…so disappointing! That bake time has to be wrong
Thank you for that! Wanting to try this with my daughter.
Hi sally, I was wondering if your substitute for cake flour can be used, as cake flour is not available in my country? Thank you!
Hi Lonan, You can follow our DIY cake flour recipe. Enjoy!
Will the flavour of rosemary get into the Ganache sitting on it
★★★★★
I really want to make a buche de noel, but 12×17 baking pans don’t fit in my small oven. My jelly roll pan is 10×15. Do you have any advise for downsizing this recipe? Or maybe another smaller chocolate swiss roll recipe I could use instead? Thank you!
Hi Rhiannon, for a 10×15 pan, we recommend using our cake recipe for champagne cake roll or red velvet cake roll instead, both of which are baked in a 10×15 inch pan.
Hi Sally, I want to make this for a holiday lunch I am having with some friends and a couple of them are gluten free. Do you think I can sub out the cake flour for gluten free flour without issue?
Hi Betty, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
I followed your steps but subbed King Arthur 1:1 gluten free flour (with cornstarch per your cake flour substitute recipe) and it turned out amazing!
★★★★★
Made this based on recommendation of Mrs. Robinson my third grade teacher, and with some help
from my mom and grand mom, and it was soooooo good!
★★★★★
This is my first time making a Yule log. Although it won’t be pretty, I’m definitely going to give it another shot. The cranberries are beautiful, the little mushrooms are adorable and the filling, my God the filing.However, my poor log looks like an amputated leg (pre-ganache). My oven probably runs a little hot and I baked it for the minimal amount of time. I’m going to try decreasing my oven temp by 5 degrees and see if this helps. Thanks for another great recipe.
★★★★
Hey, I can’t find fresh or frozen cranberries in Australia. I know they’re optional but they look so cute and add a nice pop of color. Is there a substitute you recommend?
Hi Krystal, if you want to try using another berry such as raspberries or strawberries, we don’t recommend sugaring them in this same way– they’re simply too wet. Use them fresh. Let us know what you try!
Hi. I plan to make this for Christmas eve. My kids LOVE the frosting you use in your cookbook for the chocolate marshmallow whoppie pies. Would that be the right about of frosting to use for this recipe of I wanted to have that as a filling instead? Many thanks!
Side note.. I am also making your feta sausage breakfast biscuit casserole for xmas day (3rd year in a row) and your double chocolate cookies and your version of buckeye balls for 12/26. Thank you for your time and talent!
★★★★★
Hi Jenna! That should be enough frosting for this filling. I hope you enjoy this, the breakfast casserole (one of my favorites!), and the other recipes too!
Do you need to use cake flour or would AP flour work?
Hi Rebecca, We don’t recommend all purpose flour for this particular recipe. Cake flour is necessary for this light cake. If you have cornstarch on hand, you can follow our DIY cake flour recipe. Hope this helps!
Is it possible to freeze this cake and save decorating to the day you serve it? Thank you
Hi Karen, You can freeze the assembled cake before or after adding the ganache. See the make ahead directions in the recipe notes for details.
Great recipe!! I made this for Friendsgiving and everyone thought it was store bought. Light and easy to eat after a big heavy meal. Making again this week for regular thanksgiving:)
★★★★★
Hey, Sally! I made the meringue mushrooms today as a practice for the Bûche De Noël that I will be making for Christmas Day and they turned out amazing! However, it is a rainy day out and after assembling and letting the chocolate set, when I handled them to put them in the airtight container they were a tiny bit sticky. I have put the container in the spare room which is cold and dark (the heating has been shut off in that room) – do you think I have anything to worry about? As I intend on making the cake itself tomorrow to decorate (this is obviously the practice cake!).
Kind regards,
Shibani
★★★★★
Hi Shibani, When you try this recipe again you can leave the meringue mushrooms in the oven after you turn it off for longer than 20 minutes. You want to really make sure they get a chance to fully dry, especially if it’s a particularly humid day!
Thanks so much for the prompt reply, Stephanie! I made the Bûche De Noël today and used the mushrooms to decorate and they were actually no longer sticky! But I will still do as suggested when I make them again on Christmas Eve! 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
Instead of using chopped hazelnuts, could I use hazelnut spread to get the flavor? If so, how much do you recommend using?
Thanks!
Amy
Hi Amy, we haven’t tried replacing the chopped hazelnuts with a spread, but they are optional so you can leave them out! If you do swap them out for a hazelnut spread, let us know how they turn out!
Hi Jane, thank you for letting us know. We will update with a new link, but the one you shared should work as well. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello Sally, can I use this recipe on an 9×13 pan?
Hi Gabie, Unfortunately for the best shape and results we really recommend using the specified cake pan. It will be very difficult to roll the cake up using any other cake pan size.
I made this on Saturday and it rolled up nicely while it was warm. I put it in the refrigerator to cool for 3 hours and when I unrolled it to spread on the whipped cream, it cracked and fell apart. Should I not put it in the refrigerator next time. I also accidentally put in more sugar than it called for. Could this have something to do with the cracking?