Christmas Yule Log Layer Cake (Bûche de Noël)
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 18
Yield: 1 three-layer 9-inch cake
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
3 cups (600 grams) granulated sugar
1 ⅛ cups (97 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
2 ¼ teaspoons (9 grams) baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons (9 grams) fine sea salt
1 ⅛ cups (275 grams) whole milk
¾ cup (164 grams) vegetable oil
⅜ cup (86 grams) full-fat sour cream
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (356 grams) hot coffee
Chocolate Ganache Buttercream Frosting:
¾ cup (179 grams) heavy cream
6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped
2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
2 ⅔ cups (320 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 ⅓ cups (115 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder
Fillings & Garnishes:
½ cup (170 grams) raspberry jam
rosemary sprigs
fresh cranberries
clean mini pinecones
confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, for dusting
Directions:
Make the cake batter:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
To the dry ingredients, add milk, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The batter will be thick, similar to the texture of brownie batter.
Add hot coffee to the batter, carefully mixing with a whisk until well blended. The batter will now be very thin.
Bake the cake:
Divide the cake batter evenly among the three cake pans.
Bake the cakes for 25 minutes, or until the top springs back when gently poked and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then run a cake tester or small knife around the edge of each cake to ensure the sides of the cake are not stuck to the pan. Invert each cake pan over wire racks to remove the cakes from the pan. Let the cakes cool completely.
Make the frosting:
When the cake is cool, make the frosting, beginning by making the chocolate ganache. Place finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
Add the cream to a small saucepan and heat just until it begins to simmer. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes before stirring with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set the ganache aside and allow it to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth.
Add sugar and cocoa powder slowly, beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. Mix until well blended.
Add ganache to the frosting and mix on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Assemble the cake:
When the cake layers are completely cool, begin assembling the cake. Place one layer on a cake plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on top using a flat or offset spatula.
Using a piping bag and tip, pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake layer. Alternatively, you can use the spatula to spread extra frosting around the edge, creating a border for the jam.
Spread half of the jam over the thin layer of frosting and out to the frosting border.
Top the first layer with another layer of cake. Repeat the same process for spreading a thin layer of frosting, piping a frosting border, and spreading the remaining jam.
Top the second cake layer with the final cake layer. Frost the tops and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. It does not need to be perfect.
All around the side of the cake, gently scrape the tines of a fork through the frosting from bottom to top to create a tree bark pattern.
Garnish the cake with sprigs of rosemary, fresh cranberries, and mini pinecones. Use a sifter to dust the top of the cake with sugar or cocoa.
Notes:
Storage: This cake can be stored at room temperature on a lidded cake plate or cake carrier for up to 2 days. After two days, move the cake to the fridge and store it for up to 3 more days (5 days total).
Freezing: Leftover cake can be frozen for up to two months. First, remove garnishes and place the unwrapped cake in the freezer to allow the frosting to freeze firm. Then wrap the frozen cake in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil before returning to the freezer.
When you combine the dry and wet ingredients in the cake batter, the batter will be thick, similar to brownie batter. When the hot coffee is added, the batter will become very thin and pourable. This is normal.
Line the cake pans with parchment paper to ensure the cake doesn’t stick. Here’s a tutorial for How to Line a Round Cake Pan with Parchment Paper
Be sure the cake layers are fully cooled before assembling and frosting the cake. If the cake layers are still warm when the cake is assembled, the cake will likely collapse
Be sure the ganache is cooled to room temperature (about 75º F) before adding to the buttercream frosting so the ganache doesn’t melt the butter in the frosting.
Don’t worry about getting the frosting nice and smooth when frosting the sides of the cake, since you’ll be adding texture to the frosting anyway. It doesn’t need to be perfect!
Recipe FAQs
What is the tradition of the yule log cake?
The yule log dates back to pre-Christian times in Northern Europe, when it is believed that pagans would burn a large log in the hearth on the winter solstice to bring light to the longest day of the year. In the late 1800s, a French baker created a log-shaped cake to honor the tradition of the burning of the yule log. The cake is called Bûche de Noël, or “Christmas log”.
Can I bake this recipe as a two-layer cake?
Yes! I designed this cake with three layers so it could serve a crowd at a holiday gathering and so there would be plenty of beautiful “bark” around the edge of the cake. If you prefer to bake the cake with two 9-inch layers, just reduce all the ingredients by ⅓ (reduce the jam by ½). You could also bake a three-layer 6-inch cake by reducing all ingredients in the recipe by ½ (bake time does not change). For help scaling down recipes, check out the handy (and printable ingredient measurement conversion chart in my small batch baking tips post.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe courtesy of Always Dessert.com
Note from Amethyst: I have several Yule Log recipes. This is an easier one, but I’ll post a more difficult one next week in case you want to practice and make one!
I’ll look forward to the recipe!