Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

This Christmas make a traditional yule log cake (bûche de noël). A chocolate sponge cake is filled with creamy mascarpone, then covered with chocolate ganache for the bark.

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 18

Cool Time: 1

Total Time: 2 18

Servings:

Ingredients

Cake:

6 large eggs , at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar , divided
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour , spooned and leveled
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder , plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 ounces marscapone
1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream , cold and divided
½ cup confectioners sugar , divided
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Ganache Topping:

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)

Optional: Cranberries and rosemary for decorating (See notes for sugared cranberries and rosemary)

Instructions

Cake:

Prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12x17 inch rimmed baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and then spray the top of the parchment paper as well.
Separate the eggs: Separate the 6 eggs, putting the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the egg whites into a medium bowl. Set the large bowl with the egg yolks aside.
Beat egg whites and sugar: To the egg whites, add ½ cup of sugar and beat with a hand-held mixer on high for 4-5 minutes, until stiff. Set aside.
Make cake batter: To the egg yolks, add the remaining ½ cup sugar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is light in color and the volume has increased. Sift in the 1 cup cake flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until just combined, being carefully to not overmix.
Fold in the egg whites: Add the egg whites to the batter by gently folding them in until fully incorporated.
Spread into pan: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 18 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pushed with your finger.
Invert cake and roll: While the cake is baking, lay out a clean tea towel on your countertop and dust it generously with cocoa powder. After the cake is removed from the oven, invert it immediately onto the tea towel. Peel off the parchment paper and dust the top lightly with additional cocoa powder. Begin rolling the cake from one narrow side to the other. The trick is to roll slowly so that the warm cake does not break. Allow the cake to fully cool in the rolled position, about an hour.

Filling:

Beat mascarpone mixture: In a small mixing bowl beat together the 4 ounces mascarpone, ¼ cup cold heavy whipping cream, and ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
Beat chocolate mixture: In a medium mixing bowl add the remaining 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder. Beat together on high until it holds peaks.
Fold the two mixtures together: Fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Ganache:

Microwave the cream: Place 1 cup heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes, or until simmering.
Add chocolate: Add 8 ounces chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
Cool the chocolate: Place the ganache in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until it cools and slightly thickens.

Assemble the cake:

Unroll the cake and fill: Gently unroll the cake and spread the filling across the top, leaving about a ½ inch border because the filling will spread out further as it is rerolled.
Reroll the cake: Slowly reroll the cake with the filling inside.
Slice off one end: Carefully place the log onto a cutting board and cut a 4 inch section off of one end, making the cut at a diagonal.
Transfer to platter: On a serving platter, add the large log and then place the diagonally cut section to the side of it, creating a branch.
Pour ganache on top: Slowly pour and spread the thickened ganache over the top of the cake, leaving the ends exposed. Use a fork to create lines resembling tree bark
Decorate: Decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary before serving, if you choose.

Notes

Notes:

Don’t let a small crack in the cake as you roll discourage you. You can easily hide any cracks with the filling and/or ganache.

Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary:

1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried

4-5 rosemary sprigs

½ cup water

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary:

In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer on low for 3-4 minutes, until it slightly thickens.
Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding the cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Stir to coat, then using a slotted spoon remove to parchment paper. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar to a shallow dish and roll the coated cranberries and rosemary in the sugar.

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