Traditional Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

Make your holiday season more luscious with this traditional French Buche de Noel (Yule Log cake) - made with caramel-flavored coffee buttercream and decorated with meringue mushrooms. Add this Christmas dessert to your holiday menu!

I remember when I made my first Buche de Noel. It was some time ago when I lived in Quebec, Canada and decided to experiment with French desserts. Ever since, I have become obsessed with making rolled cakes. Moreover, each Christmas brings a new recipe of Buche de Noel.

Don't you agree that life is full of firsts? If you have never made this Christmas cake, it is the right time to give it a try!

At first, this Christmas Yule Log might seem complicated and kind of overwhelming, but if you space the baking and decorating over two days, you will complete this holiday project effortlessly.

Make Meringue Mushrooms a few days in advance and store them in an airtight container. The coffee extract can be made way ahead of time as well. Both the Meringue Mushrooms and the coffee extract make great edible gifts during the holidays.

As for the coffee buttercream, make it one to two days ahead. Cover it with a plastic film and refrigerate. Take the cream from the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before the decoration of the rolled cake.

What is Buche de Noel (aka Yule Log)

Buche de Noel is the French name of a traditional Christmas rolled cake shaped and decorated like a log. A Yule log, as it called in English, is mainly served around Christmas time in Europe and Canada. Over the years, the Yule Log became a "quintessential Christmas dessert" in the United States as well.

How to Decorate Traditional Buche de Noel

• Simply spoon the buttercream out with the back of a tablespoon if you do not have a special basketweave tip. This technique is also used to decorate Chocolate Nutella Cake Roll and Raspberry Pistachio Roulade.
• Run a serrated bread knife or the tines of a fork along the cake to make patterns in the buttercream to resemble a tree log.
• Meringue Mushrooms are classic decorating idea for Buche de Noel.
• Make chocolate Christmas trees or chocolate pieces from the tempered dark chocolate to top Yule Log.
• Decorate the cake with homemade or store bought meringues or macarons.
• Use store bought Christmas ornaments to decorate top of the log, but be careful with kids eating the cake.

Why Traditional Buche de Noel Recipe Works

1. A simple rolled cake filled and covered with the coffee buttercream is upgraded to a classic Christmas dessert.
2. Making decorations and buttercream in advance saves time during a busy holiday season.
3. Caramel flavored coffee extract brings a deep caramel and coffee flavor and taste to the buttercream.
4. Adding Hazelnut Praline or cocoa powder to the buttercream makes variations of Yule Log.
5. Using store bought edible or/and non-edible decorations facilitate the decoration of the cake.

How to Make Traditional Buche de Noel (Yule Log) - Step by Step

To make the Joconde biscuit, preheat oven to 355 F/180 C. Place eggs, almond flour and powdered (icing) sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat till the mixture doubles in volume and becomes whitish (photo 1). In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt till they become firm (photo 2).

Add sifted flour to the eggs/almond flour/sugar preparation and mix with a rubber spatula (photo 3). Pour the clarified butter and gently mix. Finally, pour the preparation over egg whites and combine with a spatula (photo 4).

Spread the dough on a non-spill baking sheet (no need to grease it) or a baking sheet covered with the parchment paper (photo 5), smooth with a spatula and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the biscuit from the oven and let it cool (photo 6).

To make the coffee extract, place ⅓ of sugar in a saucepan and bring over the medium heat. Once sugar melts, add another ⅓ (photo 7). Do not mix the caramel with a spoon; just slightly shake the pan. Add the remaining sugar, and let the caramel to get the golden brown color (photo 8). Remove it from the heat and add hot coffee while stirring (be careful since the mixture can splash!). Bring the mixture over the heat again, mix everything well to let crystallized pieces dissolve. Cook for about 2-3 minutes to slightly thicken the coffee extract (photo 9). Cover the pan with a lid and let it cool.

To make the coffee buttercream, place sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook the sugar syrup to 250 F/121 C (use a cooking thermometer). Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with a stand mixer or electric mixer. Once the syrup is ready, add it to egg yolks, pouring the syrup against the inner side of the bowl. Continue to whisk till the preparation becomes whitish and cools down (photo 10). Add the softened butter cut into cubes and whisk to get the smooth buttercream (photo 11). Add the coffee extract and whisk again (photo 12). 

To make the sugar syrup, bring sugar and water to boil. Remove the syrup from the heat when the sugar is totally dissolved and add rum.

To roll the log, flip the cold biscuit on a kitchen towel or the parchment paper and detach the silicon mat. Using a silicone brush, brush the surface of the biscuit with the sugar syrup (keep the remaining syrup). Spread half of the coffee buttercream over the biscuit, using a bent spatula, and even the cream surface. Roll the biscuit with the use of the towel or the parchment paper. Transfer the rolled log to a serving board, seam side down (photos 13-14). Refrigerate the biscuit roll and another half of the buttercream for at least one hour.

To decorate the log, remove the roll from the fridge and cut its ends. Brush the surface of the Yule log with the rest of rum flavored syrup. Transfer the roll on a serving platter. Place the remaining buttercream in a pastry bag with a basketweave tip. Pipe the strips of the buttercream along the log to cover its surface. Decorate the cake with Meringue Mushrooms and Christmas cake toppers (photo 15). Press the meringue strips/rolls to the ends of the log, using the buttercream to secure them (photo 16). Refrigerate the log to allow the buttercream to set.

Expert Tips to Make Traditional Buch de Noel

1. Make Meringue Mushrooms several days in advance and store them in an airtight container.
2. Prepare the coffee extract ahead of time and keep in a covered container in a cool place.
3. Add the coffee extract to the buttercream as needed, depending on the desired taste and flavor intensity.
4. Replace the coffee extract with the homemade Hazelnut Praline Paste or a store bought Hazelnut Praline, adding as needed.
5. Switch the coffee extract for cocoa powder (as needed) to make the chocolate buttercream.
6. Omit rum to make the cake kids friendly.
7. To make meringue strips/rolls to decorate the ends of the log, follow the recipe of Meringue Mushrooms and pipe the meringue into long strips, using a round pastry tip 12 *. Use a serrated knife to gently cut the baked meringue strips into pieces of different length.  
8. Cut ends of Yule Log at a slanted angle and leave them exposed if you prefer.
9. Decorate the cake any way you desire.
10. Take the log from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

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The recipe was adapted from https://www.meilleurduchef.com/. It was originally published in November, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All the posted pictures are mine.