Of all the quirky, inexplicable, reindeer-embellished holiday traditions out there, making your own Yule log might take the cake. Why would anyone in their right mind create a dessert that is supposed to look like something cut from the forest? Because it will be exponentially more impressive—and downright delicious—than any cake, pie, or sugar cookie on the table. Besides, we’re not encouraging you to make just any old bûche de Noël: Our updated, streamlined version resembles a slender birch branch, adorned with funghi-inspired meringues. So who knows? This might just become your new weird Christmas tradition.
Ingredients
12 Servings
Mushrooms and Buttercream
6
1¼
¼
¼
1
1
1
Sponge Cake
¼
3
⅓
¼
3
1
1
½
3
3
¾
Assembly
1
2
1
Preparation
Mushrooms and Buttercream
Step 1
Preheat oven to 225°. Whisk egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water) until egg whites are very liquid (mixture will be warm to the touch) and sugar is dissolved (rub between your fingers to check), about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat with an electric mixer until stiff, glossy peaks form (bowl will feel cool), about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust very lightly with cocoa powder. Scoop out 1 cup meringue. Dollop heaping teaspoonfuls of meringue onto prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1½" apart.
Step 3
Lightly dust meringue with more cocoa powder and place a sheet of parchment over top. Use an offset spatula or your hands to flatten meringue into irregularly shaped disks about ⅛" thick. Bake until lightly browned and parchment peels away easily, 75–90 minutes (meringue will be soft when it first comes out of the oven but will dry and crisp as it cools).
Step 4
Meanwhile, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter into remaining meringue, adding a piece at a time and waiting until incorporated before adding more. Beat until mixture is very smooth. (If it looks very loose or curdled, just keep beating; buttercream will come back together.) Add vanilla extract and scrape in vanilla seeds; beat to combine.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Mushrooms and buttercream can be made 2 days ahead. Store mushrooms airtight at room temperature. Cover and chill buttercream; bring to room temperature, then beat until smooth before using.
Sponge Cake
Step 6
Increase oven to 400°. Coat a 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. Spray parchment. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and ⅓ cup cocoa powder in a small bowl.
Step 7
Bring milk, butter, oil, vanilla, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep warm over low heat.
Step 8
Meanwhile, beat eggs and egg yolks with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Increase speed to high; beat until doubled in volume. With motor running, gradually add sugar; beat until very light and fluffy and mixture falls back on itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon (it should be at least quadrupled in volume), about 5 minutes.
Step 9
Reduce speed to medium and gradually stream in milk mixture. Sift one-third of dry ingredients over top; gently fold in until only a few streaks remain. Working in 2 additions, repeat with remaining dry ingredients, scraping bottom of bowl and using as few strokes as possible to keep eggs from deflating (a few streaks are fine). Scrape batter into prepared baking sheet and gently spread to edges of pan. Tap sheet lightly on counter to pop any large air bubbles.
Step 10
Bake cake until surface is puffed and springy to the touch, 10–12 minutes.
Step 11
Let cake cool in pan 2 minutes, then run a knife along short edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack and carefully peel away parchment. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust cake with cocoa powder. Cover with a large kitchen towel. Place another wire rack on top and flip cake over so towel side is underneath. Remove top rack; dust exposed side with cocoa powder. Starting at one of the long sides, gently roll up warm cake inside towel. Let cake cool, seam side down, 30–35 minutes.
Step 12
Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped in plastic at room temperature.
Assembly
Step 13
Carefully unroll towel and cake on a flat surface (cake will curl at the ends and may have a few small cracks but should stay in 1 piece). Position cake so the end that was in innermost part of spiral is closest to you; brush off any excess cocoa.
Step 14
Using a pastry brush, gently dab cocoa syrup over entire surface of cake; you may not use it all. Dollop bittersweet ganache over top and smooth with an offset spatula to create an even layer.
Step 15
Dollop mascarpone filling over ganache; carefully spread over surface, trying not to blend with ganache and avoiding last inch of cake along long side farthest from you.
Step 16
Using towel to lift edge nearest you, reroll cake, keeping towel on exterior. Chill, seam side down, until filling is set, about 30 minutes.
Step 17
Transfer filled cake to a baking sheet. Set aside ½ cup buttercream for attaching branches. Evenly spread remaining buttercream over cake with an offset spatula.
Step 18
Using a long serrated knife, trim ½" of cake from each end to create clean edges; discard (or eat!). Slice off a 4" piece of cake. Starting 1" from end, divide 4" piece in half, cutting at a 45° angle, leaving 1" at opposite end. Transfer log to a platter.
Step 19
Place angled side of each small piece of cake against roll to create branches, positioning one on top and the other on the side using a large dab of buttercream to secure. Cover any exposed cake on sides with more buttercream but leave cut ends exposed.
Step 20
Use spatula to create textured lines in buttercream to look like birch bark.
Step 21
Knead together marzipan and cocoa powder on a surface until smooth. Roll out on a sheet of parchment paper to less than ⅛" thick, then cut out wavy strips to look like tree knots; drape over buttercream and press gently to adhere.
Step 22
Using either a pastry bag fitted with a very small round tip or a disposable plastic bag with one corner snipped off, drizzle melted chocolate over log to mimic birch bark striations. Chill Bûche de Noël, uncovered, until ready to serve.
Step 23
Just before serving, press mushrooms perpendicularly into log in groups of 2 or 3.
Step 24
Do Ahead: Bûche de Noël (without meringue mushrooms) can be assembled 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and chill. Attach mushrooms just before serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (32)
Back to TopPut this together over two days with my mom! It went perfectly! We changed the flavors a bit: added orange zest to the marscapone, swapped the vanilla for whiskey in the ganache, and put a little line of amarena cherries in the middle of the roll. A hiccup or two along the way, but nothing irredeemable, and I'm exceptionally happy with the end result! I am just a home baker, but I do bake a lot. I think this would be hard for a beginner, for sure.
Al Pal
Livermore, CA
12/25/2022
Fantastic recipe and worth the effort! It took me about five hours total - I did everything the day before. I'm by no means a proficient baker, but didn't have any issues following the instructions. The only problem I had was that the sugar in my egg whites never completely melted, which made the meringues and buttercream a little crunchy - I might throw my sugar in a food processor beforehand next time so the granules are more fine. I had no issues with any other part of the recipe and the final result was absolutely stunning. Far and away one of the best things I've ever made and the family loved it too.
Anonymous
12/26/2021
I found this recipe to be a good fit as a process-oriented, experienced home baker. This sort of thing is meditative to me...I realize the complexity is probably a bit much for some folks. Make it when you're feeling relaxed and can make the time for it. I found the results to be next level. I broke it down into steps to ensure it wasn't overwhelming, making the mushrooms and buttercream on Saturday, and the sponge and fillings on Sunday for Yule (tonight). The espresso powder in the ganache balances the flavours perfectly. I was going to share the trimmed ends, but decided to finish them off and save the surprise for the unveiling of the Bûche de Noël tonight. I can't wait to share it with my family! I predict they will love it! Thanks for the great recipe and detailed instructions! Here's a little tip for those who struggle with buttercream separating after chilling it, the butter is too cold so try putting it in a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water and stir it till the butter softens up and then re-whip it till it rebounds.
Tiff
Kingston, Ontario
12/20/2021
I have a better recipe with kirch wasser. It improves the frosting and filling immensely.
BobI
12/20/2021
i will probably get nightmares about that buttercream, it completely broke twice and became a slimey mess i tried everything even the powder sugar, everything else went great i just made a more simple buttercream for the top cause i was going to cry
andreea
montreal
12/31/2020
BOY, did we hesitate before deciding to make this recipe for Christmas this year! The reviews had us hesitating for a little while, but my husband and I wanted to try our hand at something a little fancier for Christmas this year, so we decided to give it a shot. It was WORTH IT! You honestly can't expect this recipe to be quick and simple since it has 24 steps just on this page, without counting the recipes for the other components. We're average level home cooks with basic kitchen equipment and did pretty well, but we read the whole thing a couple times ahead and always double-checked while we were baking. We found the descriptions and times provided for every step pretty reliable. We made the recipes in two evenings : the first one, we prepared everything but the cake (buttercream, mascarpone filling, ganache, sirup and mushrooms). It took us around 2 hours. I was a little nervous because of the numerous comments saying people were almost in tears doing the buttercream and the mascarpone filling, so we followed every step very carefully and listened to the provided advice in the comments (room temp cream for the mascarpone, thicker mushrooms). On my part, the buttercream actually went pretty smoothly, you just have to believe and keep beating until it's all right. We didn't need to add powdered sugar. We made the sponge cake the second evening, plus the assembly and everything else (skipped the marzipan though) and it took us around 3 ½ hours. We did put a little less salt than recommended in the ganache and it tasted delicious, not salty at all. Maybe the people complaining about the salty taste didn't use kosher salt or a different kind of chocolate? All in all, a very delicious bûche that gave us a good challenge and good times spent baking together while the little one was asleep. Have faith, you can do this!
Marianne & Bao
Montréal
12/27/2020
So, it LOOKS fine. Not great (my mother and I are by no means master patissiers), but it we had great success with our Thanksgiving pumpkin roll cake, and thought we'd give this a shot. Well, what a shot. We started at 11 on Christmas Eve morning, and just now finished at 7:30PM the same day. The cake started out phenomenally. I accidentally turned off the oven, but once we got that started, the mushrooms worked like a dream, and we felt confident about our chances for the rest. Our bravado did not last long. We made the log with a different roll cake (mocha, rather than chocolate sponge), which did work... mostly. We also made the bark icing with little trouble, although it took 20 minutes of using our stand mixer on high to get the right consistency. Then came the issues. I had assumed that the merengue vanilla buttercream would be the filling, because our last roll cake had icing as filling. However, after we finished the icing, we spent about an hour running around to different grocery stores to pick up marzipan, bittersweet chocolate, espresso powder, and mascarpone. We got back, had a late lunch, and made the mascarpone filling, which turned out great. But we still hadn't read ahead enough to know that we were supposed to save half of it. The roll came out with a few cracks, but overall it was acceptable. We also made the chocolate syrup with no trouble, and were able to brush it on easily. Then came our the Trials. We made the ganache exactly as the recipe called for. Including a half teaspoon of salt. Why on EARTH this recipe called for SALT, of all things, in the chocolate ganache, I cannot fathom. It was AWFUL. But, we didn't taste enough of it to know how salty it was, until it was on the cake. At that point, we figured we should just carry on to the bitter end, and tell my father and cousin (the only people not involved in the creation who would be eating it) to avoid the ganache. The icing went on smoothly, and ended up looking exactly as the recipe said it should. Then we tried to give the yule log branches, as per the photo. The one on the side turned out okay, and we kept it. The one on top was a disaster. It looked like some kind of growth had sprung from the bark (and not in the way it was intended). It was wider than the log, and we were afraid it would fall off in two pieces on either side. We did not keep that one. Fortunately, we had enough leftover icing to cover the unfortunate blemish. The marzipan was fun to work with, and turned out great. The chocolate drizzle didn't quite work properly, as we didn't realize we'd need proper icing equipment (even though the recipe called for it). To be fair, there wasn't really enough melted chocolate in our double boiler to have poured into a pastry bag for the drizzle. But, a thin plastic spatula sufficed (somewhat). Finally, the damn thing was done. Or so we thought. There was quite a bit of chocolate flavored marzipan left, and my mother had a brilliant idea for it. To show our feelings for the recipe, and for our own skills, we shaped what was left into a pile of turd, and placed it next to the cake on the platter. This cake will not become a yearly tradition in our family. In all seriousness, the recipes on here really do need a difficulty rating system. We never would have tried this if we'd known the level of experience required to have it turn out right.
Rachel and Judy
Baltimore
12/25/2020
Agree with KCWEI, a video would help greatly. And the butter cream! Mine did not work. Maybe I should add some powdered sugar like EBERG10 mentioned. The mushroom turned out great.
Jo
12/23/2020
OK, this was my primary focus for two half days, but it was worth it!! The end result was just beautiful and people also thought it tasted great. I rated the whole thing 4 stars because some parts worked better than others. The cake rolled perfectly -- something I've had trouble with using other recipes; the syrup adds a nice subtle flavor; and I had no trouble with the mascarpone filling. I ended up using a different ganache recipe because, like a reviewer below, this one tasted salty and a bit off to me. My buttercream failed, but it was also sweeter than I wanted, so, I made a SECOND batch of the mascarpone filling and used that to frost the cake. I didn't get the same texture, but darn close. Nerdy stuff: From an arborist present at our Christmas Eve gathering I learned that the "mushrooms" are actually fungal conks. In addition to the fungal conks, I also made lichen. I added some matcha powder to the meringue and followed the same process as the "mushrooms", but took them from the oven before they were fully firm. By luck, when I pulled the pieces apart they looked like lichen. Finally, I gently tore instead of cut the marzipan pieces to look more realistic.
Anonymous
Minneapolis, MN
12/26/2019
When my Bûche de Noël cooking class got cancelled, the friend who was going to take it with me and I decided we were going to make one anyway. We picked this recipe and it turned out great! Neither of us had made a sponge cake before, but we just followed the recipe and it turned out great. I loved the balance of flavors. That bittersweet ganache really balances out the sweetness of the swiss meringue buttercream. That one went to work a couple of days later to rave reviews and I'm planning on another for family for the holidays. No one part was too difficult, just had to give it some time. It took us about 5 hours from start to finish.
Anonymous
Nashville, TN
12/21/2019
If there were ever a recipe that needed videos, this was it. While I consider myself a relatively skilled home cook, there were many aspects of this recipe that just didn't work given the recipe's low level of detail. For example, I followed the directions to the letter and the marscapone cream failed twice. At this point I was halfway through the recipe, so even though my marscapone was far from "fluffy", I just soldiered on. Also, the chocolate ganache was weirdly salty. Fortunately, the cake part worked fine and I was able to easily roll it in the towel. After assemply, my buche didn't look at all like the one photographed. My cake was a light brown, nowhere near as dark as the one photographed. I didn't even bother with the marzipan decorations although I did the mushrooms. Heeding the advice of a previous reviewer, I made mine a bit thicker and they stuck to the parchment, losing the cocoa striations. Disappointing, because I could tell this would have been a cool effect. Anyway, after all this effort and expense, this cake looked terrible, but it tasted OK. I'm glad I tried it in advance of the party I'm baking for, because I won't make it again. I think there are better recipes out there.
kcwei
Texas
12/12/2019
This recipe took all afternoon (and evening), gave me several challenges, but was SO WORTH IT! It doesn’t hurt that the more steps a recipe has, the more I enjoy making it. The buttercream almost had me in tears when it wouldn’t pull itself together, despite my meringue being perfectly glossy and beating it almost to death. But I was able to revive it with a little powdered sugar, then voila! Perfect, rich, creamy buttercream that would hold onto my cake! The mascarpone filling also taught me a lesson, the cream must also be room temperature when added. Otherwise you’ll get a curdled looking “mascarpone butter” which, despite being tasty, is not the goal. I popped it in the microwave for 15 seconds on 50% power and it whipped up nice and smooth! I’m bringing this cake to a NYE party tomorrow, and I know it will be a hit! I may even make this a tradition every year!
eberg10
Dallas, TX
12/31/2018
The recipe was very time consuming and difficult but the end result was worth it. THIS BUTTERCREAM IS FREAKIN INTENSE. The cake actually tastes better than it looks. The mushrooms (after you get the Meringue to set) are actually very easy and extremely realistic looking. My only complaint is to maybe give an estimate for the amount of time to allow the Ganache to cool. I did add a little powdered sugar to thicken the buttercream. This recipe was the highlight of this Christmas party
Anonymous
Detroit
12/27/2018
This is an amazing recipe! I made this on Christmas, and while it takes many hours for all the different components and chilling time, it is well worth it. The buttercream is, in my opinion, the best part. Make sure not to make your mushrooms too thin— I did, and they were very hard to remove from the parchment paper.
Anonymous
Sacrmento
12/26/2018