A delicious Bûche de Noël (yule log) recipe for the end of year celebrations and Christmas. This gourmet dessert is quick and easy to make, made of a soft chocolate songe cake, a hazelnut whipped ganache all over a crunchy layer of chocolate feuilletine crisp.
The Christmas yule log (bûche de Noël) is a traditional French dessert that is made and is usually served on Christmas Eve.
It is a thin and soft sponge cake filled with a smooth cream or ganache and the whole is rolled up and visually resembles to a wood log.
This hazelnut log is made of a chocolate Viennese sponge which, unlike the classic chocolate sponge, is made with egg whites separated from the yolks and then folded into the other ingredients when they are whipped. This gives a softer texture that is more often used in roll cake recipes.
It is also filled and decorated with a delicious and creamy hazelnut whipped ganache, a very easy to make recipe made with white chocolate, heavy cream and hazelnut praline paste.
And the whole thing rests on a layer of chocolate pailleté feuilletine that brings a crunchy touch to this holiday dessert!
Material to make a homemade Bûche de Noël
There are several variations of homemade yule log recipes, such as the "entremets" style logs, composed of pastry mousse and with a creamy insert, or the iced logs which require a yule log mold. This version is the simplest and also the easiest and quickest because it is simply a rolled cake and you need very few materials:
- Stand mixer or a good electric hand mixer.
- Perforated baking sheet for cooking.
- Spatula for mixing.
How to make a bûche de Noël
- Crunchy praline feuilletée: Mix all the ingredients together, the pailletée feuilletine, the hazelnut praline paste and the milk chocolate, then spread the preparation on baking paper to form a long rectangle.
- The whipped praline ganache: You can prepare it the day before or the same day. Heat half of the heavy cream with the praline paste until it boils, then pour it over the chopped white chocolate and mix it with a spatula to make an emulsion. Add the rest of the heavy cream, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Before assembling the yule log, whisk to obtain a smooth ganache.
- Viennese chocolate sponge: Whisk the yolks with the sugar and then gently fold in the whites and the dry flour and cocoa mixture. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes and follow the instructions below for the correct way to roll a cake.
Tip: To go faster, let the whipped ganache cool in the freezer for 1 hour
How to roll a cake
The secret to rolling a log is to do it when the cake is still a little warm because it is more flexible and easier to roll.
- After removing from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes and then peel it off the parchment paper.
- Cut the edges with a large knife and let cool again for about 10 minutes.
- Fill the inside with the ganache, applying an even layer over the entire cake.
- Roll up the cake lengthwise, pressing it as tightly as possible to close the log.
- Cover the rolled cake with the parchment paper or a tea towel and wedge it to keep its shape.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before decorating the outside.
Tip: You can also roll it without filling in a clean tea towel or parchment paper while it is still warm and let it cool completely to keep its shape.
How to decorate the Yule log
Traditional logs are usually decorated with a simple chocolate ganache that you can scratch with a fork to replicate the texture of a wooden log. Here I simply decorated with chocolate curls, cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar to give a snowy effect.
Other ideas for decorating :
- Homemade meringue cookies in the shape of mushrooms etc.
- Sugar decorations
- Gingerbread Christmas cookies
- Seasonal fruits
- Chocolate decorations, stars, Christmas trees, shavings, etc.
- Crushed Hazelnut
Others Christmas recipes
- Chocolate mousse pie with whipped cream
- Gingerbread cake
- Chocolate truffles
- Hot chocolate with wipped cream
- Hot chocolate bomb
- Chocolate yule log cake
- Christmas sugar cookies with royal icing
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Buche de Noël Hazelnut Yule log
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
Description
Delicious recipe for a homemade Buche de Noël (yule log), easy and quick to make with a chocolate sponge cake, a hazelnut praline whipped ganache and a chocolate praline crisp (for 8-10 serving)
Ingredients
Crunchy hazelnut praline
- 100 g Hazelnut praline paste
- 60 g pailleté feuilletine
- 40 g Milk chocolate
Whipped hazelnut praline ganache
- 150 g white chocolate
- 300 ml heavy cream (Full fat and divided )
- 75 g Hazelnut praline paste
Viennese chocolate spong cake
- 4 Eggs (room temperature)
- 100 g Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 60 g Flour (all purpose)
- 30 g Cocoa powder (bitter and unsweetened)
Instructions
Crunchy hazelnut praline
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Spread the mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper to a thickness of about 5 mm in the shape of a large rectangle
- Place in the fridge to firm up the praline crisp then cut with a large knife to obtain a rectangle of about 4 inch / 10 cm wide by 12 inch / 30 cm long.
Whipped hazelnut Praline ganache
- Chop the white chocolate finely with a knife and place it in a container.
- Place half of the heavy cream with the praline paste in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Pour it all at once over the white chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture is liquid and smooth without lumps.
- Add the other half of the heavy cream and mix, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for one night (or 1 hour in the freezer)
- Before assembling, place the cold ganache in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until you have a smooth ganache.
Viennese chocolate sponge cake
- In a bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and flour.
- Preheat the oven to 355°F / 180°C and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and whisk them with an electric whisk until stiff and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add ⅓ of the stiffly beaten whites and fold in with a spatula.
- Add the dry ingredients, flour and cocoa through a sieve and fold in gently with a spatula.
- Finish by adding the remaining egg whites and fold in gently with a spatula.
- Pour the batter onto your parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer along the length of the sheet.
- Bake for about 8 to 10 min max and let cool slightly for a few minutes.
- Gently peel the soft chocolate sponge off the parchment paper and place it on a clean sheet of parchment paper.
- Trim the edges with a knife to make a straight rectangle and let it cool for a few more minutes.
- Garnish the inside of the chocolate sponge with a layer of whipped ganache spread over the entire surface and roll the log lengthwise as tightly as possible and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Place the log on a dish or baking tray and cover entirely with ganache and decorate with chocolate shavings.
Notes
Conservation: about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: bundt cake, Dessert
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 26
- Sodium: 52
- Fat: 21
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 34
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 110
Keywords: Buche de Noël, Christmas log, Yule Log
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