How to Make a Christmas Yule Log: "Buche de Noël" Easy Recipe !

Ingredients

To make the cake:

• 4 eggs 🥚
• 120 g of wheat flour 🌾
• 100 g sugar 🍬
• A pinch of salt (5 g) 🧂

For the syrup:

• 75 g sugar 🍬
• 75 g water 💧
• 1 splash of Amaretto (5 ml) 🥃
• 1 strip of orange peel 🍊
• 1 strip of lemon peel 🍋

For the filling:

• 450 ml 35% MG cream 🧴
• 150 ml whole milk 🥛
• 100 g sugar 🍬
• 300 g Jijona soft nougat 🍯
• 4 sheets of neutral gelatin (2 g per sheet, 8 g total) 🍽️

For the topping:

• 200 g of 70% couverture chocolate 🍫
• 200 ml cream 35% MG 🧴

Although in recent years it is possible to find this dessert in the shop windows of bakeries at Christmas time, it is not actually a traditional American recipe.

It is a custom originating in the neighbouring country, France, where this sweet is prepared every Christmas Eve. The Christmas log or Buchê de Noël consists of a roll of gypsy bread made with a sheet of Genoese sponge cake filled with chocolate cream, nougat or pastry cream, covered with chocolate cream and decorated in the purest Christmas style.

The origin of this custom is very old. Families would gather around the fireplace on Christmas Eve to enjoy the holiday together. They would choose the prettiest, largest and best-wooded log from all the logs so that it would keep them warm throughout the night . They would decorate it with ribbons and Christmas decorations and use it to feed the fire. Over time and with the appearance of coal stoves, the wooden log was replaced by a cake log with the intention of continuing to maintain the tradition.

The resulting cake is worth it, even though it may seem complicated, I encourage you to dare to make it. The steps are very simple and the result is surprising. I am sure that your family at home will be delighted with such a beautiful and Christmassy dessert . And if you want to cook more typical desserts for this time of year at home, be sure to visit our special Christmas dessert recipes.

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How to make a Christmas Yule Log at home: Easy, Step-by-step Recipe

Preparation of the Genoese sponge cake

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and put the egg whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a bowl. Using a whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are firm. Add the sugar to the egg whites in several batches and continue beating until fully incorporated. The meringue will be firm and shiny.
2. On the other hand, beat the yolks and add them to the bowl with the whipped egg whites. Using a hand whisk, integrate the mixture with circular movements to prevent the egg whites from collapsing. Sift the flour and repeat the process of integrating all the ingredients with delicate, circular movements.
3. While the oven is preheating to 180º C, place a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. You can stick it to the base with a few drops of the cake mix or with a little butter. I used a 30x35 cm baking sheet, but you can use a larger one, just keep in mind that this way the cake will be thinner.
4. We spread the cake batter over the surface of the already covered tray, trying to make it the same thickness everywhere.
5. Bake for 10–12 minutes at 180º C. Once the cake is removed from the oven, while still hot, cover it with a damp cloth. Turn it over and roll it up. Leave it to cool folded like this. You can store the cake in the fridge overnight in the shape of an arm.

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Preparing the syrup

1. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients, sugar, water, orange and lemon zest and a splash of Amaretto. You can use any other liqueur you like.
2. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Set aside until ready to use.

Preparing the filling

1. Place the gelatin sheets in a bowl of water for 10 minutes until they hydrate.
2. Whip the cream with a whisk until it is firm and store in the fridge. It is important that the cream is very cold to avoid problems when whipping it.
3. In a saucepan, heat the milk with sugar, mixing well until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is very hot. Remove from the heat and add the already hydrated gelatin sheets, stirring gently.
4. In a large bowl, crumble the soft nougat until it becomes like sand. Add the whipped cream and mix well with a spatula. You will end up with a cream with mini pieces of nougat. If you want them to be completely invisible, you can put this mixture in a blender, but in my opinion it is not necessary.
5. Pour the milk with the dissolved gelatin and mix well until it is integrated with the rest of the cream. Keep the filling in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Covering and final assembly of the Christmas log

1. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it boils and remove from the heat. Add the chocolate in pieces and stir with a whisk until it has melted and is fully integrated with the cream. Allow the mixture to cool before using.
2. Unroll the Genoese sponge cake, place it on a greaseproof paper and use a kitchen brush to coat the entire surface with the syrup. The paper will make it easier to roll it up and transfer it to the serving tray. Spread the nougat cream in a thick layer over the surface of the sponge cake, leaving two fingers of one of the shorter sides free.
3. We roll up the cake with the help of greaseproof paper and put it in the fridge. We line the tray on which we are going to present the Christmas log with transparent cling film or aluminium foil. We leave the central part free so that it is easier to remove it later.
4. We cut our gypsy arm 1/3 of its entire length and place the larger part on the already lined tray. We attach the smaller arm part to one side of the large trunk, as if it were a branch. We cover the heads of the trunk and the branch with transparent film or aluminum foil to protect them when spreading the icing.
5. Spread the chocolate coating over the entire surface of the Christmas log, leaving the tops of the log and the branch free. Store in the fridge until the chocolate coating has hardened. Using a fork or a punch, make decorative grooves in the log to make it look like a tree trunk.

Although it may seem like a very laborious and time-consuming dessert, it is not that much. With a little dedication we can enjoy a typical Christmas dessert that will surely surprise your family, and that is also delicious.

How to Make a Christmas Yule Log: “Buche de Noël” Easy Recipe