Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

 Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël)

Light, airy chocolate sponge cake that is rolled up with a whipped cream filling and chocolate buttercream on top. A holiday classic!

Ingredients

For the sponge cake

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
• For the filling
• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

For the chocolate frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened or 1 stick
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar plus more for garnish
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Chocolate Curls, Sugared Cranberries (see notes) & Fresh Rosemary for garnish, if desired

Instructions

For the sponge cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, grease with cooking spray before and after paper. Dust with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick with an electric mixer. Slowly add ½ cup granulated sugar and beat until pale yellow. Add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In another large bowl, beat egg whites with and electric mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter in tow batches. Pour batter into pan and spread in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes.

Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar and invert warm cake onto towel. Peel off parment paper. Starting at the short end, use the towel to tightly roll cake into a log. Let cool completely.

For the filling

In a large bowl, beat cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When cake is cool, unroll and spread filling evenly over cake. Roll cake back into a log, using towel to help create a tight roll. Place seam side down on a baking sheet or serving plate. Trim the ends to create a clean cut (it looks prettier this way).

For the chocolate frosting

In a large bowl using a mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until no clumps remaing. Beat in vanilla, cream and salt. Spread onto cake roll, top and sides. Garnish with cranberries, rosemary and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired. It's ready to serve. Store leftover cake in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

If you want to garnish your Christmas Yule Log with sugared cranberries, here's how you do it.

• First make a little bit of simple syrup (just equal amounts sugar and water, heated until sugar is dissolved).

• For this recipe, you only need ½ cup of simple syrup - ¼ cup water + ¼ cup sugar.

• Dip a handful of cranberries in the simple syrup, then transfer to a plate to dry.

• Once they are dry, the cranberries should feel sticky to the touch. Dip in granulated sugar and use to garnish your cake.