Bûche de Noël – French Christmas Yule log

Bûche de Noël, or French Yule Log, is a classic Christmas dessert shaped to look like a tree trunk. It’s traditionally made from a filled sponge roll, and my version pairs a chocolate sponge flavoured with warming spices with a light vanilla mascarpone cream. It makes a lovely centrepiece for the Christmas table! The sponge roll is surprisingly easy to make – it’s the decorating that takes a little more time. So, if you enjoy getting creative in the kitchen, this is the perfect chance to make your own edible Christmas log :).

Ingredients for the sponge roll:

• 4 large eggs
• 100 g caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50 g dark chocolate, grated

Additionally:

• a handful of caster sugar, for sprinkling

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, towards the end of whisking. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, gingerbread spice mix and cinnamon directly into the mixture. Add the grated chocolate and gently fold everything together with a spatula, taking care not to knock the air out of the mixture.

Prepare a clean tea towel and sprinkle it lightly with the extra caster sugar. Line a shallow 28 × 42 cm baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the batter to the tray and level it with a spatula.

Bake at 180°C for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Do not overbake the sponge! As soon as the skewer comes out clean, remove it from the oven. An overbaked, dry sponge will crack when rolled.

Immediately after baking, while the sponge is still hot, turn it out onto the prepared tea towel, with the baking paper facing upwards. Carefully and slowly peel away the paper, then roll up the sponge along its longer side, with the tea towel inside. Leave it rolled up until completely cool.

Ingredients for the vanilla cream:

• 125 g mascarpone, chilled
• 400 ml double cream, chilled
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with the whisk attachment until you have a smooth cream that holds its shape. Take care not to overwhip, as the cream may split.

Ingredients for the chocolate cream:

• 250 ml double cream
• 250 g dark chocolate, chopped

Heat the double cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is smooth.

Chill in the fridge or, to speed things up, in the freezer, stirring and checking the consistency from time to time. The mixture should cool and thicken to the consistency of set custard, but it must not become completely firm. Transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until smooth and creamy. Note: Do not whisk for too long, as the cream may split. When this happens, it becomes firm and butter-like. Fortunately, it can be rescued: gently heat it in a bain-marie until liquid again, then chill and repeat the process from the beginning.

Ingredients for the meringue mushrooms:

• 1 egg white
• a pinch of salt
• 60 g caster sugar
• 3 squares of melted dark chocolate or cooking chocolate

Place the egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin whisking. Once it starts to foam, add the salt and continue whisking at high speed until thick. Gradually add the caster sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously. The finished meringue should be thick, glossy and stiff.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm round metal nozzle. Pipe mushroom caps and stems onto the tray.

Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes at 140°C. Alternatively, you can dry the meringues for longer at a lower temperature of around 120°C. The finished meringues should be crisp on the outside and, importantly, remain white. Leave to cool.

Once cool, use a knife to make a small hole in the underside of each mushroom cap. Brush the base of each cap with melted chocolate, then insert a stem into the hole. Leave until the chocolate has set.

Method:

Unroll the cooled sponge and remove the tea towel. Immediately spread the vanilla cream over the sponge, then roll it up again. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Remove the chilled roll from the fridge and cut off a 10 cm piece at an angle. Position it against the side of the main roll to create a branch. Spread the chocolate cream over the entire log, covering both the main trunk and the branch. Use a spatula to create bark-like patterns in the cream.

Decorate as desired, for example with the meringue mushrooms dusted with cocoa powder, sprigs of spruce, chocolate leaves, almonds or fresh cranberries. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Keep the Bûche de Noël refrigerated.

Enjoy!