Learn how to make a beautiful Chocolate Yule Log this Christmas. This chocolate cake roll is filled with whipped cream and covered in a simple chocolate orange ganache. It is surprisingly easy to make, roll and fill!
The humble Chocolate Yule Log 🎄 A soft chocolate genoise sponge filled with homemade whipped cream and rolled to reveal the perfect swirl. Covered in a four ingredient chocolate ganache, it looks like a tree, but it tastes like heaven!
Despite its beauty, my Chocolate Yule Log Cake is surprisingly easy to make. My faithful Chocolate Cake Roll recipe makes the perfect base. I’m sharing all my tips for creating a stunning swirled swiss roll cake (that doesn’t crack).
This showstopper dessert is perfect for Christmas Day.
Why you will love this recipe
- Simple ingredients: You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make this Chocolate Yule Cake. And you can mix-up the flavours (more on that below).
- Easy to make: Despite its glamorous design, this cake is surprisingly easy to make. I’m sharing all my tips to make sure your cake won’t crack.
- Showstopper: This stunning cake with its bold swirls will be the feature of any Christmas dessert table.
- Make-ahead: You can easily make this dessert a day in advance – perfect for Christmas entertaining and the busy holiday season.
Recipe testing
I have always wanted to create a recipe for a Chocolate Yule Log, also known as a Bûche De Noël.
Earlier this year, I conquered the humble cake roll and created my Chocolate Swiss Roll recipe. Despite numerous tests and fails, I finally found a cake roll that’s easy to make, roll and fill.
And I can confirm that it makes the perfect base for this gorgeous Chocolate Yule Log.
My Buche De Noel recipe starts with a simple genoise sponge that can easily be rolled without cracking. It’s light, fluffy and full of chocolate flavour.
Paired with homemade whipped cream, it’s a delight on its own. But a Chocolate Yule Log is not complete without its striking tree-like design.
So I scaled down my favourite fudgy chocolate ganache from my popular Chocolate Orange Cake. I kept the orange zest because I love a bit of choc orange around Christmas, but you can easily leave it out for a classic chocolate ganache.
Smother on the ganache and use a fork to create the unique bark-like texture. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and serve with fresh cherries.
The best part? You can easily make the cake itself the day before or even the whole thing, ganache and all. It keeps surprisingly well overnight.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make my Chocolate Yule Log. Here are the key ingredients you’ll need for both the chocolate cake roll and the chocolate ganache frosting.
I’ve made my chocolate ganache orange flavoured but there are so many options for flavour variations – see below.
CHOCOLATE CAKE ROLL
- Caster sugar: Use caster sugar or granulated sugar.
- Plain flour: Use plain flour or all purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder: You can use 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe or Dutch-processed cocoa powder – both work really well. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give you a slightly darker-coloured sponge. You can use either for dusting as well.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil or any flavourless oil. I like to use grapeseed oil.
- Thickened cream: Use thickened cream or heavy cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING
- Thickened cream: You can use the same cream for the ganache as you do for the filling. Use thickened cream or heavy cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
- Dark chocolate: I recommend using a dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate that’s around 50-70% cocoa.
- Orange: I’ve flavoured the chocolate ganache with some fresh orange zest. However, you can leave it out or choose one of the flavour variations listed below.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Chocolate Yule Log
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to make a Chocolate Yule Log from scratch.
You will need a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer.
Step 1: In a large bowl, add eggs. Whisk on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until foamy. Add sugar and whisk on medium-high until you reach ribbon stage. The mixture will be thick and tripled in volume.
Step 2: Add half the flour and cocoa powder. Begin to gently fold mixture to combine. Add remaining flour and cocoa and continue to fold until there’s no more pockets of flour.
Step 3: Drizzle oil and vanilla down the side of the bowl. Gently fold.
Step 4: Transfer cake mixture to lined baking pan. Gently spread out into one even layer. Bake for 11 minutes.
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Step 5: Leave cake to cool for two minutes. Then gently, but swiftly flip cake out onto a clean tea towel generously dusted with cocoa powder.
Step 6: Dust the top of the cake generously with cocoa powder. Then roll up cake from the short end (tea towel and all). Place seam side down and leave rolled cake to cool completely.
Step 7: Use an electric mixer on medium speed to whisk cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Stir through vanilla and sugar. Gently unroll cake, spread a layer of whipped cream.
Step 8: Gently re-roll the cooled cake from the short end. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to frost.
Step 9: To make ganache, add cream and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat until cream is hot but not boiling. Stir through chopped chocolate until smooth.
Step 10: Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ganache has thickened.
Step 11: Use a sharp knife to slice one-third of the yule log at a slight angle.
Step 12: Place end of yule log on the side of the cake, ensuring the sliced edges are exposed.
Step 13: Use a palette knife to cover top and sides of cake in chocolate ganache. Leave the ends exposed so you can see the swirl.
Step 14: Use a fork to create bark-like lines down your Yule Log. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Storage
Keep Chocolate Yule Log or Bûche De Noël loosely covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge.
Chocolate Yule Log will keep well for up to three days but is best served fresh or one day in advance.
Make-ahead instructions
You can make Chocolate Yule Log one day in advance (Christmas Even perhaps?). Or you can make the Chocolate Cake Roll (filled and rolled) a day in advance, and decorate with the ganache on the day of serving.
The chocolate ganache can also be made in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge. To use, simply bring it back to room temperature. Hurry it along by heating it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until smooth and fudgy again.
Flavour variations
My easy Chocolate Yule Cake recipe features a chocolate sponge, vanilla whipped cream and a chocolate orange ganache.
But you can easily mix-up the flavours to your taste. Here are some flavour variations you could try:
- Chocolate whipped cream: Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to your whipped cream, along with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar or powdered sugar for a chocolate cream.
- Fruit and cream: You can fold fresh summer fruits into the cream, like chopped cherries, berries, mango or peaches.
- Chocolate ganache: You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of Nutella to make a chocolate hazelnut ganache, or even a tablespoon of peanut butter.
How to serve Yule Log
Chocolate Yule Log should be served cold straight from the fridge. You can dust it with icing sugar or powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries or summer fruits, like cherries.
Traditionally, to continue with the forest-theme, Yule Logs are served alongside meringue mushrooms, rosemary stalks or sugared cranberries.
Use a large serrated knife to cut Yule Log into thick slices.
Jess’s Recipe tips
- Don’t over-bake your cake
If your sponge is even slightly over-baked, it’ll crack when you try to roll it. Keep an eye on the bake time and as soon as the cake is no longer sticky to the touch, take it out of the oven. - Roll the cake while it’s warm
As the cake cools, it’ll become more rigid. Rolling the cake while it’s still warm will mean it’s less likely to crack. - Wait for the cake to cool completely
Once you have rolled your cake, don’t touch it (not even to peek!) until it is completely cool. Carefully transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely while still wrapped in the tea towel. Letting it cool in the towel will help it keep its curled shape. - Don’t unroll it completely flat
Be very gentle and unroll the cake just enough to spread your filling. You don’t need to force it to be completely flat. Let it keep its curved shape, particularly at the end where you started the roll.
More Christmas desserts
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Let’s Bake
Chocolate Yule Log recipe
An easy Chocolate Yule Log for Christmas celebrations.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake roll
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 20 grams (1/4 cup) natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 20 ml (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 grams (1/4 cup) natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted, for dusting only
Cream filling
- 300 ml (1 and 1/4 cups) thickened cream or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar or powdered sugar
Chocolate orange ganache
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) thickened or heavy cream
- Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
- 150 grams dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate (50-70% cocoa), finely chopped
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
To serve
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- Fresh cherries
Instructions
- Chocolate cake roll
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan or swiss roll pan with baking or parchment paper. - Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs for 1-2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed. Once eggs start to become thick and foamy, add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to mix.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue to beat until eggs become pale and fluffy, and triple in volume – this is called ribbon stage. It will take around 5-7 minutes.
- You’ll know your eggs have reached ribbon stage when you can use the whisk to draw a figure 8 on top of the batter. If the complete number 8 is still there when you have finished drawing, your eggs are ready.
- Sift together the flour and cocoa powder. When the eggs are ready, add half the flour and cocoa and start to gently fold with a spatula. Add remaining flour and cocoa and continue to gently fold the mixture until there are no more pockets of flour or cocoa powder. Use a light hand, so you don’t lose the air in your eggs.
- Drizzle the oil and vanilla down the side of the bowl. Gently fold until combined.
- Transfer cake batter to your prepared pan and gently smooth out to form one even layer. Bake for approximately 11 minutes or until cake is no longer sticky to the touch.
- Prepare a clean, dry tea towel by generously sifting over half of the cocoa powder reserved for dusting. Take the cake out of the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes just to firm up ever so slightly. Then, in one swift movement, tip the cake out onto the prepared tea towel, then very gently remove the baking paper.
- Sift over the remaining cocoa powder on top of the cake. Then gently roll up the cake, from the short side, keeping the tea towel wrapped around the cake.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack, seam side down, and leave to cool completely before filling – around 1-2 hours.
- Whipped cream
In a large mixing bowl, add cream and whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla and sugar. - Very gently, unroll your cake, keeping the end slightly curled. Spread whipped cream over the cake, going right to the edges. Then, gently re-roll the cake back up. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
- Chocolate orange ganache
Pour cream into a medium saucepan. Place on a low heat. Add orange zest and stir while cream is warming and being infused with orange flavour. - Once the cream is warm (but not boiling), add chopped chocolate. Continue to stir while chocolate melts and becomes smooth. Add butter and stir until melted. Ganache should be smooth and glossy.
- Remove chocolate ganache from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let it cool for 15 minutes and then place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Once the ganache is thick enough to spread, cover cake using a small spatula – don’t cover the exposed edges. Drag a fork through the ganache to create the tree stump pattern.
- Loosely cover cake with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. To serve, dust with icing sugar and decorate with fresh cherries.
Notes
Cocoa powder: You can use 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe or Dutch-processed cocoa powder – both work really well. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give you a slightly darker-coloured sponge. You can use either for dusting as well.
Oil: You can use vegetable oil or any flavourless oil. I like to use grapeseed oil.
Thickened cream: Use thickened cream or heavy cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
Storage: Keep Chocolate Yule Log loosely covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge. Chocolate Yule Log will keep well for up to three days.
Make-ahead instructions: You can make Chocolate Yule Log one day in advance. Or you can make the Chocolate Cake Roll (filled and rolled) a day in advance, and decorate with the ganache on the day of serving.
The chocolate ganache can also be made in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge. To use, simply bring it back to room temperature. Hurry it along by heating it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until smooth and fudgy again.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 247 Sugar: 14.3 g Sodium: 25.5 mg Fat: 16.3 g Carbohydrates: 22.7 g Protein: 4.1 g Cholesterol: 72.9 mg
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Christmas Desserts
dana says
How would I change the recipe if I wanted a vanilla sponge
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dana, I haven’t tested a vanilla cake roll just yet – but I love that idea! I’ll add it to my list.
Josh says
Went back for seconds! Loved it.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad to hear that Josh!