Just before Christmas, our village community kindly asked me if I could make a Yule log. Which I accepted, though I have not made this before.
On the night, my eggs didn’t turn to soft peaks and stayed a little runny, which resulted in a sponge that was not as spongy as it should have been, and ended up making a different cake as extra to be safe.
This Christmas, I decided to try again, just out of curiosity, to see how it would turn out if everything worked as it should.
The result was actually a delicious, spongy cake that we all enjoyed.
Out of interest, I read about the meaning of Yule log, and here’s what I learned.
Long before it was a cake, a Yule log was a real log, and it symbolised so many things: the return of the sun, protection, fertility, abundance, and continuity of life. Traditionally, the log used was often oak, ash, or fruitwood, and the ashes were kept as charms of luck for healing and protection.
Then the cake version emerged in the late 1800s in France during the golden age of pâtisserie, and later, by the early 20th century, it was a standard Christmas dessert in France and French-influenced regions. Variations were made according to the regions. France made it as a chocolate sponge with buttercream or ganache, Belgium and Switzerland added coffee as they preferred it richer, Japan made it light and added whipped cream, Spain made it softer, filled with whipped or chocolate cream, while the UK called it a chocolate log, popularised in the 20th century with homemade chocolate sponge and chocolate icing, and associated it with the Christmas tea table.
Originally, Yule comes from pre-Christian pagan winter solstice rituals, then Christianity reinterpreted it as the wood of the cross, Christ as light, God’s presence in the home, eternal life and resurrection, and shared blessings and unity.
So there’s so much meaning and history behind this Yule log cake, and either way, it represents all good things. The fact that it turned into a lovely dessert in modern days is very creative.
So now, I decided to mix a few variations from each country. This Yule log will be light and spongy yet moist, with a cream cheese filling and creamy chocolate frosting, and I’ve infused it with a hint of spruce to lift the festive feel.
This yule log became a memory anchor, a recipe gently changed and carried forward through generations, just as I’m doing now.
So here’s how I made it…
🌲 Christmas Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
A soft chocolate sponge rolled with forest-scented spruce-tip cream and finished with a cocoa “bark” frosting
Serves
10 to 12 slices
Equipment
12 × 17 in (30 × 43 cm) rimmed baking tray
Parchment paper or silicone sheet
Clean tea towel or cloth
Electric mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge Cake
4 Tbsp salted butter, melted (57 g), plus extra for greasing
6 large eggs, separated
¼ tsp cream of tartar ( 1 g)
¼ tsp salt (1.5 g)
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 g), divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour (95 g)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25 g)
½ tsp baking powder (2 g)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
¼ cup strong brewed coffee, cooled (60 ml)
¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting (30 g)
Spruce Cream Filling
1 cup heavy cream (240 ml)]
4 bundle spruce needles (Norway spruce) - please ID correctly.
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature (115 g)
½ cup powdered sugar, sifted (60 g)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, 5 ml)
Cocoa Cream Frosting
1½ cups heavy cream (360 ml)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (50 g)
¾ cup powdered sugar (90 g)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
Pinch of salt
Decoration (optional)
Fresh spruce tips or small evergreen sprigs
Pomegranate seeds or berries
Powdered sugar for “snow”
Method
Prepare the Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
Butter the baking tray, line with parchment, allowing overhang, then butter the parchment or silicone sheet.
❄️Infuse the Cream (Filling)
Warm the heavy cream gently until steaming but not boiling.
Add spruce, cover, and steep 20 to 30 minutes.
Strain out the tips and chill the cream completely until cold.
❄️Make the Sponge
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until frothy.
Gradually add ¼ cup (50 g) of the sugar and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining ½ cup (100 g) sugar and vanilla until thick and pale (3 to 4 minutes).
Mix in melted butter and coffee.
Gently mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
Fold in a spoonful of egg whites to loosen the batter
Then gently fold in the rest, do not over mix
Bake
Pour into the prepared pan
Spread batter evenly.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the cake springs back lightly when touched. Do not overbake.
❄️Roll While Hot
Dust a clean tea towel with powdered sugar.
Turn the hot cake onto the towel, remove the parchment, and dust the top lightly.
Roll the cake up with the towel inside. Rolling from the long edge will give you a long, slender cake, while rolling from the short edge (which I did) creates a shorter, sturdier, or chunkier log, so it’s up to your preference.
Cool completely, about 1 hour.
❄️Make the Spruce Filling
Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
Whip the double cream separately until thick with stiff peaks.
Add vanilla if using. Mix in the cream cheese and sugar mixture, beat to mix.
❄️ Fill the Cake
Carefully unroll the cooled cake.
Spread filling evenly, leaving a 1 cm (½ in) border.
Re roll gently. Wrap the cake back. Chill for at least 2 hours to set.
❄️Make the Cocoa Cream Frosting
Combine all frosting ingredients in a bowl.
Beat slowly at first, then increase speed until thick, fluffy, and spreadable.
❄️ Assemble the Log
Trim one slice (about ¼ of the cake) to form a branch.
Place against the main log on a serving platter.
❄️Frost & Decorate
Cover the cake with cocoa-cream frosting.
Drag a fork along the surface to create bark texture.
Decorate with spruce tips, berries or pomegranate seeds.
and a dusting of powdered sugar.
A light, spongy cake with a creamy filling and melt-in-the-mouth chocolate frosting.
Delicious, Spongy, moist, chocolatey and creamy cake!
Nothing should be wasted. Leftover slices must be eaten over the following days, it is believed that continuing to eat the log means carrying luck forward. :)
This was finished by Boxing Day, and I was really pleased with how it turned out. The spruce cream flavour blended beautifully and gave it a festive feel.
It’s absolutely delicious and definitely worth making again and again.
Have a lovely day!
Mariah :)
