This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. There’s nothing more impressive than bringing a log to Christmas dinner; a tiramisu yule log cake that is! I don’t believe I’ve ever intrigued my family more with a dessert than when I brought this over to my parents’. It’s one of those cakes that forces people do a double take, back up and admire the details. This yule log (aka Bûche de Noël) is not a difficult cake to make, but there are a good number of steps involved. Lets just call it a labor of love :). No worries, I have pictures for every step of the way, as usual ;). The cool thing is, you can make every part of this cake ahead of time and assemble it later. I made the cake base and ganache 2 days in advance and left it at room temp which is totally fine. If you’re pressed for time you can simplify it by omitting the decorative toppings and leaving it a classic chocolate-covered yule log, but because it’s Christmas, I find it’s worth it to add the pistachios for moss, oreo cookies for dirt and meringue mushrooms growing all over the place :).
Tools You’ll need:
15×21 rimmed baking sheet (aka three quarter sheet) – even if all you bake is cookies, this large baking sheet is awesome! Parchment paper
Ingredients for the Yule Log Cake Roll:
6 large eggs, room temp 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
Ingredients for Coffee Syrup
1 cup strong coffee, room temp or cold 1 Tbsp granulted sugar
Ingredients for Tiramisu Frosting:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Ingredients for Toppings/ Decor:
1 Recipe Chocolate Ganache, cooled to room temp 1 Recipe Meringue mushrooms 1 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder for dusting finished cake 1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios 6 oreo cookies, frosting removed
How to Make The Sponge Cake:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 400˚F. Line 15×21″ baking sheet with parchment.
In the bowl of your mixer (here’s the mixer I use), beat 6 eggs with whisk attachment on high speed 1 minute. With mixer on, gradually add 2/3 cup sugar and continue beating on high 5 minutes. Mixture will be thick and fluffy (very important since you’re relying on egg volume for the cake to rise)
Sift 1 cup flour in thirds into batter, folding with a spatula between each addition and scraping the bowl to ensure you don’t have pockets of flour hiding at the bottom. Drizzle in 1/2 tsp vanilla and gently mix just until blended (do not overmix or you will deflate the batter). Spread batter into prepared baking pan and bake right away at 400˚F approximately 12-14 minutes or until top is golden.
Remove from the oven and quickly loosen the edges with a thin spatula. Right away remove it from the baking sheet keeping the parchment backing on. Place a second sheet of parchment paper over the top and roll cake into a log, starting from the narrow end. Cool to room temp.
How to Assemble and Frost a Tiramisu Yule Log(Bûche de Noël):
Stir together 1 cup coffee and 1 Tbsp sugar until dissolved. Unroll cake, removing the backing as you go and lay it out on the large baking sheet. Brush top evenly with Coffee Syrup. Let sit to soak up the syrup while you make the frosting (recipe below).
Spread frosting evenly over the top of the cake then roll, somewhat tightly, into a log shape, rolling in the same direction as the first time you rolled it. Trim off both sides of the roll to make it presentable. Slice 1/4 of the cake off on the diagonal (about 45˚ angle). Transfer the larger log portion to your serving platter. Place this stump over the top of your log with the flat side down. Refrigerate cake until ready to frost with chocolate frosting.
Beat room temp. chocolate ganache on high speed for 45 seconds to 1 min or until fluffy (don’t over-beat or it may start looking a little grainy). Spread evenly over yule log, but don’t frost the sliced ends of the log (this icing spatula makes it easy!). Pull a fork across the entire surface of the log, making some spirals to add natural character. It helps to wipe the fork frequently with a papertowel as you go.
How to Decorate a Yule Log:
- For effect: Dust the top with cocoa powder. You can also add sprigs of pine to look foresty.
- For the dirt: remove cream from oreo cookies, then crush them in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Sprinkle crumbs at the base of the log.
- For moss: finely chop pistacchios and sprinkle in patches on your log.
- Just before serving, decorate with mushrooms as you please. Don’t refrigerate mushrooms or they will become sticky. Keep them in tupperware at room temp in a dry place until serving.
How to Make Tiramisu Frosting:
Tip: freeze or refrigerate mixing bowl and whisk 10-15 min prior to beating. The colder it is, the better it whips.
With whisk attachment, beat 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream on high speed until fluffy/stiff and spreadable (1 1/2 – 2 min). Don’t over-beat. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same bowl (no need to wash the bowl or whisk after the whipped cream), beat softened cream cheese and sugar on high speed until smooth and fluffy (2 min), scraping down the bowl as needed to prevent rebel clumps of cream cheese.
Use a spatula to fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until very well blended (refrigerate frosting if not using right away).
Merry merry Christmas my friends! If this cake graces your holiday table, do let me know! Thank you in advance for pinning and sharing this with the people you love :).
