Chocolate Orange Yule Log

This chocolate orange yule log (or bûche de Noël in French) is a traditional Christmas dessert in France. It consists of a light sponge cake, subtly flavored with orange, and a generous chocolate ganache.

Bûche de Noël makes a wonderful centerpiece on your Christmas dessert table. This rolled cake, sometimes called Swiss Roll or Cake Roll, is essentially made of a light sponge cake that is filled with various filling options and then covered with icing and decorated. Considered as a Christmas dessert in France, this cake roll can be served on many other occasions year-round. After all, there is never a bad time to serve cake!

Being French, I have baked many yule logs in my life. As a result, the concept of a rolled cake is no secret for me anymore, and I’m happy to guide you through it to help you gain confidence. You will see, it’s easier than you think! Also, among all the recipes, this yule log is probably one of the easiest you can find, and the most delicious too. It uses the same chocolate ganache for both the filling and topping, and features some caramelized nuts on top for a crunchy bite. Every slice is very festive and highly addictive!

What goes into this chocolate yule log

This swiss roll recipe comes in 3 parts: the sponge cake, the chocolate ganache, and the caramelized nuts.

For the sponge cake, you need some basic ingredients: eggs (whites and yolks apart), sugar, all-purpose flour, and orange zest. There is no need for baking powder in this recipe; the lifting effect is here replaced with the use of beaten egg whites.

The chocolate ganache, that is used both for the filling and the topping, consists of baking chocolate, softened butter (not melted) and confectioners’ sugar. Make sure you use high quality baking chocolate for best results, ideally within a 55%-60% cocoa. I find that using 70% chocolate makes the texture less supple and a bit more difficult to work.

The caramelized nuts consists essentially of chopped almonds and hazelnuts, glued together with honey and sugar, and paired with orange peel for citrusy flavors.. The choice of nuts is up to you, and you could for instance add some pecans, cashews or macadamias.

How to assemble this chocolate yule log

Instead of explaining every single step of the recipe (described in the recipe card below), let’s focus on how to assemble this chocolate orange yule log. Keep in mind that this applies to any cake roll recipe, so once you master it, you can create many different variations.

• Spread the cake batter onto a 14×10 inch (35×25 cm) baking sheet lined with parchment paper, smoothing out the top. If you are using a larger baking sheet, try to ensure the batter is respecting the desired dimensions and has a rectangular shape.
• Baking and post-baking. Keep an eye on your oven while baking and make sure you do not overbake the sponge; it should remain supple. When you remove it from the oven, you should act quickly: first, check if you need to trim the edges slightly in order to create a perfect rectangular (especially if it spread out a little while baking), then roll up the cake tightly and cover with a damp towel. This will keep the sponge moist and avoid any cracks when you unroll it later on.
• Spread the chocolate ganache over the unrolled cake, leaving a ½ inch (1 cm) border all around to prevent filling from oozing out when assembling. You should use approximately half to two thirds of the ganache here.
• Roll up the yule log tightly, making sure the chocolate filling doesn’t ooze out, then cover with the remaining chocolate ganache all over. Decorate with the caramelized nuts, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pro tips for success

Yule log or any swiss roll recipe can be particularly tricky when it comes to the rolling part. But with a little bit of attention and experience, you can make this yule log recipe a success and impress your guests altogether. Read carefully my pro tips for success below:

• Choosing the right baking sheet for yule log. I recommend using a 14×10 inch (35×25 cm) baking sheet for best results, but it doesn’t have to be the exact measurements. It can be a bit longer on one side and shorter on the other. As long as you stay within a reasonable margin around this 14×10, you should be fine.
• Always work the sponge cake with care. Every step should be handled with care, in particular when you fold in the beaten egg whites, but also when you roll/enroll the cake. This will help achieve a light, airy texture and avoids cracks when assembling.
• Trim the extremities of the rolled cake. The sides of the sponge cake can dry out a little while baking, which can results in cracks when rolling up and out the cake. To prevent this, simply trim the extremities of each side of the sponge cake right out from the oven, using a large knife. Don’t trim too much, usually ½ inch (1 cm) is fine.
• Use a damp towel to cover the roulade almost immediately after you removed it from the oven. This will avoid the cake to crack when unrolling later on.
• Roll up tightly with the filling inside, so the yule log doesn’t become loose.

Other yule log and cake roll recipes

• Chocolate Chestnut Yule Log
• Ferrero Rocher Cake Roll
• Lemon Meringue Roulade
• Tropical Fruit Cake Roll

Chocolate lovers will also fall for…

• Chocolate Charlotte
• Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

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