How to make a chocolate yule log

Enjoy the aromas, textures, and flavours of chocolate yule log this Christmas

As December dawns again, anticipation for delicious festive food builds. A time of celebrating and feasting, Christmas is the perfect holiday for exploring delectable dessert options. While Christmas pudding, with its dense fruit cake base, is traditional, it may not be to everyone’s taste. Why not offer your dinner guests something elegant and satisfying in the form of a chocolate yule log? This cacao-rich sponge has just the right amount of decadence and sweetness and is the perfect way to round off your Christmas meal. 

Chocolate yule log origins

The yule log — or Bûche de Noël — wasn’t always in chocolate form. It has a long and fascinating history, predating Christianity. Historically, pagans across Northern Europe celebrated the winter solstice in December. Solstice, the longest night of the year, heralded the rebirth of the sun and, to welcome the gradual return of longer days, people would fell a tree and slowly burn a log for the twelve days of Yuletide. Families believe that burning the yule log would protect their homes from fire and lightning, and invite prosperity.

As time went on, pagan traditions merged with Roman and Christian celebrations, and different variations of the yule log ritual arose. 

What about the transition to chocolate? Some sources suggest that in the early-19th century Napoleon Bonaparte objected to people burning yule logs as it made them ill. In response, the French developed a cylindrical pastry to represent the wooden log.

Then, in 1895, Pierre Lacam published a recipe for a chocolate yule log — a Genoise sponge roll with a chocolate and coffee buttercream centre. Lacam covered his yule log with more buttercream, adding marks to create a bark-like texture. 

Easy chocolate yule log recipe

Nowadays, fewer people burn logs during Yuletide. But if you’d like to embrace the winter tradition in an edible way, there are many delicious recipes you can follow. The impressive dessert looks tricky but can actually be relatively easy to produce. 

Whether you’re a fan of dark chocolate with nuanced cacao notes or prefer the subtle sweetness of white chocolate, you can adapt your yule log recipe to suit your tastes. Once you’ve got a basic recipe, it can be a fun festive activity to experiment with variations. 

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 175g caster sugar
• 100g self-raising flour
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 200g dark chocolate (our 65% Supermilk offers the perfect level of creaminess and cocoa richness)
• 250g butter softened
• 250g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

Method

For the sponge:

• Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
• Whisk together the beaten eggs and caster sugar until thick and creamy.
• Sift and gently fold in the flour and cocoa powder until combined.
• Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes or until springy to the touch.
• Turn out the cake onto another sheet of baking parchment, carefully remove the lining paper, and score the cake about 2cm in from the short edge. This is so you can roll your cake into a log shape.
• Start at the end of the sponge with the scored mark and roll the cake tightly, with the baking parchment inside the roll.

For the icing:

• As your sponge roll cools, melt your chocolate, then let it cool slightly
• Meanwhile, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy, then gradually mix into the cooled chocolate.

Putting it together:

• Unroll your cake, then spread about one third of the chocolate buttercream over it. Re-roll without the parchment. 
• Cut a wedge of the cake from one end, and place it jutting from the main roll so it looks like a log with an offshoot.
• Cover the whole cake with the chocolate buttercream, then use a fork to create a bark effect along the lengths of it.
• Chill for an hour, then dust with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Chocolate yule log flavour variations

A classic chocolate yule log beautifully showcases cacao flavour notes. It also brings together light, fluffy sponge cake and melt-in-the-mouth buttercream.

However, if you’d like to really stick with tradition, you could always incorporate a coffee creme filling, inspired by Pierre Lacam’s original recipe. Brew up a strong espresso, leave it to cool, then stir it into your buttercream. 

Are you a fan of Black Forest gateau? Embrace the deep fruity flavours of the German dessert by layering the centre of your sponge with cherry jam. Top your fruity yule log with our Kirsch Cherries for a delectable boozy kick. 

Alternatively, you could incorporate some festive flavours into your buttercream bark. Rather than using plain dark chocolate, melt one of our 70% Dark Chocolate Orange Selectors and fold it gently into your icing mix. Infused with juicy Valencian oranges, it will bring a refreshing lift to your yule log. 

You could also give your yule log a snowy makeover with white chocolate bark. Just like before, simply swap your milk or dark chocolate for one of our White Chocolate Slabs. As you slice into the cake to serve to your guests, you’ll be greeted by the wonderful contrast of dark chocolate sponge with its light icing. 

Loved ones who like their dessert to have a little more sweetness are sure to appreciate the gentle vanilla notes of a white chocolate yule log. For the ultimate in satisfying creaminess, just make sure you look for white chocolate with a high cacao butter percentage. 

How to decorate a chocolate yule log

For a classic design, you might like to stick with buttercream or ganache frosting, adding subtle swirls and lines to give it that gnarled, woody effect. Top it with a dusting of icing sugar for a snowy effect.

If you’d like to get creative in the kitchen, you can let your imagination run wild. Whether you go with a theme, a scene, or just an array of delicious treats, you can come up with something truly original.

Woodland inspiration

Perhaps you’d like to give your chocolate yule log an extra bit of character and Christmas decoration. Take inspiration from nature, adding a sprig of real holly, along with a scattering of cranberries for a bright pop of festive red. A scattering of candied oranges can add a delightful bejewelled effect.

Crafting leaves and flowers from chocolate can add an extra bit of flair, or you might like to create some adorable mushrooms from marshmallows or royal icing. Serve your yule log on a dish surrounded by fairy lights for a magical touch. 

Chocolate bark

Another way you can make your chocolate log stand out is by adding shards of chocolate bark. Chocolate bark is essentially melted chocolate with added ingredients for both taste and texture — a bit like our chocolate Slabs. 

Melt your chocolate and scatter it with chopped ingredients that will work beautifully alongside your chocolate log. Chill in the fridge until firm, then lay your chocolate bark across the length of the cake. 

Jolly characters

Are your little ones helping out with the baking? They’ll love decorating your yule log with cute chocolate characters. Why not line the base of your log with our Jolly Penguins, or call on help from our Sleigh Team to pull your log into the spotlight. 

Snowflake sparkle

If you’d like to create a real showstopper, consider adding some sparkle to your cake. Make some chocolate snowflake shapes from white, milk, or dark chocolate, and sprinkle them with silver edible glitter or shimmer powder.

Can you freeze homemade yule log?

If you decide that you want your Christmas Day to be as hassle-free as possible then freezing your chocolate yule log can take the pressure off. You can freeze your yule log in an airtight container for up to one month before serving.  Just remember to take it out of the freezer the night before you intend to eat it!

Whenever you decide you get baking, add a cocoa twist to your Christmas desserts this year with a delectable chocolate yule log. After all, chocolate is the perfect way to bring a bit of joy to the table this festive season. Or indulge in another chocolate-version of a Christmas tradition with our Chocolate Christmas Wreaths. A cacao-rich twist on a festive classic is sure to delight your guests!