How to make a Yule log, a concentrate of pure gluttony!

A self-respecting Christmas dinner always ends with a magnificent and joyful dessert like this: here's how to make a Yule log!

When you bring the Yule log to the table, it will be a joy for all the diners, especially for the little ones, who will be attracted by this scenographic and chocolaty dessert . Topped with sugar decorations, which you can find ready-made in some supermarkets and/or pastry shops, but which you can also make at home, this sweet (also called Bûche de Noël, in the French style) has countless variations.

Today we are making a quick and easy Christmas log with a simple base of sponge cake, a filling of chocolate ganache and a covering of dark chocolate, which will form a crunchy crust. Ready ? Let's see the preparation of the Yule log recipe.

Preparation of the chocolate Christmas log

1. To prepare your Christmas cake, start with the sponge cake base: break the eggs , separating the yolks and whites.
2. Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar , working with an electric whisk, also incorporating the vanillin and honey. Also work the egg whites until stiff with the other part of the sugar .
3. Combine the two compounds, mixing from top to bottom with a spatula and a lot of delicacy, then add the sifted flour to the frothy compound.
4. Pour the dough onto a baking tray (like you do for pizza) lined with baking paper: it will be very wide and very low. Bake at 220°C for six minutes .
5. While it's cooking, prepare the chocolate ganache . Despite the high-sounding name, this cream is nothing but the union of 250 g of cream and as much chocolate : heat the cream and pour the chopped chocolate into it. Stir until completely dissolved and leave to cool .
6. At this point, the sponge cake is ready. Take it out of the oven, cover it with a clean cotton kitchen towel and, without removing the parchment paper from underneath, roll up the dough on itself . It's important to do it when it's still hot because it's more elastic: if you let it get cold and try to roll it up later it will break !
7. Now we have to compose the dessert! Unroll the sponge cake (which will have cooled) and spread the ganache (also cold) on top . Once stuffed, roll it up by detaching the underlying baking paper.
8. Wrap the chocolate Christmas roll in cling film, close it like a caramel and leave it to rest in the fridge for two hours .
9. Finish off the uneven edges with a bread knife and cut a piece of roll to put on top (like a branch cut from the trunk). To make it stick, use ganache, which will be our glue .
10. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and cover the entire Christmas log with it, drawing lines with a fork to give the idea of ​​a log.
11. Complete the sweet log with Christmas decorations (trees, houses and snowmen in sugar paste and holly leaves are the must haves!).

If you liked the Christmas log recipe, discover the video of the preparation .

Tips and storage of the sweet roll

We advise against preparing it well in advance: the ideal would be to prepare it and eat it the same day. This is because the creams must be kept in the fridge (and therefore the dessert must necessarily be stored in a cool place) but at the same time the sponge cake will become hard and chewy at low temperatures. If you really have a piece left over, keep it in the refrigerator for a day – maximum two – in an airtight container and take it out at least half an hour before enjoying it.

The most important advice is to roll up the sponge cake on itself when it is still hot to prevent it from breaking. For the same reason, we advise against using a ready -made one.

The variants of the Yule log

The best part is, you can tweak this recipe however you like!

• The simplest possible variant is that of the Nutella Christmas log: the filling is based on spreadable hazelnut cream and therefore you don't even have to prepare the chocolate ganache.
• You can also cover it with pistachio ganache, or white chocolate and even – if you have good dexterity – make the sugar decorations with your own hands to put on top of the log.
• For an even more amazing result, however, double the doses of ingredients and make two rolls. One of the two will be cut in half diagonally and arranged on the sides of the other so that it takes on the classic shape of a log.
• And, on the other hand, have you ever heard of the no-bake Christmas log recipe? To make the base you will need to get some sandwich bread. Remove the crusts from the bread and spread the slices on the countertop: flatten them with a rolling pin to obtain a uniform base. At this point, spread with Nutella, roll up and cover with melted chocolate: in about 15 minutes you have created a surprising dessert !
• Finally, if you are really a fan of this preparation, we also leave you the version of the salted Christmas log. Also in this case it is without cooking: flatten the slices of bread with a rolling pin and then stuff it with cold cuts, spreadable cheese or a simple ham mousse. Assemble your log and cover it with spreadable cheese before making the grooves in the wood !

Finally, don't miss all our most delicious Christmas desserts !

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