An Easy Way to Make a Buche de Noel

Here’s the easiest way to make a buche de Noel or Yule Log cake for Christmas. This easy Christmas cake recipe includes a cake mix, whipping cream, and a simple ganache.

Want to make a show-stopping dessert for Christmas without stressing out, spending too much, or overdoing it? I’ve got just the thing!

A Buche de Noel or Yule Log cake is stunning, but it isn’t hard to make. It’s got some prep time involved but nothing is difficult, requires special equipment, or necessitates being a pastry chef.

What is a Buche de Noel?

The buche de Noel cake is a traditional jelly roll cake decorated like a yule log. It is a tradition in France to serve at Christmas, with every bakery and grocery store selling buches ready to go.

Bryan and I spent our first Christmas together in France with our French friends and they did indeed serve us a buche de noel. I came home the following year and made my first one at home, complete with meringue mushrooms.

You see part of the French tradition is that the cake is decorated very much like an actual log of wood, decorated with foliage, mushrooms, and sometimes little elvish woodcutters.

If you’d like to get away from the yule log imagery, you can simply add greenery and call it a Stump of Jesse cake. Which isn’t such a bad idea, now that I think of it. Not quite traditional, but definitely in keeping with making Jesus the center of our celebrations.

For many years since then, I’ve made a Buche de Noel at home. It’s not as fancy or as nicely done as those a French pastry shop might prepare, but it has become a family tradition at our house. My kids don’t notice the imperfections.

And, yes, I cheat by using a boxed cake mix. Yes, yes, I do.

One year, I tried to get fancy with a cream cheese filling and my kids scraped it out and just ate the cake. Ah…. pearls before swine.

Since then I’ve use a whipped cream filling and chocolate frosting or ganache. Sometimes I add chocolate rocks and playmobil, sometimes I don’t.

If you’d like to make a Buche de Noel at your house, it’s not that difficult — if you don’t mind some imperfections. I imagine the more practiced you are at Jelly Roll Cakes, the easier this will be

How to Make a Buche de Noel, Yule Log Cake

The ingredients to make this easy buche de noel cake are simple:

boxed cake mix – Use your favorite kind, chocolate will look more like a log.

eggs – You’ll need 6 eggs, but you can fudge with fewer. The cake just won’t be as tender.

oil – Use whatever neutral oil you typically use for baking.

water – This adds just a tad more moisture to the cake.

filling – I’ve specified chocolate whipped cream here, but you can use whatever you like, such as buttercream frosting, cool whip, regular whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, or even chocolate mousse.

ganache ingredients – A ganache is a rich chocolate frosting made with heavy cream and chocolate chips (as specified here in this easy Buche de Noel recipe), however you can top your cake with whatever frosting you like, such as chocolate buttercream or even this chocolate frosting without powdered sugar.

garnish – meringue mushrooms are traditional, but since that first year when I went over the top, I’ve diversified, sometimes I’ve decorated cakes with Playmobil such as elves, woodsmen, animals and plants while other times I’ve used sugared cranberries and mint.

Step by Step Instructions

This is an easy Buche de Noel recipe, but it does take some time and patience.

To bake the cake

• Grease a half sheet pan and line it with waxed paper or parchment. Preheat the oven to 375.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs for 6 minutes on medium. Add the cake mix, oil, and water. Continue mixing for a minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue beating for another minute.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until it’s springs back in the center.
• Meanwhile, sift cocoa or powdered sugar over a clean tea towel.
• Invert warm cake onto towel.
• Remove parchment paper.

• Roll cake up in the towel. Yes, really. You want it to cool with a curve to it otherwise the cake will break. Allow to cool completely.

To make the filling and frosting

• While the cake is cooling, whip the cream according to recipe instructions. Store in the fridge.
• To make the ganache frosting: In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the cream to a low boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside until it reaches room temperature.

To assemble the Buche de Noel

• Gently unroll the cake on a work surface.
• Spread your chocolate whipped cream filling.
• Reroll, minus the towel.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

• Remove the plastic wrap and cut 2-3 inches off each end of the cake, at an angle.
• Place the large piece of cake, seam side down, on a serving platter. Position smaller pieces on the side of the main log. These are like “branches” to the cake.
• Frost the cake with the room temperature ganache, filling in the gaps between the main log and its branches. Do not frost the cut ends of the cake roll. Scrape the ganache with a fork to resemble bark.
• Add Playmobil figures or other decorations if you prefer.

Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The ganache will firm up more as it cools.

Slice and serve the cake for dessert on Christmas.

More Good Ideas for Christmas

DIY Cookie Decorating Kit

DIY Jesse Tree

How to Do Christmas on a Budget

Free Christmas Bucket List Printables

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Buche de Noel, Yule Log Cake

An easy way to make a yule log cake with a boxed cake mix.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: buche de noel, cake roll

Servings: 12

Calories: 300kcal

Equipment

• Playmobil elves, woodsmen, animals and plants

Ingredients

• 1 dry boxed cake mix
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1/4 cup water
• cocoa or powdered sugar for sifting
• 2 cups chocolate whipped cream
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

To bake the cake

• Grease a half sheet pan and line it with waxed paper or parchment. Preheat the oven to 375.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs for 6 minutes on medium. Add the cake mix, oil, and water. Continue mixing for a minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue beating for another minute.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until it's springs back in the center.
• Meanwhile, sift cocoa or powdered sugar over a clean tea towel. Invert warm cake onto towel. Remove parchment paper. Roll cake up in the towel. Yes, really. You want it to cool with a curve to it otherwise the cake will break. Allow to cool completely.

To make the filling and frosting

• While the cake is cooling, whip the cream according to recipe instructions. Store in the fridge.
• To make the ganache frosting: In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the cream to a low boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside until it reaches room temperature.

To assemble the buche

• Gently unroll cake and spread your chocolate whipped cream filling. Reroll, minus the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Remove plastic wrap and cut off 2-3 inches off each end, at an angle. Place large piece of cake, seam side down, on a serving platter. Position smaller pieces on the side of the main log. These are like “branches” to the cake.
• Frost cake with room temperature ganache, filling in the gaps between the main log and its branches. Do not frost the cut ends of the cake roll. Scrape the ganache with a fork to resemble bark. Add Playmobil figures or other decorations if you prefer.

Notes

Nutritional values will vary based on what cake and frosting items you choose.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

This post was originally published on December 22, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity.