In France, a proper Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without the traditional Bûche de Noël. This wooden log look-a-like cake, traditionally made of a rolled-up Génoise cake frosted with Chocolate buttercream, is part of the official conclusion to a Christmas feast. A holiday ritual no one will pass on – even with an overfilled belly.
Festive Origins
The tradition of the Christmas Yule log—an actual log, not the cake—stretches back to more than 2000 years ago, before the Medieval era. People in Scandinavian, Germanic, and Celtic countries would celebrate Winter solstice by selecting and cutting a log, bringing it back to their homes, and burning it in their hearth throughout the longest night of the year.
In different countries and families, the choice of the wood (cherry, oak, or birch), the size of the log, and the manner in which it was lit were of utmost importance. This ritual, a huge part of the celebratory traditions in these households, was a way to welcome the new year and bring fortune for the whole family.
Around the 12th century, the tradition was adopted by the Catholic Church. To add religious symbolism to the ritual, logs were sprinkled with holy water before being burnt. The fire then needed to be nurtured to last 12 days, from Christmas Eve until the Epiphany.
From the Hearth to the Oven
This tradition remained as such until about the 19th century. It then slowly vanished with the disappearance of the large hearth within homes, as many people moved to smaller urban houses.
With no fireplace to burn in, logs were instead symbolically placed on mantles as decoration. Later, in the late 1800s, the first Yule log as a decorative cake was invented—with various French bakers all fiercely claiming credit for its invention, of course.
This simple, light and fluffy Swiss roll-style dessert stood in stark contrast with other common French Christmas desserts of the time, which tended to be overly rich and dense, packed with dried fruits and nuts—closer to the British Christmas pudding or German stollen. It was quickly adopted amongst French households, and by the end of the 20th century, had also caught on in other francophone countries, such as Belgium, Switzerland, and even Quebec, Canada.
A strong French Tradition
Today, the French’s appetite for the Bûche de Nöel remains alive and well. Every year, bakeries and pastry chefs all around the country kick off their efforts to create their most unique Bûche as early as October. Each chef always coming up with new flavors and elaborate decorations to distinguish themselves from other bakers. Berry, chestnut, or coconut cakes adorned with gnomes, mushrooms, and pine trees are just a few examples.
With such an incredible selection available at every corner bakery, few people in France make their own Bûche de Nöel at home anymore.
Outside of France, though, finding a Bûche de Noel may not be the easiest of tasks. But creating your own at home is far easier than you may think.
It will take two to three hours of your time, depending on your baking abilities, but I guarantee that the process will be fun and rewarding, and leave you with a stunning, festive centerpiece for your holiday table.
Making your own Bûche at home
Despite its elaborate look, this traditional Chocolate Bûche de Nöel is a simple combination of only two elements: a light vanilla Génoise sheet cake rolled into a cylinder and a rich dark chocolate buttercream. The Bûche is presented with one end cut off and re-attached to the side of the cake to resemble a branch, before being entirely covered with buttercream.
This festive dessert is far easier to make at home than what you may think. Take it step-by-step: the Génoise cake first, then the chocolate buttercream, and finally the assembly.
Baking Tips:
– Avoid cracks in the Génoise Cake
The trick to preventing cracks in a Génoise cake when rolling it (or any swiss roll cake) is to roll the Génoise right out of the oven while still warm, in a clean kitchen cloth dusted with sugar. This keeps the cake moist and allows it to “memorize” its rolled shape. When the cake is cool, gently unroll it and immediately spread the buttercream into it and roll it back up.
– Make a fluffy and spreadable Chocolate Buttercream
As its name suggests, a chocolate buttercream is made with a generous amount of butter, whipped gradually into a fluffy chocolate meringue. The butter should be soft (at room temperature) – to be properly incorporated – yet not too soft or it will make for a runny buttercream. If the buttercream becomes too fluid during the process of making it, pop your bowl into the fridge until it has chilled through.
– Create a bark-like look
Once the cake is covered with buttercream, a bark texture is created by dragging a fork along the cake. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the more rustic the better.
– Decorations
For finishing, a Bûche de Nöel is decorated with (mostly) edible ingredients to recreate a woodsy theme. You can follow along these few traditional suggestions, or get creative and use ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
- Garnish the log with meringue mushrooms to match the woodsy theme.
- Sprinkle crushed pistachios here and there to recreate moss.
- Dot the log with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs to resemble mistletoe.
- As a finishing touch, dust powdered sugar on the finished log to recreate snow.
I hope you’ll love this Classic Chocolate Bûche de Noël recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
More Holiday Baking ideas:
- Cocoa Almond Thumbprint Cookies from Alsace (Linzele)
- Spiced Cookies with Candied Citrus Peels and Almonds (Leckerli)
- Raspberry Jam Swiss Roll
- Almond Chocolate Twice-Baked Cookies from Provence (Croquants)
- Raspberry Jam-Filled Sablé Sandwiches (Lunettes de Romans)
19 comments
I’m excited to make this! Do you think I could make this on Christmas Eve for Christmas day ? Would you keep it in the fridge or just in a cool spot until then? Thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica, yes you can make it the day ahead and enjoy it on Christmas Day (One day ahead is more than fine, but I wouldn’t wait any longer). Keep in it in the fridge, so the buttercream stays firm. Enjoy, and happy holidays!
Hi
You mention salt in the buttercream ingredients, but not in its instructions. When should it be incorporated? Thanks@
Thank you for noticing! The salt is added to the egg whites, just before beating – I edited the recipe. Thank you!
Audrey,
I followed all the instructions but even after the buttercream icing was refrigerated for 2hours it was very runny and did not hold on the cake roll. Any idea what I may have done wrong, and it happens again, can it be stiffened other than refrigeration. Still was tasty but no very appealing.
Thank -you. And really enjoy your book and emailed recipes.
Hi Rich! Getting a runny buttercream can come from many reasons – overbeating, the mixture was still too warm when butter was added, maybe you used a bowl that retains heat (so the mixture was cool but not the bowl), maybe it was too warm in your kitchen… Anyway, cooling it down in the fridge is usually an easy fix. But if this still doesn’t work, you can add powdered sugar, whipping in a tablespoon at a time, until you reach a thicker, creamier consistency. Just be careful about adding too much powdered sugar or the buttercream will end up too sweet. I hope this helps, happy holidays!
Thank you Audrey. I will do the Budhe de Noel again and try the hints that you suggested. Have a Happy and healthy New Year.
You as well – all the best for 2021!
Hi! I am in the process of making it right now.
Buttercream stage: After adding the sugar syrup, the whole frosting fluffed up beautifully. Then I added the Chocolate and it went completely flat, Is it supposed to do that?
Hi! It is normal for the buttercream to flatten a bit when the chocolate gets added. But if you feel the buttercream is too fluid/flat, pop your bowl into the fridge until it has chilled through. I hope this helps, happy holidays!
We are making this authentic French recipe for a high school French class! I was wondering if the dark chocolate is unsweetened baking chocolate or a sweetened bar of dark chocolate? Any particular brand recommended? Can’t wait to try it tomorrow
Thank you! Opt for baking dark chocolate – I personally like Baker’s 70% dark chocolate baking bar, which is a good value for money. Happy baking!!
Hello again!
Just came here to thank you very much for this recipe! It is my 3rd year that I have made it and looks gorgeous as always.
I do have another question. How come your frosting is so much darker? I have been following the recipe and my frosting is much lighter.
Thank you so much, Suhasini. I love that this bouche has become a yearly tradition for you!
To answer your question, I am not really sure about the darkness… I always use 70% dark chocolate when it comes to chocolate in recipes, as anything above that tends to be too bitter for others (but I love 80 or even 90%). Do you know what percentage your dark chocolate is?
We made this recipe last year and we’re making it again this year. It was simply perfect!
Amazing, thanks so much for your feedback!
[…] dessert but once it’s assembled you will feel such a sense of accomplishment. I really like this recipe because of how detailed the steps are. I’m all about the visuals and Audrey from Pardon Your […]
will try it soon! Can I make it a chocolate cake? Should I recplace around 20% with cocoa?
Hello, Juliana! The buche is almost always traditionally made using a vanilla flavoured Génoise cake. I haven’t myself changed the cake to chocolate, as I find the chocolate buttercream is enough for me. That being said, if you’re going for ultimate chocolate flavor, adding some cocoa would be the play… I just really don’t know how much, without it altering the texture of the cake. If you’re up for experimenting, I’d try one ahead of time with even 10-15% to start and working up in 5% increments if it isn’t exactly to your liking.