Any chocolate lovers here? Black forest Yule log for Christmas – why not! It’s rich and creamy. You will love it even you are not a huge chocolate fan. This Black forest Yule log cake is so good. It will become your every birthday cake, every dessert cake, and every tea cake. So easy to make and such a delicious cake. It’s cocoa flavored sponge cake filled with fluffy whipped cream and topped with French milk chocolate.

What’s the story behind Black forest Yule log?

While traveling around the world, I realized that people are pretty much the same everywhere. Most of the time, it’s just the climate that makes things different. People make dishes from what they grow. The main difference is in seasoning and serving.

Did you know that Yule log is popular all around the world? Every country has its own variation. People call it Yule log, Swiss roll, Yule cake or by their local town’s name where it was created first.

Actually the Black Forest Yule log symbolizes the winter solstice. The bonfire symbolizes the start of a new solar cycle and a new beginning. In many parts of Europe and North America, it was and still is a lovely ancient Celtic tradition. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night. As the years pass by, bonfires and dancing traditions fade away. Christmas became all about decorations, gift-buying, and overeating.

How to make Black forest Yule log from scratch?

Black forest Yule log or as French say – La Bûche de Noël is chocolate sponge cake filled with cream and garnished with chocolate frosting. Buche de Noel is shaped so that it looks like wooden log and has a bark-like surface.

On the inside, it is loaded with whipped cream, or my hubby’s approved version – cottage cheese and condensed milk cream.

Cream. You can use cottage cheese or cream for the filling. It depends on what texture you want. It’s important to keep the cream dry. My favorite filling is cottage cheese, which is moister, so I always put it in a sieve and leave it to drain the excess liquid. Don’t make the filling too liquid. Buche de Noel will not be stiff, the sponge-cake may fall apart. Or you can make fluffy like cloud whipped cream with vanilla powder sugar.

Sponge. The most important thing is not to overcook the sponge-cake. If you overcook it, it’ll dry out, lose its elasticity, split, and the filling will spill out. Some bakers add starch to the dough. It seems to me that sponge-cake made with starch has a poorer texture than those without, so my biscuit is without starch. I used 12×17 inch (30x43cm) baking pan for the cake. Spread the dough over the entire area. If you want a white biscuit, add flour instead of cocoa.

Ideas. You can make the filling according to your imagination. Hazelnuts or any other nuts you prefer would pair well with Black forest Yule log cake. Homemade caramel next with cream or cottage cheese cream. Why not? Get creative!

Black forest Yule log – Ingredients

Cake

5 free-range eggs

1/3 cup (60 g) caster sugar

1/2 cup (60 g) cake flour

2 tbsp (10 g)  unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder

Filling (choose one option)

Cottage cheese filling (my favorite)

16 oz (400 g) cottage cheese

¾ cup (160 g) butter (room temperature)

3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Heavy cream filling

16 oz (400g) heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

powdered vanilla sugar

Chocolate Ganache

10 oz (300 g) quality milk chocolate

7 oz (200g) heavy cream

I’ve recorded all process, so don’t be overwhelmed. If I can do this, you can do this. Take your time and enjoy the festive process. Wishing you a season of good cheer. We all need it!

Tools You may Need:

• Electric Mixer (hand or stand) for cake batter and filling. I used simple hand mixer.

• 12×17 inch baking pan for the cake.

• Parchment paper for lining the pan. I love these sheets.

• Offset spatula for spreading the whipped cream filling and ganache.

• Milk Frothing Pitcher

• Fine mesh strainer for dusting cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar.

• Wooden serving tray

• Thin kitchen/tea towel or parchment paper. You need either for rolling the cake, but I strongly recommend a towel because it’s better at helping to prevent cake cracks.

• Mmixing bowls, whisk, rubber spatula, cutting board, saucepan, etc

How to make Black forest Yule log cake

Sponge-cake

1. Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C). Line a 12×17 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease it with butter, so the cake can be removed easily. Apply a thin layer of butter, then rub it into the paper evenly with your fingers.

2. Whisk the cake flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Place in a strainer and set aside until the next step.

3. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl. Using the same mixing bowl you just had the egg whites in (no need to clean it), add the egg yolks and sugar. Beat together on high speed for 3 minutes or until thickened and light in color.

4. Add the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Mix it on low speed for 20 seconds. Gradually add the flour to the egg mixture and beat on low or fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Avoid over-mixing and deflating those egg whites. Batter should be very light.

5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 9 minutes. Avoid over-baking the cake because it will crack if over-baked.

6. As the cake bakes, place a clean kitchen towel on the biscuit just taken out of the oven and, without removing the baking paper, roll it up. Slowly and gently. Leave the cake to cool completely rolled up in the parchment/towel.

Filling – choose one

7. a) Cottage cheese and butter filling. Mix the drained cottage cheese together with room temperature butter and condensed milk. Blend everything with an electric hand blender until smooth.

b) Whipped cream filling. If you want a fluffy cream like a cloud, you can use heavy cream instead of cottage cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and vanilla sugar powder on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, for about 2 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix.

8. Gently and very slowly unroll the cake. Remove the towel. Spread the filling evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the cake. I like using a spatula to spread.

9. Gently roll up the cake, peeling off the parchment paper at the same time. Roll it slowly. Cover the cake with the same parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes or overnight before shaping and topping with ganache. You can store it for up to 2 days before serving.

The ganache topping

The frosting is made from milk chocolate and heavy cream or milk(I use oat milk). If you want to make a milk chocolate frosting, mix three parts chocolate with two parts cream(milk). You can make dark chocolate ganache by mixing chocolate with cream 1:1.

You can find the recipe here: vegan ganache.

Remove rolled Black forest Yule log cake from the refrigerator. Diagonally slice a 3-4 inch section off one end. Place the cake on a serving platter. Place the angled side against a side of the roll, forming a branch. Pour warm chocolate ganache all over the cake. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More cake recipes:

• Dairy free birthday cake
• Bavarian cream donut
• Lazy cake with nuts
• Christmas bundt cake
• Italian lemon pound cake
• French custard cake – Flan Patissier
• Italian plum cake

If you are looking for inspiration click here

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