A French Christmas dessert shaped like a wooden log: a thin sheet of genoise sponge spread with buttercream or ganache, rolled into a cylinder, then decorated to resemble a yule log — bark textured, dusted with icing sugar snow, often garnished with meringue mushrooms and holly.
The buche de Noel is a French Christmas dessert whose shape echoes the ancient tradition of burning a large log in the household hearth at Christmas. The edible rolled sponge log cake is a creation of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, emerging as households replaced the actual hearth-log custom with a dessert equivalent; as fireplaces disappeared from modern homes, the cake took the custom's place. It is built from a genoise sponge spread with buttercream or ganache, rolled, and decorated to resemble a wooden log, and is served at the reveillon de Noel, the Christmas Eve meal.
A slice shows the spiral cross-section of the rolled sponge, the rings of buttercream between the layers echoing tree rings. The sponge is light and moist; the buttercream — classically chocolate or coffee — is rich and smooth. The surface is textured like bark and dusted with icing sugar; meringue mushrooms and holly garnish the log.
The buche de Noel rests on a flexible genoise and the rolling. A genoise sponge — whole eggs and sugar whipped to the ribbon, folded with sifted flour and melted butter — is baked thin. While still warm and pliable, it is rolled around a filling; rolling while warm prevents cracking, because the proteins have not yet set rigidly. Once cooled and unrolled, the filling is spread and the sponge re-rolled; the spiral cross-section mimics tree rings. The exterior is coated with more buttercream, textured with a fork to resemble bark.
Variations
Flavored with chocolate, coffee, chestnut, or fruit; the rolled sponge and the reveillon service are the constants.
On the Palate
Where Buche de Noel sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10How it's made
6 steps · 1 hour
- 125 min
Whip whole eggs with sugar to the ribbon, fold in sifted flour and melted butter, spread thin, and bake until just set.
- 215 min
Turn the warm sponge onto a sugared towel and roll it up loosely while still pliable; let cool.
Watch outRoll the sponge up while it's still warm and pliable — let it cool flat first and it cracks the moment you try to curl it.
- 315 min
Make a buttercream or ganache filling.
- 410 min
Unroll the cooled sponge, spread with the filling, and re-roll tightly.
- 515 min
Trim the ends; coat with more buttercream and texture like bark.
- 610 min
Dust with icing sugar, garnish with meringue mushrooms, and chill until serving.
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