Making Yule Logs Is NOT Difficult

Published on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, by Joyce Slaton / Edit Post

For a cake that comes out looking so incredibly fancy, a yule log (or bûche de Noël) is surprisingly easy to make. It's basically just a jelly roll cake: a thin, flat génoise that any fool can glop filling on and then roll up into a reasonable facsimile of a log. Icing the cake is equally easy, as it doesn't require particularly steady or skilled hands, just a load of buttercream frosting tinted brown and some powdered sugar to mimic snow. This video from a couple of bakery owners has some additional helpful tips for refining your cake technique. These bakers use meringue mushrooms, but I prefer marzipan mushrooms: They're ridiculously easy to make (indeed, here is a tutorial!), and plus, you get to bite into a big marzipan thing, which is always nice.

ALLVideo Snacks
POST A COMMENT |3 Comments

COMMENT

  • Divalicious, I think I love you. I looooove that Famous Wafers cake. And I hate baking genoise. Going to try this this year.

  • Another Yule Log is made with Famous Chocolate Wafers and whipped cream. I add dark cocoa to sweetened whipped cream (that I whip myself) also make a batch of whipped cream with instant espresso powder. Spread the coffee flavored whipped cream on wafers and stack them together, placing them on their sides. Make one long column and a couple of shorter branches sticking out at the sides. Frost all...+READ

    Another Yule Log is made with Famous Chocolate Wafers and whipped cream. I add dark cocoa to sweetened whipped cream (that I whip myself) also make a batch of whipped cream with instant espresso powder. Spread the coffee flavored whipped cream on wafers and stack them together, placing them on their sides. Make one long column and a couple of shorter branches sticking out at the sides. Frost all over with the dark chocolate cream, frost the ends with the coffee flavored cream. Place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Then take it out and scrape the surface with a fork to make the bark, using straight lines on the trunk and circular lines on the ends. Decorate with drifts of plain white whipped cream for snow. You can also make forest mushrooms with marshmallows: cut large marshmallows in half, roll one half in a cylinder to make the stem, use a rolling pin to flatten the other half to make the mushroom cap. Dust each with a little cocoa powder to approximate the earthy mushroom color, stick stem to cap and place at the base of the Yule Log. You can also use gum drop spearmint leaves, sliced lengthwise, and placed like holly using red cinnamon candies for the berries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.-COLLAPSE

  • Gesine Bullock-Prado (http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/) has instructions for a lovely version that uses Martha Stewart's faux-bois paint-finishing tool, sold at major home centers, to create a realistic wood-grain look.