This yule log cake is so delicious and light, it’s the perfect dessert for the end a Christmas meal. It’s so easy to make with my step by step directions, so don’t be intimidated! Did I mention it’s also naturally gluten free?
Originally published December 24, 2012.
This yule log cake is one of my earliest recipes. As you can see, I published it on Christmas Eve, giving my readers plenty of time to bake one in time for Christmas the next day! 🤣
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What can I say? I’m still learning! This yule log may look intimidating, but this recipe is really quite simple! If you want to make it even easier, you can omit the buttercream frosting and just dust the log with powdered sugar.
What is a Yule Log?
An actual yule log is a large log that is traditionally burned in the fireplace on Christmas Day. However, most of us think about a yule log cake when we hear the words, “yule log”. The latter is a sponge cake (Swiss roll) that’s filled with cream or another creamy filling and decorated to look like a real, or not so real, wooden log.
Why is this Yule Log Gluten Free?
This yule log recipe is gluten free because it’s a light sponge and the cocoa acts like the flour. I make it because of its texture and flavor, not because I want it to be gluten free, but that’s an added bonus when I have guests who are on gluten free diets. To me, this is the perfect Christmas dessert because of its beautiful presentation and festive shape. It’s also a light cake, which means it’ll probably even entice those with full bellies after a big Christmas dinner!
I usually make a few of these each Christmas season, and believe me, once it’s been sliced, it’s only a matter of minutes before it’s gone. You don’t have to make meringue mushrooms, but they are the perfect addition to the presentation of the yule log. You can use real bits of pine, pinecones or even rosemary, as I’ve used above, to adorn the log.
How do you Make a Yule Log?
Making a yule log is quite simple. A quick sponge cake is made in a jelly roll (Swiss roll) pan, then filled with cream, cut and decorated to look like a log. See my full, step by step directions below.
You know I’m going to say something about the quality of ingredients, right? In addition to using the best quality eggs you can find, the next most important ingredient is the cocoa. Please, I beg of you, don’t use Her___ys! It simply won’t taste decadent and full of chocolate flavor. Here’s one of my favorites: Barry Cacao! It’s almost like butter in that it makes everything better!
Another Christmas recipe you might enjoy–Snow Cookies!
Yule log cakes are a tradition in many countries. In France, it is called a Bûche de Noël, in Italy, Tronchetto di Natale. It’s a lovely Christmas tradition to continue, especially since (this recipe) tastes fabulous! They also make a lovely gift if you want to make something homemade.
Yule Log
(Bûche De Noël or Ceppo di Natale)
Serves 12 (thin slices)
adapted by Christina Conte from a McCall’s Cooking School recipe
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC.)
To decorate: meringue mushrooms, small branches of pine, sugared cranberries, rosemary dipped in beaten egg white and coated in sugar, Christmas baubles, etc.
Prepare 15x10x1 jelly (Swiss) roll pan by buttering the pan, lining with parchment paper and then lightly butter the paper.
In large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form when beaters are slowly lifted. Add 1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar, two tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
Using the same beaters , but another bowl, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining 1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until very thick (about 4 minutes.)
At low speed, beat in the cocoa, vanilla and salt until smooth.
With a spatula or large spoon, gently fold cocoa mixture into egg whites just until blended (until there are no egg whites visible.)
Spread evenly into pan.
Bake 15 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed.
Place a clean linen kitchen towel on workspace and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, in a 15″x10″ area. Turn cake out onto sugared towel and carefully peel off paper.
Roll up cake, starting with the short end.
Continue rolling until the end, and then place seam side down onto cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
To make the filling: place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until thick; then chill for at least half an hour.
To assemble: unroll the cake and cover with filling to 1″ from the edge.
Re-roll without the cloth, and place seam side down onto serving plate.
Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This can also be frozen for up to a week, wrapped in foil.
To serve unfrosted: place on a serving platter, dust with confectioner’s sugar and decorate with red candied cherries and green angelica leaves (from the original recipe).
~Christina’s Method of Decorating a Yule Log~
I like mine to look real.
To prepare buttercream frosting: mix all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, adding enough coffee until a smooth, spreadable consistency is reached. I like adding coffee as it makes the frosting less sweet, but if you don’t like coffee, just use milk.
Before placing the filled yule log on a serving plate, cut a piece off each end of the log, at a 45 degree angle.
I use a cake lifter for lifting cakes. It makes it much easier. If you don’t have one, you can carefully use a spatula and one hand to lift the main part of the yule log cake.
Spread a little frosting on an end of each piece and attach it to the log to make it look like a log with two cut branches on it.
Frost the entire log, using a butter knife and make the frosting look like wood, by making rough streaks with the knife.
Think about how a tree grows when you make the bark. You don’t want the lines going the wrong way on the little branches off the main log. Get creative and give the bark some character. Alternately, you can run a fork along the entire dessert, to make it look like the bark on the log.
It doesn’t take much frosting or time to decorate a this cake with my yule log recipe. Be sure to use a plate, tray or plate with some extra space for decorations.
Then just place some small pine needle branches, and other greenery around the cake. Top with sugared cranberries and you can leave it as is. Or decorate with meringue mushrooms, and other decorations.
Or you can sprinkle the cake with confectioner’s sugar just before serving (to make it look like snow.)
Remember to refrigerate the yule log cake for at least half an hour before serving. Slice with a serrated knife when serving, and wipe the knife in between each cut.
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This is the yule log from my original post (on a paper plate, with sparse decor)! Eek!
Yule Log (Made Easily, Delicious and Gluten Free!)
A delicious (gluten free) yule log everyone will enjoy!
Ingredients
Yule Log
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (6 oz) sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (1 1/4 oz) unsweetened cocoa, good quality
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- confectioner's sugar
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) heavy cream, chilled
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
Mocha Buttercream Icing (optional)
- 1/4 cup (57 g) butter, room temperature
- 2.5 cups (250 g) confectioner's sugar
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- about 1/4 cup (1 to 2 oz) of cold, strong coffee
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC.)
- Prepare 15x10x1 jelly (Swiss) roll pan by buttering the pan, lining with parchment paper and then lightly butter the paper.
- In large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form when beaters are slowly lifted. Add 1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar, two tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Using the same beaters, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining 1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until very thick (about 4 minutes.
- At low speed, beat in cocoa, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- With a spatula or large spoon, gently fold cocoa mixture into egg whites just until blended (until there are no egg whites visible.) Spread evenly into pan.
- Bake 15 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed.
- Place a clean linen kitchen towel on workspace and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, in a 15"x10" area. Turn cake out onto sugared towel and carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake, starting with the short end.
- Continue rolling until the end, and then place seam side down onto cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Filling: place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until thick; then chill.
To assemble: unroll the cake and cover with filling to 1" from the edge.
- Re-roll without the cloth, and place seam side down onto serving plate.
- Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This can also be frozen for up to a week, wrapped in foil.
- Let stand at room temperature for one hour before serving.
To serve as in the original recipe: place on a serving platter, dust with confectioner's sugar and decorate with red candied cherries and green angelica leaves.
Christina's Method of Decorating a Yule Log
- Prepare buttercream frosting: mix all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, adding enough coffee until a smooth, spreadable consistency is reached.
- Before placing the filled yule log on a serving plate, cut a small piece off each end of the log, at a slight angle. Cut smaller than you think you should or you'll end up with a stump.
- Spread a little frosting on an end of each piece (outside ends) and attach it to the log to make it look like a log with two cut branches on it.
- Frost the entire log, using a butter knife and make the frosting look like bark, by making rough streaks with the knife.
- Alternately, you can run a fork along the entire dessert, to make it look like the bark on a log. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar just before serving (to make it look like snow.)
- Decorate with meringue mushrooms, pine needles, sugared cranberries, rosemary, and/or other decorations.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving:Calories: 200Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 44mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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I’m going to try this tomorrow with my son, so there is no flour in this recipe? It looks delicious
No flour! Enjoy!
[…] Get this Yule Log Recipe […]
Thank you for this recipe! Your recipe out of all the ones I have tried…I’ve tried about 7 and failed every time…makes me feel like I am a great baker LOL!!!! I am giving these Yule Logs as gifts to my neighbors this year for Christmas!
You are a great baker! Here’s the problem: the internet is LOADED with bloggers and sites that simply want to make $. It’s your job to sift through them and find the real ones with solid recipes. I personally know food bloggers who don’t like to cook, but they do it for income. One even buys stock photos and writes up a recipe to go along with the picture! Horrible! I feel badly for the people using these recipes as they will blame themselves, so it’s quite possible you just used bad recipes.
I’m sure your neighbors will be delighted! Hopefully, you’ll find more of my recipes to enjoy (they all work) and when you get a chance, read this. Merry Christmas! CC
Hello My son made this for his Home Economics homeschool class last year and it was a hit. I am gluten free so it was awesome. I am wondering if you have a recipe for a white or vanilla cake just like this? Can you just omit the cocoa powder? or will that mess with the wet dry ratio? thanks Jen
Hi Jen, glad to hear it-it is a lovely cake. No, I wouldn’t omit the cocoa. You could try adding a gf baking mix in its place, but since I haven’t tried it myself, I honestly can’t say how it would turn out. :(
Hi, I’ve found your recipe and am excited to try it for our Christmas. I’ve recently developed cyliac disease and am hopeful this will allow me to continue a family tradition of Yule logs on Christmas eve. I have to travel in the days prior to the holiday and am wondering if I can make and freeze this prior to leaving. How will the filling do in the freezer? Any suggestions?
I appreciate your prompt response.
Thanks so much
It freezes just perfectly! THe filling is cream, so no problem. In fact, I froze mine in slices as I sent some to work with my husband and he doesn’t have to eat a piece every single day this way. Freezing it whole is no problem, either. Enjoy!
Omit the buttercream frosting? Are you crazy? Do I need to send a doctor? Actually, I need help with my buttercream frosting. I made you a log in the shape of a saguaro cactus one year. The inside was great, but the butter cream was awful! I’ll try your recipe and see how it goes… And, by the way, I am totally with you on Cacao Barry. Ever since Pernigotti went out of business, it has been my go to cocoa powder.
Hahaha! My mother actually prefers it without the buttercream! You’ll enjoy this one, David, and it’s not too much or too sweet! And whaaaat? Pernigotti went out of business?! Nooooo!
This looks amazing, Christina. A true work of art. And it actually looks easy enough to be within my limited baking skills… May give it a try this season!
I totally is, Frank! Go for it! :)
Christina, I’ve made this recipe of yours a couple of times as it’s perfect for Mason who can’t eat gluten. EVERYONE loves it! And you photos are so festive and pretty! (Including the one on the paper plate!) :-) ~Valentina
WOW this is spectacular, and you make this look so easy. I think I must try this!
I can only imagine how yours would look, Cathy!
[…] Click here for the recipe: https://www.christinascucina.com/yule-log-made-easily-delicious-and/?fbclid=IwAR3Hs_2YN22wlFrkpU1I1E… […]
[…] Another nut free recipe for the holidays: Gluten Free Yule Log […]
I’ve made this recipe 3 times for the holidays and it was a hit each time! Everyone kept asking me how it was gluten free because it was so good!! Didn’t change a thing! I’ll be bookmarking this as a favorite for years to come.
That’s great, Olivia! I’ve changed the frosting recipe to half the amount as it’s always too much, just in case you want to make it the same way, just double it now. :) Thanks for the lovely review and Merry Christmas!
Can this be made in advance and frozen?
Hi Denise, I would guess that it could be because everything is “safe” to freeze, so to speak. However, I don’t know how it would be once defrosted as far as being just as good as fresh, I would guess not. If you do try it, I wouldn’t freeze it for more than a week or so. Let me know if you try it. CC
This looks great and sounds pretty easy. I’m going to try making it next week, but was wondering if it’s possible to substitute the coffee for perhaps almond milk or another liquid?
Sure! I like mocha because it’s less sweet, but you definitely can use another liquid, Lori. I’m actually in the middle of making one right now! :) Let me know how it turns out. CC
How far ahead can this be made? I’m taking it to a Christmas party (have to transport it 2 hours away). Can I make it and ice the day before and keep it in the fridge? Thanks
Yes, absolutely, Kathie! As long as it’s refrigerated it will be fine. Enjoy, it’s always a hit! :)
Thanks
I’m going to add 1/2 cup of flour to “extend†the recipe as suggested. Is Almond Flour okay?
Hi Kathie, for some reason i found your questions in my spam folder! I wouldn’t add flour, especially almond flour. Where did you see this suggestion?
[…] Delicious yule log by ChristinaScucina […]
My daughter made one of these in French class and since I’m gluten free I searched and found this recipe. This is my favorite cake and loved by all. Not a fan of icing so I don’t make that. I also love to eat it frozen. I add a tablespoon of corn starch that is recommended in another recipe and it rolls better that way for me.
That’s wonderful, Alicia! Yes, you can absolutely skip the frosting and no need to turn it into a yule log either, which means you can make a chocolate Swiss roll anytime of year! :) Enjoy, I do love this cake myself! CC
[…] credit […]
We made this for Christmas this year and it was a hit! My kids are sensitive to sugar so we used less sugar, especially in the icing. All 3 of my kids were really interested in the process and helped me make it, it was so much fun! This is a fantastic recipe and the cake was so easy to roll, did not break or crack and tasted amazing! We are going to make this every year now. Thank you so much for posting.
Hi Shena, I’m so happy everyone loved it. If sugar is an issue, you can skip the frosting altogether and just give the log a dusting of powdered sugar. Another tip: you can make this all year long and just make it as a Swiss roll, without turning it into a log (less work, too), and it’s a treat that’s not Christmas themed! :) Happy new year! CC
So excited to try this recipe. Bringing it to Christmas at my cousin’s. XO
Everyone’s going to love it, Valentina! Let me know how it goes :)
I’ve made a number of yule logs over the years, both gluten free and not, and I thought this worked very well – especially if you need a yule log that’s grain free. (I think, I’m not too familiar with grain-free but I think this would meet that criteria. But double check to be sure.) It did turn out much smaller than other yule logs I’ve made since this one has no flour whatsoever. The cake part is a very traditional, light sponge cake, and from that perspective it soaked up half a cup of rum beautifully. But because the cake is smaller it only served 7 of us, and not large pieces. On the plus side, it’s a very light cake so as decadent as it looks, it’s actually perfect after a heavy meal. So all in all, this is a great recipe if you’re looking for a lighter, smaller yule log. If you need a bigger yule log, look for a recipe that has some flour in it (gluten free or otherwise.)
Oh I would also add, the pictures above are fabulous – really nice job on those. If you’re never done a yule log before, follow the steps above and you’ll be fine. It’s much easier than you think!
Thank you so much, Kate! I appreciate it! :) CC
Lovely review, Kate! You are correct, it isn’t a large or heavy yule log. I’m glad you liked it, and yum with the rum! :) Thanks so much! Christina
I’ll add one more comment: I made this 3 times (yes, three!) this Christmas and added a little gluten-free flour the second and third time to make it a little bigger, and it worked great. I added flour with the cocoa, sifted together. Adding 1/2 cup of gf flour was good for serving 10 slices, and adding 3/4 cup flour fed our Christmas crew of 12 people. (At that point, it was much more traditional cake-like rather than sponge.) I love the flexibility of doing this! Wish I could share a picture, they were all beautiful and turned out great.
Oh please do send me a photo or two (or three)! :) Sounds great Kate! (Either email me or post to my Facebook page (Christina’s Cucina). Thank you for letting me know! CC
[…] Yule Log […]
I have the original page of this McCall’s Cooking School recipe, from the December 1973 issue of McCall’s magazine. I love this easy recipe, which I have used almost every year since then. It’s now a family tradition. I came across your web page because I was looking for a recipe for frosting, just to be ‘different’ this year. I hope many generations of cooks will continue to enjoy this wonderful recipe. Happy Christmas!
Oh that’s wonderful, Fredericka! It is a great recipe, and that’s often what I am doing on my site: essentially passing on recipes that I have found to be fantastic, whether in a recipe book, magazine or handed down from my Nonna in Italy, for example. Hope you find some others you may enjoy on my site (we may have similar tastes in recipes)! ;) Happy New Year!
Made a #glutenfree mocha #YuleLog yesterday and decorated the plate with pine cones and holly from my garden. It was absolutely delicious. Best yule log recipe I’ve tried. Credit goes to @ChristinaCucina http://bit.ly/2zgSh6n . Thanks Christina! This was a party hit! [Review and photo originally posted to Twitter by @RulaSinara]
Thanks so much for your lovely review, Rula! So glad it was a hit! :)
Being Scottish, I like tea not coffee so it wasn’t my cup. But I loved the cookies!
I don’t drink coffee either, but I LOVE mocha! Which cookies did you love, Lora?
[…] endless. What we ended with is a gluten free product, with minimal sugar. I used inspiration from https://christinascucina.com/2012/12/yule-log-made-easily-delicious-and.html to get me started, and altered as […]
I tried this out this Christmas and loved it so much I made it twice!! I did choose to make a chocolate mousse to fill it with, and used my own buttercream for coating, but the hard part was all yours. Great recipe – thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear, Christine! Thank you so much and happy new year!
I made this for Christmas because my 5 year old granddaughter is gluten free. OMG it was fabulous! Not sure if she even had any, as there were other GF options, but everyone who tried it loved it. It disappeared one sliver at a time. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
[…] Camille’s note: I found this article of the more or less same cake but with step by step pictures – I think it helps so here is the link. […]
[…] https://christinascucina.com/2012/12/yule-log-made-easily-delicious-and.html […]
Never made a yule log before but love the thought of it. Nice to see the step by step photos to see how it’s made!
It’s much easier than expected, Vicky!
Yule Logs are a staple! This one is so pretty…and looks exactly like a log!
Thank you, Steph!
My mom’s usually the one to make the yule log but now that you’ve shown how easy this is, I might just give it a try!
It certainly is easy! I think people are intimidated because of the way it looks. Enjoy!
Perfection Christina!! And I am in love with those meringue mushrooms. So cute!
Unfortunately, that photo was taken at a party I brought the Yule Log to, so it’s not really a great shot, but yes, the meringue mushrooms are always a hit! Someone once thought they were toadstools from my front yard! ;)
Such a perfect yule log, Christina! I’ve never attempted one before, probably because it just seemed like too much of a hassle, but your tutorial makes it look thoroughly doable, thank you!
It sure is doable and simple, Kimberly!
This is beautiful! I’ve wanted to make a Yule Log for ages, but am really worried I would mess it up and it would crack. But this looks amazing, so I really need to give it a go!
Absolutely, Annie! Give it a try, you’ll see it’s not so difficult!
many thanks for this brilliant looking recipe, today is the day & i feel the need to get this yule log done, practice makes perfect i suppose?
& with christmas just around the corner, this will really make an amazing centre feature on my dining table as my guests tuck in to it …. many thanks once again for your amazing ideas, and all the hard work that you guys do …..MERRY CHRISTMAS x :)
What a lovely comment to wake up to! Thank you so much, Thomas! You’ll see how easy it is after the first time. I made one for a party last year, start to finish (with decorating) in an hour! Let me know how it turns out and Merry Christmas to you, too! :) CC
Thank you christina, it actually turned out far better than i could ever imagine.. both myself & wife claim that its way to pretty to cut or eat lol.. i have taken pictures of it but dont have the means of uploading a picture for everyone to see on your site. however, i am very satisfied with the final result and now with my tester out ofte way … i feel pretty confident in doing my christmas table center piece nearer christmas day… again many thanks for all the insperation you provide to all your followers… love you lots and lots merry christmas to all you know and please stay safe … Thomas ( south wales ) uk x
Oh I am so happy to hear this, Thomas! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know! I would love to see it if you are able (and willing) to send it to my email address: christina at christinascucina dot com (obviously, use the @ and .). I agree that it does look very pretty when it’s finished, but I do hope you did cut into it and tried it! I love how light it is, and this can easily be made as a regular swiss roll any other time of year. Thanks again for letting me know! Merry Christmas to you too! :)
Merry Christmas, what a gorgeous yule log, I am going save this recipe, your sponge looks amazing. I have been looking for a good recipe for a while now.
Merry Christmas to you too, Suzanne! I’m happy you’re going to try the Yule Log-it’s always turned out great…you can just keep it plain for any other time of year too. Enjoy! CC