‘Tis the season to get baking! And what else says “yummy” and “winter” better than a Yule Log? Also referred to as a Bûche de Noël, the Yule Log is a traditional Christmas dessert most commonly seen in France. The Yule Log originally referred to the tradition of burning a log in a hearth during Christmas, until the late 1800s, when a French pastry chef came up with the idea of replacing the actual log with a delicious log-looking cake. This unique holiday dessert is interesting as it does not use any flour, but the chocolate cake is still perfectly satisfying.

For this Yule Log recipe you will need:

¼ cup (or 50 grams) and 2 tablespoons (or 28 grams) of granulated white sugar; 6 large eggs, separated; ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract; 4 ounces (or 112 grams) of bittersweet or semisweet (you can take your pick) chocolate, chopped into small pieces; ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

For the chocolate whipped cream filling:

1 cup (or 240 mL) of heavy whipping cream, containing 35-40% butterfat; ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract; 3 tablespoons (or 40 grams) of granulated white sugar; 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (either regular or Dutch-processed)

First place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then get a 17×12 inch baking pan and butter it, or spray it with a nonstick vegetable spray. Use parchment paper to line the pan and then use butter and flour for the parchment paper. While the eggs are still cold, separate the eggs, placing the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Cover and make sure the eggs are room temperature before using them–it should take about 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for the eggs to warm, melt the crushed up chocolate in a heatproof bowl and and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. When melted, remove the bowl and cool.
Now place the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar in a bowl and, with an electric mixer or hand mixer, beat until light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes, but you should be able to tell if it’s good by if, when raising the beaters, the batter falls back into the bowl in a slow ribbon. Next, beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Now you can add the melted chocolate and beat, just to combine.
Use a clean mixing bowl and beat the egg whites until they are foamy with the whisk attachment. Then add the cream of tartar and beat at a medium-high speed until soft peaks can be seen. Then beat in, gradually, the 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks appear.
After, you must “fold” a bit of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with either a whisk or a rubber spatula. Joy of Baking, a website, gives helpful tips on how to “fold”: “cut down vertically through the two mixtures, sweep across the bottom, up the nearest side of the bowl, and over the top of the mixtures in clockwise direction.  Rotate the bowl a quarter turn counter-clockwise and repeat the down-across-up-over motion.“ It is crucial that you do not overmix, or else the  batter will deflate.

Now spread the batter evenly into the previously prepared baking pan. You’re almost done! You can now place the plan in the oven until it is ready, in about 15-17 minutes. Test its readiness by making sure the cake has lost its shine, is puffy, and springs back upon pressure.

For the chocolate whipped cream filling, use a large mixing bowl to stir and combine the whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and cocoa powder. Then cover it with a plastic wrap and place both the bowl and the wire whisk in the refrigerator for an hour. Once done, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Once the cake has cooled, spread it with the cream (but set 2 tablespoons aside). Now here’s the difficult part: Cautiously roll the cake, taking off the parchment paper as you roll. The cake may crack, but it is okay, do not be alarmed!
When you have finished rolling the cake, here comes the best part: decorate it into a log! You can use powdered sugar for snow, herbs for leaves, and carve into the cake to make it look like tree bark. Who knows, maybe you can even fool your cousins.