📋 Black Forest Yule Log Cake recipe

whole black forest yule log cake on a white platter with tinsel and red tree decorations in background

5 from 1 vote

📋 Black Forest Yule Log Cake recipe

This Black Forest Yule Log Cake has a classic black forest filling of cherries and whipped cream, all wrapped up in a chocolate swiss roll cake, and smothered in a creamy, rich chocolate ganache.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword black forest, buche de noel, yule log

Special Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 10

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 418kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake:

4 eggs (large)
½ cup white granulated sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
¼ tsp salt

Filling

1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned cherry pie filling

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

3 oz semi- sweet bakers chocolate
½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

Garnish

3 Marachino cherries
3 spearmint gummy leaves
powdered sugar (sprinkled)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake

Place parchment paper on a 17X12 sheet pan and grease with butter
Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan
Whisk eggs and sugar in heatproof bowl, then place over simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl at any time.
4 eggs
Using a hand mixer (or whisk) continually beat the egg mixture until the eggs are thick, pale yellow and warm to the touch (around120 degrees F) It shoudl feel like warm tap water.
Remove the egg bowl from the heat and continue beating on high speed with an electric mixer, until the mixture is thick and airy and has reached the ribbon stage.* This means that when you drag and drizzle a spoonful of liquid it shouldn't settle back into the liquid for a good 5-10 seconds.
Mix in the melted butter with a spoon (do NOT beat in with mixer)
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, sugar, flour and salt.
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened), ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup white granulated sugar
Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and gently fold it into the eggs with a spatula.
* You need to be patient doing this - only mix until combined or batter will fall/deflate.
Spread the batter onto the buttered parchment, leaving approximately an inch from the edges of the parchment.
Bake the cake for 8 minutes, until springy to the touch and cake test or toothpick comes out clean
Prepare a new piece of parchment paper by sprinkling it lightly with cocoa powder.
Flip the cake onto the parchment, then remove the parchment the cake was baked on.
Gently roll the cake up in the parchment, into a log, while it is still warm. *
This is like muscle memory for the cake and it will roll easier again later.
* Don't worry if it cracks (it will look more log-like anyway)
Leave it in this rolled up position to cool.

Filling

In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream in a large bowl on medium speed, increasing to high speed, untl soft peaks form.
1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
Add vanilla and powdered sugar.
¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whip until stiff peaks form.
Unroll the cooled cake, then spread the cream all over, leaving a one inch border all around the edges
Spread the canned cherries on top of the whipped cream.
1 cup canned cherry pie filling
Roll the cake up gently, without the parchment paper this time. Place on a wire rack, with parchment or wax paper underneath (for pouring ganache)

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Microwave the whipping cream and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl for 30 second intervals at ½ power (50%), stirring after each time until combined.
½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream), 3 oz semi- sweet bakers chocolate
Each time you take it out to stir, the chocolate will melt more in the hot cream. You want to heat it as little as possible.
If needed: add a tablespoon of milk, which will give some pourable consistency to the ganache. (I did not need to do this)
Pour the ganache over the cake, spreading with a spatula to cover all of it and etch lines in it to look like a log (you can use a spatula as I did, or the blunt side of a butter knife).

Garnish

Refrigerate for one hour before serving, so the ganache can firm up. Add 3 cherries and 3 spearmint candy leaves on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
3 Marachino cherries, 3 spearmint gummy leaves, powdered sugar (sprinkled)

Notes

Tips for Success!

The trick is to roll the cake up while it's still warm. If you don't roll it soon enough, it will crack. But as I said, if it cracks, that's perfectly fine for this cake (it will look more log-like)!

Be very careful and gentle when you are making the sponge batter, especially when you are folding the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Folding is a very delicate technique- it's not like stirring: Pass your spatula through the middle of the mixture, across the side, and fold over the top. Think about it as if you are carving your spatula through the mixture and gently folding the bottom over the top. By doing this, you are incorporating all the ingredients together while trapping air into bubbles in the batter.

Storage:

Refrigeration: Store leftover yule log cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Freezing: You can make the cake in advance and freeze it without the filling (rolled up) in a sealed container. But make sure it is completely defrosted before you unroll it.

Do not freeze leftovers, as whipped cream does not freeze well and will become runny when defrosted.

Make Ahead: You can make this cake 1-2 days in advance and store in the fridge. Put the holly decorations on just before serving.

Nutrition