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    » Home » Recipes » Naturally Sweetened Desserts » Bûche de Noël (Grain-free, Gluten-free Holiday Cake)

    Bûche de Noël (Grain-free, Gluten-free Holiday Cake)

    Posted: Dec 19, 2010 · Updated: Mar 21, 2022 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

    Bûche de Noël, an homage to the yule log in velvety rich chocolate form, is a welcome if not essential holiday treat in many homes.  A thick and luscious layer of dense chocolate sponge cake is wrapped around a layer of mouse or chantilly cream, dusted with cocoa powder, and often finished with chocolate ganache and meringue or marzipan mushrooms.  Decadent doesn’t even begin to describe the dessert and we’re fortunate that this sort of a treat is a once-a-year affair – reserved for the solstice or for Christmas.

    For years upon years, generations celebrated the changing of the seasons.  At the winter solstice when the darkness shrouded the world and daylight waned to but a few grim hours, families and tribesmen would venture out into the bleak and bitterly cold winter to harvest the yule log.  They’d light it afire, beckoning the return of the sun on the darkest day of the year.  The tradition of the yule log, of mistletoe, and of the Christmas tree is, perhaps, the last vestiges of ancient winter rites still celebrated, albeit quietly, in modern times.  Of course, the Bûche de Noël is a totem to the once-popular yule log – a chocolate treat rolled and formed to resemble to resemble the rough bark, rings, and knots of a log.

    In this Bûche de Noël recipe, we omit flour altogether for an intensely rich sponge cake that resembles a souffle in texture and ingredients.  Cocoa (or carob) powder pairs with pastured eggs, unrefined cane sugar, vanilla, and orange for a decadent winter treat.  As rich and complex as the dessert may seem, it’s easy to prepare. This weekend, as I spooned cocoa into egg yolks, neighborhood children gathered in my kitchen with my son – each anxious to dip a finger into the chantilly cream or to help roll the cake.  If you have small children, you’ll enjoy the time spent making this dish with them – forging new holiday traditions in your home.

    Rate this Recipe
    1 cake, about 12 twelve servings

    bûche de noël recipe

    Complex with chocolate and cream, this Bûche de Noël recipe is naturally gluten-free and grain-free, featuring only pure and rich ingredients like whole pastured eggs, unrefined cane sugar and cocoa powder. The zest of an orange adds a touch of faint and subtle brightness to the intense chocolate flavor.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time30 mins
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    Ingredients

    for the sponge cake:

    • 6 eggs ( separated)
    • 6 tablespoon unrefined cane sugar (divided)
    • finely ground real salt
    • ½ cup carob or cocao powder (plus extra for flouring the pan)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • zest of 1 orange
    • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
    • salted butter (for greasing the pan)

    for the filling:

    • 1 ½ cups heavy cream (preferably raw, not ultrapasteurized)
    • 1 teaspoon unrefined cane sugar
    • vanilla bean

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Cut the parchment paper to fit inside the jelly roll pan.
    • Grease the parchment paper with butter or coconut oil, then dust with a sprinkling of carob or cocoa powder then line the jelly roll pan with the prepared parchment paper.
    • Whisk six egg yolks together with four tablespoons unrefined cane sugar, dash sea salt, carob or cocoa powder and vanilla extract with the zest of one orange until smooth, creamy and thickened.
    • Beat six egg whites with one-quarter teaspoons cream of tarter and remaining two tablespoons unrefined cane sugar until soft peaks form.
    • Fold beaten egg white mixture into the egg yolk and cocoa mixture.
    • Pout the batter over into the jelly roll pan over the parchment.
    • Bake the cake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
    • As the cake cools whip heavy cream with one tablespoon unrefined cane sugar and the contents of one vanilla bean until stiff peaks form. Reserve.
    • Generously dust the cake with additional cocoa or carob powder.
    • After the cake has cooled, gently invert it onto a stretch of aluminum foil or a kitchen towel.
    • Spread whipped cream onto the cake, then gently roll the cake length-wise and place it seam down on a serving platter. The cocoa dusted cake make crack, revealing a bark-like texture and appearance; however, if you find the cracks unappealing you can also frost the cake with chocolate ganache.
    • Slice the ends of the roll off at an angle, then affix them to the side of the log.
    • Dust with additional cocoa or carob powder, if desired, and serve.
    Rate this recipe!If you loved this recipe, give it a rating. Let us know what works, what didn't and whether you made any adjustments that can help other cooks.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily says

      December 18, 2022 at 5:15 pm

      I’m going to make this for Christmas dinner. Do you have any recommendations for making it a day in advance? Or should I try to make it the day of?

      Reply
      • Jenny McGruther says

        December 22, 2022 at 7:46 am

        Hi Emily,

        I recommend making it on the day you plan to serve it. It can get a little soggy otherwise.

    2. Paul says

      December 14, 2017 at 7:18 am

      This looks delicious. What size jelly roll pan do you use?

      Reply
    3. stacy says

      December 19, 2015 at 4:11 am

      I love this recipe, thank you. I used a large jelly roll pan and spread the batter almost to the edges. 15 min was perfect. It rolled fine when cool. I used whipped coconut cream inside. My guests all loved it so I made it again for a celebration tomorrow. I also enrobed it in chocolate chips melted with a bit of coconut oil. I chilled before serving.

      Reply
    4. Dejah says

      December 28, 2014 at 11:48 pm

      This recipe omits a critical detail, and that is the jelly roll pan size. A couple commenters asked about it and never got an answer. I had the same question - scanning the comments as I was at the store trying to decide which size to buy. I got the larger size, which was a mistake. If you have a larger jelly roll pan, I suggest doubling the recipe, otherwise the edges will be crispy and the cake will be thin. I had to tilt the pan to get the batter to the edges.

      Also, cut the parchment to fit up the sides of the pan so it doesn't stick. That is a detail I feel would have been helpful. Now I have to decide whether to try it again with a double batch for the cake batter.

      Reply
    5. tracy w says

      December 25, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Here is a great tutorial on rolling into the tea towel. http://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000003263795/buche-de-noel.html

      Reply
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