🌲🍫 Forest-Themed Chocolate Yule Log Cake (Bûche de Noël) ✨
A festive chocolate sponge roll filled with cream, coated in ganache, and decorated like a magical forest.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 80 g (⅔ cup) all-purpose flour
- 20 g (3 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Cream Filling
- 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache Coating
- 200 g (1 cup) dark chocolate, chopped
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter
For Decoration
- Crumbled chocolate cake or cookie crumbs (for “soil”)
- Green-tinted shredded coconut or matcha crumbs (for “moss/grass”)
- Decorative mushrooms, flowers, and forest animals (edible or plastic)
- Small Christmas tree decorations
- Fresh cranberries or cherries
Instructions
- Make Sponge: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 30×40 cm tray with parchment. Whip eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt, fold gently. Add vanilla. Spread batter evenly and bake 10–12 min until springy. Roll warm cake with parchment and cool.
- Prepare Filling: Beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff. Unroll cooled cake, spread cream, and roll tightly into log.
- Ganache Coating: Heat cream until steaming, pour over chocolate. Stir smooth, add butter. Spread over cake and use fork to create bark texture.
- Decorate: Sprinkle green crumbs for moss, chocolate crumbs for soil. Add trees, mushrooms, berries, and figurines for woodland look. Chill 1 hr before serving.
Details
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Bake Time: 10–12 minutes
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