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Make the Ultimate Christmas Cake: Bûche de Noël

Fluffy chiffon cake rolled around creamy, caramel-espresso filling and coated in rich ganache? It's your next challenge.

Make the Ultimate Christmas Cake: Bûche de Noël

About this Class

Few desserts shout “holidays” like a bûche de Noël. It’s not only one of the oldest finales to a Christmas feast, but also a dessert with a huge “wow” factor. If an elaborate baking project feels intimidating, you should know that this cake can be broken down into its separate components and made ahead, making it ideal for entertaining. We’ll compare different styles of cake and explain why chiffon is the best choice for a rolled cake, and you’ll learn how to create a creamy yet stable filling that stays put once rolled.

Meet Your Instructors

Author: Christie Morrison

Christie Morrison

Editorial Director, Classes

Christie Morrison is Editorial Director, Classes and an on-screen test cook for Cook’s Country. As editorial director, she creates the curriculum for ATK Classes and is executive producer for Classes video content. She has been a cooking class instructor since 2016. As a senior editor for Cook’s Country magazine from 2013 to 2016 and an associate editor on the Books team prior to that, she developed, tested, and edited recipes. Christie was also a culinary producer for Cook’s Country for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Christie has a BA in English from Dickinson College and an MA in English from Bucknell University. A midcareer change brought her to Boston, where she received her culinary diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA). In addition to teaching professional and recreational cooking classes at CSCA, Christie has worked in restaurants and catering kitchens in Boston.

Lessons

Class Progress

1Bûche de Noël Basics

What is a Yule Log?

What is a Yule Log?

Comparing Crumbs

Comparing Crumbs

No-Fear Caramel

No-Fear Caramel

2Safely Transporting Your Cake

Transporting Cakes

Transporting Cakes

3Making Bûche de Noël

Bûche de Noël

Recipe5 hr 45 min

Bûche de Noël

Meringue Bracket-Style Mushrooms

Meringue Bracket-Style Mushrooms

Chocolate Crumbles

Chocolate Crumbles

Ask ATK

Have a Question?

We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a message anytime and we’ll get back to you. We’re here to help!

Class FAQs

What happens if the cake for the yule log cracks when unrolling it from the towel and why would it crack?

How long can the ganache for the yule log stay in the fridge?

I’ve heard that I shouldn’t make meringue on a rainy or damp day. Is this true?

Author: Carolynn

Answered by Carolynn

Instructor, ATK Classes

Many cooks believe that storing meringues on a rainy or humid day is futile because the confections contain a lot of sugar, and sugar is hygroscopic—meaning that it attracts moisture from the air, which causes the cookies to turn sticky and marshmallowy. But the reality is that as long as you pack meringues in an airtight container immediately after cooling them, any humidity in the air doesn’t matter.

After grinding the pistachios for the Chocolate Crumbles they looked more like butter and less like dust. What happened?

Author: Sam

Answered by Sam

Digital Test Cook

Toasting the pistachios not only brings out their flavor, but also dries them out a bit so that they grind up into a dust rather than clumps. However, the pistachios still contain oil, so it’s important to not overprocess them or they will turn into nut butter (which is delicious but not right for this recipe). Be sure to keep an eye on the pistachios as you are grinding them into dust, stopping and scraping the sides when necessary to get an even dust.