This Ugly Dessert Is Wildly Popular At Christmas Time. Here’s Why.

When it comes to decorating holiday-themed desserts, “less is more” doesn’t often enter the conversation. Bright colors, intricate icing designs, whimsical figurines, festive sprinkles, edible glitter … maximalism is very much the name of the game in U.S.-based bakeries and home kitchens.

But elsewhere in the world, one very notable holiday treat is famously intended to look like a log. Not a sparkly golden log. Not a log wrapped in a Santa suit. No, the bûche de Noël — the bane of many a “Great British Bake Off” contestant’s existence — is a brown cake roll decorated with “bark,” “moss” and even “mushrooms.”

Where is it popular, why is it supposed to look like a realistic log of wood, and how can you make an amazing version at home? Read on to find out.

What is a bûche de Noël?

The bûche de Noël is “a Christmas cake [also known as] a yule log, Swiss roll, or even a cake roll,” said Jason Smith, a Food Network star baker and Hungry VX chef.

“Bûche de Noël” literally translates to “Christmas log,” and is basically a rolled sponge cake that’s decorated to look like a log. The cake is traditionally filled and frosted with a buttercream icing, then decorated with accents made of marzipan, meringue, powdered sugar and fresh or candied berries.

Where does the bûche de Noël come from?

Historians argue about where this particular tradition originated; some claim that it started with the Vikings of Scandinavia, while others credit Germanic tribes with its invention. But one way or another, the yule log found its way to France, where it spurred the creation of a lookalike dessert.

The bûche de Noël “is one of the most traditional and emblematic seasonal desserts in France,” said Yohann Le Bescand, the executive pastry chef of The World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. He describes how seriously the French take this pastry creation during the month of December: “It is often prepared weeks in advance, even months! Bakers work long hours from the middle of the night on the 24th and 25th to have hundreds of bûches ready for guests. Bûches are so deep in French roots.”

The popularity of the bûche de Noël in France also turned it into a holiday icon in neighboring nations like Switzerland and Belgium, and in distant countries that were once occupied or colonized by the French, like Canada and Vietnam.

Why is it shaped and decorated like a log?

The yule log, as a concept, applies to more than just a festive cake; in fact, the cake version is inspired by an ancient tradition of families gathering around a burning log in a hearth, wishing for good fortune in the coming year.

Visually speaking, the bûche de Noël doesn’t shy away from its source of inspiration. “Although bûche de Noël desserts can be seen across the world in various sizes, shapes and textures and with different types of ingredients, the original inspiration for all of these versions was the yule log, the largest and most dense log, which would burn for hours throughout Christmas night,” said René Bollier, a pastry chef, chocolatier and the co-owner of André’s Confiserie Suisse in Kansas City, Missouri. The commitment to that log aesthetic is seriously maintained in France, although Bollier admits that “in some regions, it has morphed from a log into a torte or pastry placed at the center of a table. Nonetheless, it is still, of course, symbolic of family, home, celebration and promise — including that the flame would burn out old wrongs.”

How can you make and decorate an amazing bûche de Noël at home?

First, pick a great recipe. We’ve got lots to choose from here.

Sponge cake is the best fit for bûche de Noël.

Because the bûche de Noël is a rolled cake, you need to use a cake style that’s soft, pliant, and not prone to crumbling or breaking. Jürgen David, the director of pastry research and development at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, tells us that “the classic way to build this cake is by making a soft, bendable sponge cake.”

Sponge cake is easy to roll by nature, but if you want even more flexibility, “always use a sponge cake recipe with an egg white meringue folded into it!” said Aisha Momaney, a pastry chef with 101 Hospitality in Washington, D.C..

Momaney explains the best method for rolling a bûche de Noël like so: “When the cake is still warm, invert [it] on a kitchen towel and roll it like a jelly roll so the cake ‘learns’ to roll. This will help the cake to not rip when you roll it with frosting.” After doing the practice rolls, spread your filling on the cake (we’ll explain more about that in a moment) and roll it into the log shape. “Once your cake is rolled, refrigerate it,” Momaney adds; refrigerating the roll will help keep it stable during the process of frosting and decorating the exterior.

Try infusing the cake with flavorful (and holiday-friendly) spirits.

To add a bit of moisture to your sponge cake (along with a lively dose of holiday “spirit”), “mix 2 tablespoons of simple syrup with 2 tablespoons of liquor such as Frangelico, Grand Marnier or brandy. Brush the mixture onto the cooled cake before topping with the filling and rolling up,” suggested John Kanell, a recipe developer and author of ”Preppy Kitchen.”

Keep an eye on your cake-to-cream ratio.

Sponge cake and buttercream (or mousse or whipped cream, which are a popular variations) are the core ingredients of bûche de Noël, so it’s essential to “have a proper cake-to-cream ratio. You don’t want to run the risk of serving a bûche that’s too creamy with not enough bite. You also don’t want too much cake with little creaminess,” explained Shaun Velez, the executive pastry chef of Restaurant Daniel in New York City.

Bollier agrees, adding that one of the biggest obstacles to achieving the right cake-cream balance is “making the cake too thick. One of the keys to a successful [bûche] is ensuring that the ratio of cake to buttercream throughout is consistent so that, when it’s rolled, there are equal parts buttercream and cake in each bite.” Bollier achieves this goal by “pouring ultra-thin sheets of our signature cake and spreading a thin layer of buttercream on each piece while it’s still slightly warm, encasing all the beautiful moisture. We then roll it together so that we end up with multiple layers of buttercream and cake in every bite.”

Use a fork to get a “bark”-like texture from your buttercream or ganache.

After the bûche de Noël is rolled and chilled, it’s time to begin the process of making it look like a realistic yule log. The first step involves spreading a rich layer of frosting — either buttercream or ganache — over the bûche’s exterior. Next, “get a fork and a measuring cup full of water. With a hot, wet fork, I go all over the smooth [frosting] and scrape it to make it look like the bark of the tree,” Le Bescand advised.

To get bring a bit of extra bark-like texture to the ends of the log, try a trick from Justin Gaspar, the head baker of Hommage Bakehouse in San Diego, California. He surrounds the outside ends of the cake with ”[bark-inspired pieces of] tempered chocolate.”

“Moss,” “mushrooms,” “twigs,” “berries” and “snow” are all fair game decor-wise.

“My best advice for [decorating] a bûche de Noël is to have fun with it,” said Kate Sigel, the executive pastry chef at Thompson Nashville. She urges you to lean into the whimsy and to avoid getting too hung up on symmetry and precision. “It’s meant to look like a log, and nature is very forgiving and comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Don’t be afraid to be playful!”

In terms of decorative specifics, Sigel has plenty of suggestions for capturing that classic bûche de Noël look. She uses peeled chocolate shavings to add extra texture to the “bark,” then accents the log with “‘moss’ (I like to make it with siphoned cake batter in the microwave), ‘berries’ (candied cranberries), ‘twigs’ (chocolate drizzled over ice cubes), and ‘mushrooms’ (meringue and cocoa powder).”

Momaney loves to decorate with meringue mushrooms. “The best way to do this is with a stiff meringue. Pipe the stems and caps separately and then use ganache or melted chocolate to stick them together!” To really drive home the wintery, holiday-esque aesthetic, “be sure to dust some powdered sugar over the top for a snowy effect!”