Matcha and Coconut Bûche de Noël is a modern entremet designed for flavour depth, strong visual impact, and a clean, contemporary finish. It features two layers of coconut dacquoise and a bright strawberry jelly insert, all enclosed in a coconut and matcha mousse, and built on a white chocolate and coconut crunch base.
Coconut drives the flavour: creamy, full, and unmistakable. Matcha brings the umami character — earthy, slightly bitter, with a clean green-tea aftertaste that cuts through richness and sharpens the overall profile. The strawberry jelly and the strawberry crisps in the base add acidity and lift, keeping the mousse balanced rather than heavy or overly sweet.
Matcha is optional. Remove it and this becomes a Coconut and Strawberry Bûche de Noël—simpler in flavour, still structured, and equally delicious.
Visual Step-by-Step Tutorial for Perfect Layers and Structure
For those who learn best by watching, the video tutorial below will guide you through each step of creating the Bûche de Noël with clear visuals and detailed explanations. You’ll see how the layers come together, how to handle the mousse, dacquoise, jelly, and crunch, and understand the structure that keeps the cake clean and elegant. Following along visually makes it easier to replicate the techniques and achieve a professional finish at home.
Coconut Strawberry Matcha Bûche de Noël
Ingredients
Coconut Dacquoise
- 220 g egg whites
- 80 g sugar
- 115 g toasted desiccated coconut
- 140 g icing sugar
- 10 g matcha powder
Strawberry Jelly (~350 g)
- 260 g strawberry purée
- 15 g strawberry liqueur
- 30 g glucose syrup or honey
- 30 g sugar
- 4 g pectin NH
- 10 g lemon juice
Strawberry Coconut Crunch
- 75 g feuilletine
- 150 g white chocolate
- 150 g 100% coconut paste
- 30 g grapeseed oil or neutral oil
- 30 g dried diced strawberries
- 10 g strawberry-flavoured crunch
- Pinch of sea salt
Coconut & Matcha Mousse (~700 g)
- 110 g coconut cream
- 10 g coconut liqueur or replace with coconut cream
- 7 g matcha powder
- 170 g white chocolate
- 40 g coconut paste 100%
- 3 g gelatin powder
- 15 g cold water
- 330 g heavy cream 35% semi-whipped
Instructions
Coconut Dacquoise
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C (320 °F), fan-forced.
- Toast the desiccated coconut in the oven until lightly golden and aromatic. Cool completely.
- Whip the egg whites and sugar to a firm, glossy meringue.
- Sift the icing sugar and matcha powder; combine with the cooled coconut.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue.
- Spread the batter evenly onto a 30 × 40 cm tray, approximately 1 cm thick.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a 170°C (338°F) fan-forced oven, or until the sponge springs back when pressed.
- Cool completely before use. You can also freeze it for easier assembling.
- Cut two strips measuring 5.5 × 22 cm.
Strawberry Jelly
- Place the strawberry purée, liqueur, and glucose syrup in a saucepan. Heat to 40 °C (104 °F).
- Mix the pectin NH with sugar, then gradually whisk into the warm purée.
- Bring to a full boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Pour into your insert mould and freeze.
- This recipe yields enough for two inserts. Use one and keep the second frozen for another cake.
Strawberry Coconut Crunch
- Melt the white chocolate and coconut paste. Stir in the oil.
- Add feuilletine, strawberries, salt, and strawberry crunch. Mix to a smooth, cohesive mass.
- Spread a thin, even layer over a 30×40 cm silicone mat and refrigerate until firm. Cut to size before assembling.
Coconut & Matcha Mousse
- Bloom the gelatine in cold water.
- Semi-whip the heavy cream and refrigerate.
- Heat the coconut cream and liqueur with matcha to a light simmer (85–90 °C / 185–194 °F).
- Remove from heat, add the gelatine mass, and dissolve completely.
- Pour over the white chocolate and coconut paste; emulsify with a stick blender.
- Cool the mixture to 25 °C (77 °F), then fold in the semi-whipped cream.
Video
Coconut Dacquoise
For a 30 × 40 cm tray, I prefer to pipe the coconut dacquoise, which ensures a perfectly flat and even surface for the cake. For smaller silicone moulds, simply pour the dacquoise to about 1 cm thickness—this is faster and reduces offcuts.
Before folding it into the batter, it’s important to toast the desiccated coconut. Toasting brings out its aroma and deepens the flavour, while the folding method ensures it doesn’t overpower the egg white mixture. If desiccated coconut isn’t available, briefly blitz shredded coconut in a food processor until it forms a fine powder—it works just as well.
The same approach applies if you want to try other nut-based dacquoise, like hazelnut dacquoise, which you can see here.
Coconut Yule Log – Coconut Entremet
This coconut entremet is traditionally assembled as a Coconut Yule log, creating an elegant, festive presentation that highlights its layered structure. However, the recipe is versatile and can easily be adapted into a standard round cake if you prefer a simpler format or want individual servings.
The flavour profile is dominated by coconut, providing a creamy, rounded base that pairs beautifully with other components. If you prefer a lighter version, you can remove the matcha powder entirely, transforming this into a Coconut and Strawberry Entremet — still layered, structured, and visually impressive, but with a cleaner, more straightforward flavour.
This adaptability makes the recipe ideal for home bakers who want to experiment with different shapes, textures, and flavour combinations while maintaining the same core technique and structure. Whether presented as a Yule log or round cake, the combination of dacquoise, mousse, and crunch ensures each bite is balanced, textured, and refined.
Matcha Mousse Recipe
This matcha mousse is not only the key component of the Bûche de Noël, but it’s also delicious on its own as a light, creamy dessert. Its silky texture and delicate earthy notes make it perfect for enjoying in small portions, either chilled in a glass or served with fresh fruit.
You can also use the mousse to create individual mousse petits gâteaux, layering it with sponge or a thin biscuit base. This approach allows you to showcase the same luxurious flavour in a smaller, elegant format—ideal for entertaining or gifting. Whether used in a layered entremet or as a standalone treat, this matcha mousse delivers both flavour and finesse.
Other Components – Coconut Entremet
For the crunch base, I’ve used commercial feuilletine, but it can be substituted with a blitzed shortcrust base following this recipe:
https://andbonbons.com/shortcrust-pastry-recipe/
or with a streusel-style crunch layer using this guide:
https://andbonbons.com/streusel-entremet-crunch-base-recipes/
I will also record a video showing how to make homemade feuilletine, so stay tuned for that tutorial.
The icing sugar used in this build is very easy to make at home; here’s my method:
https://andbonbons.com/homemade-icing-sugar/
For the exterior finish, I use a velvet coating—you can follow this step-by-step tutorial:
https://andbonbons.com/velvet-spray-mousse-cakes/
And to finish the Bûche, I use a stable Chantilly cream. Simply substitute rum with coconut liqueur using this tutorial:
https://andbonbons.com/rum-chantilly-cream/
EXPLORE MORE BÛCHE DE NOËL RECIPES
If you love creating entremets, you might enjoy exploring some of my other Bûche de Noël recipes. Each one offers a unique flavour profile and assembly technique, perfect for expanding your pastry skills:
Raspberry Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/raspberry-buche-de-noel-yule-log-recipe-01/
Orange Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/orange-buche-de-noel-orange-entremet-02/
Coffee Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/coffee-buche-de-noel-03/
Dark Berry Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/dark-berry-buche-de-noel-buche-entremet/
Blackberry Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/blackberry-buche-de-noel-yule-log-entremet-06/
Chocolate Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/chocolate-buche-de-noel-07/
Honey Medovik Bûche de Noël – https://andbonbons.com/honey-cake-medovik-buche-de-noel-08/
These recipes are perfect for discovering new flavour combinations, practising advanced techniques, and enjoying the elegance of layered entremets at home.
MOULDS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Buche Sapin mould – Silicone yule log mould designed for elegant, tree-shaped entremets with a clean, detailed finish and easy unmoulding
https://www.silikomart.com/en/prodotti/moulds/yule-logs/buche-sapin
Craving more behind-the-scenes moments, step-by-step videos, and sneak peeks of upcoming recipes? Join me on Instagram @andbonbons for a closer look at the process, pastry tips, and plenty of chocolate inspiration.
