The Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log, is a classic French Christmas dessert that has evolved from rustic tradition to refined pastry art. Originally shaped from a rolled sponge layered with cream and decorated to resemble a wooden log, it symbolised warmth and renewal during the festive season. Today, pastry chefs reinterpret the Yule Log in modern form — building it from delicate sponge layers, silky fillings, and glossy finishes inside elegant silicone moulds. This contemporary approach preserves the spirit of the original while elevating it into a sculpted mousse cake (entremet) — smooth, balanced, and visually striking.
Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) Entremet – Flavour & Design
This Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) entremet showcases a refined balance of flavour, colour, and texture — a modern take on the classic French Christmas dessert. The exterior is finished with a velvet pink coating, creating a soft, luxurious appearance enhanced by a scattering of freeze-dried raspberries that add brightness and natural tang. Inside, layers of raspberry and white chocolate mousse surround a vivid mandarin jelly insert, offering a refreshing citrus contrast. A light white chocolate sponge adds sweetness and structure, while a crisp shortcrust base provides texture and support. Crafted in the Silikomart Lana mould, this contemporary entremet captures the essence of the traditional Yule Log — sophisticated, festive, and visually captivating.
Below is a quick assembling video to help you visualise the process and understand how each component comes together. Watching the sequence will give you a clearer sense of structure, layering, and finishing — essential details for achieving a clean, professional presentation:
Raspberry Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) | 01
Ingredients
White Chocolate Sponge
- 60 g white chocolate
- 30 g salted butter
- 55 g sugar
- 60 g eggs
- 60 g almond flour
- 1 g mandarin zest
Mandarin Jelly (370 ml)
- 250 g mandarin purée
- 70 g sugar
- 13 g cornstarch
- 6 g powdered gelatine
- 30 g cold water for blooming
Raspberry-Chocolate Mousse (600 ml)
- 100 g heavy cream – base cream 1
- 100 g raspberry purée
- 10 g raspberry liqueur 50%
- 4 g powdered gelatine
- 20 g cold water for blooming
- 200 g white chocolate
- 200 g heavy cream – whipped cream 2
Instructions
White Chocolate Sponge
- Melt butter in saucepan, add white chocolate, keep lukewarm—just enough to melt
- Mix sugar, zest, and eggs
- Incorporate chocolate mixture
- Add almond flour. Mix until combined
- Pour into silicone mould
- Bake at 170 °C (338 °F) for 30–35 min until golden brown
- Cool completely
Mandarin Jelly
- Bloom gelatine in cold water and let sit for 10 minutes
- Place purée in a saucepan
- Mix sugar with cornstarch and add to the cold purée while whisking
- Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly
- Remove from heat and add bloomed gelatine, stirring to dissolve
- Pour on top of white chocolate sponge sponge
- Freeze until solid
Raspberry-Chocolate Mousse
- Bloom the powdered gelatine in cold water for at least 10 minutes.
- Semi-whip the cream (2) and refrigerate.
- In a saucepan, combine the base cream, raspberry purée, and raspberry liqueur. Heat to approximately 80–85 °C (176–185 °F).
- Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatine until fully dissolved.
- Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate in a tall container and emulsify with a stick blender until smooth.
- Cool the base to around 30 °C (86 °F). Fold in the semi-whipped cream in two additions until fully incorporated.
- Fill the silicone mould and freeze completely.
Video
The quantities in this recipe are calculated to perfectly fill one Bûche de Noël mould of 1200 ml capacity. You will need approximately 230 g of sponge, 300 ml of mandarin jelly, and 600 ml of raspberry white chocolate mousse. Note that the actual volume of the mousse increases slightly after incorporating whipped cream, so the total yield will align closely with the mould’s full capacity, ensuring a clean, well-balanced assembly without excess.
Mandarin Purée – Simple Alternative to Professional Fruit Bases
You don’t need to buy professional mandarin purée for this recipe — you can easily make your own at home using the same method shown in my Blood Orange Tart recipe. Simply segment fresh mandarins, removing the membranes to keep the flavour bright and smooth, then blend until silky.
This method gives you a clean, natural purée with vivid colour and balanced citrus notes — ideal for mousses, jellies, or inserts. You can also substitute pomelo or grapefruit for a more aromatic or gently bitter variation, adjusting sweetness to taste.
Yule Log Recipe: Building the Bûche de Noël Entremet – Step by Step Tutorial
This Raspberry Bûche de Noël is designed as a creative exercise in assembling and balancing pre-mastered elements. It’s not an entry-level recipe but rather a showcase of how individual preparations — mousse, sponge, insert, and base – can be combined to create your own signature mousse cake (entremet). If you’ve been following my tutorials in sequence, each component will already be familiar. For new readers, links below guide you to the complete recipes for every element used in this build.
Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse
This mousse forms the heart of the entremet – a smooth, lightly aerated blend of raspberry purée and white chocolate that delivers freshness and richness in equal measure. It surrounds the mandarin jelly insert and defines the flavour profile of the entire Bûche. Learn the complete technique here:
Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse
White Chocolate Sponge
A delicate, neutral sponge that supports the mousse without overpowering it. Its gentle sweetness complements the fruit layers and keeps the structure light yet stable. Follow the detailed recipe here:
White Chocolate Sponge
Shortcrust Base
A crisp and buttery foundation that provides contrast in texture – the essential balance to the soft mousse and creamy insert. It ensures clean slices and professional finish. Step-by-step instructions available here:
Shortcrust Pastry Recipe
Mousse cake recipe: Velvet Spray Finish
The final touch that defines the visual character of this Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) entremet. The velvet pink coating gives a luxurious matte texture, soft to the eye and touch, while enhancing temperature stability. Explore how to prepare and apply the velvet spray correctly here:
👉 Velvet Spray for Mousse Cakes
Each element carries its own discipline, but together they form a refined whole — a contemporary interpretation of the Bûche de Noël, merging classic French inspiration with modern pastry technique.
MOULDS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Silikomart Lana Buche mould – Silicone bûche mould featuring a distinctive braided texture that creates a refined decorative relief with a slightly rounded base for elegant presentation
https://www.silikomart.com/en/prodotti/moulds/yule-logs/lana
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.
