The Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Buche de Noel Recipe and Perfect for the Holidays (2024)

The Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Buche de Noel Recipe and Perfect for the Holidays (1)

Forget any ideas you have about the classic edible Yule log. This recipe by a longtime GFF fan, 18-year-old San Franciscan Kelsey Puknys, beats them all. And it’s gluten free and dairy free and incredibly easy to make. If you’re looking for happy holidays, start with this gluten free dairy free buche de noel.

The Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Buche de Noel Recipe and Perfect for the Holidays (2)

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Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free Buche de Noel Recipe

Light, fluffy, and irresistible are just a few words that describe this spectacular GF/DF yule log cake with barely sweet DF chocolate frosting. Better still, it’s super-easy to make, so don’t hesitate to get your holiday baking on! Note: the frosting recipe calls for overnight refrigeration of coconut milk, so plan accordingly, or use your frosting of choice. Also, be sure to chill the coconut frosting before use to help it hold its structure. Finally, if the thicker cream of the coconut milk didn't rise to the top and harden in the can with refrigeration, you can try to salvage it by adding 1 to 4 tablespoons tapioca flour when whipping.

Servings 8

Calories 356 kcal

Author Kelsey Puknys

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 6eggs
  • 3/4cupgranulated sugardivided
  • 1/3 cup cacao powder
  • 2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
  • 1/4teaspoonkosher salt
  • 1/4cuppowdered sugarfor dusting

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • 2(13.5-ounce cans) full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
  • 1/4cuppowdered sugarsifted
  • 1/4cupcacao powdersifted
  • 1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR DECORATION (OPTIONAL):

  • 3rosemary sprigs
  • 3red cranberriesor red gumballs or other round red candies
  • Sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line the bottom of a large (about 12- by 15-inch) rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Make the cake: Separate the egg yolks from the whites; reserve both separately. With an electric beater, or by hand, combine the yolks with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and beat until thick and pale. Mix in the cacao powder, vanilla, and salt to combine

  3. In the large, clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or by hand, whip the egg whites on medium-high until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and whip until stiff peaks form.

  4. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture, then spread the batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top is dry, spongy, and springs back when gently pressed, 12 to 15 minutes.

  5. Dust a clean (non-terrycloth) dishtowel with the powdered sugar. Run a knife around the edges of the warm cake to loosen it from the pan, then turn the cake out onto the towel. Gently peel off and discard the parchment paper. (This can be tricky, as the cake is sticky, so go slow and steady and help the cake along with your fingers, if needed; don’t worry if a thin layer of cake sticks to the paper here and there. The frosting will cover any imperfections.) Roll up the cake, along with the towel, from the short end. Set the towel and cake roll on a wire rack for 30 minutes to cool.

  6. Make the frosting: Carefully open the coconut-milk cans. Scoop out only the firm, waxy solids at the top of each can and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (discard the remaining liquid or reserve for another use). Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix slowly to incorporate, then beat on high speed until fluffy and completely combined. Keep refrigerated until use.

  7. Unroll the cake. Using a spatula, spread 2/3 of the chilled frosting in a thin layer on the cake, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Roll the cake into a log again, this time without the dish towel, so the frosting is inside the log.

  8. Gently transfer the cake to a serving platter seam side down, then use the remaining frosting to frost the outside of the log. Gently run a fork through the frosting to create a log-like texture. Cut off the ends of the log for a clean look.

  9. Rinse the rosemary and cranberries to moisten. Sprinkle with sugar. Let dry. Then use to decorate the cake. Keep cake refrigerated until serving to keep the frosting firm.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free Buche de Noel Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 356Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 20g125%

Cholesterol 123mg41%

Sodium 134mg6%

Potassium 351mg10%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 26g29%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 178IU4%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Photography Erin Ng

The Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Buche de Noel Recipe and Perfect for the Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What is a buche de Noel made of? ›

Bûche de Noël is the French name for a Christmas cake shaped like a log. This one is a heavenly flourless chocolate cake rolled with chocolate whipped cream and decorated with confectioners' sugar to resemble snow on a yule log. It doesn't just look beautiful — it tastes wonderful, too!

Why is buche de Noel eaten on Christmas? ›

This traditional Christmas cake originated in France during medieval times to honor the burning of the Yule log, a giant and heavy log that was placed in the hearth and not allowed to ever burn out completely. Families would take little pieces of the remaining log to bring them luck and prosperity in the year ahead.

Does buche de Noel need to be refrigerated? ›

This Yule Log Cake is really just a fancified jelly roll cake or roulade. Does a Bûche de Noël Need to be Refrigerated? Whether or not a yule log needs to be refrigerated depends on the filling. If filled with mousse, it definitely needs to be refrigerated and not left out at room temperature for over 2 hours.

Does Buche de Noel contain alcohol? ›

Our version of the traditional French holiday dessert: a light vanilla cake rolled around walnut rum buttercream and covered in chocolate Swiss buttercream. It's decorated with handmade edible sugar and fondant mushrooms, holly, and freshly fallen sugar “snow.” This cake contains alcohol.

How to stop a Yule log from cracking? ›

Take care not to knock out the air from your sponge mixture as you fold in the flour – once the sponge is baked, the tiny pockets of air keep the sponge pliable enough to roll without cracking, while retaining a light and fluffy texture.

How to decorate a Bûche de Noël? ›

Frost the cake with ganache. Before it sets, quickly make bark markings with the tines of a fork or chopstick. Begin decorating the Buche de Noel with crushed pistachios and cocoa powder. Finish the Buche de Noel with meringue mushrooms, cranberries, and rosemary.

Why is my Yule log dry? ›

Baking for the correct amount of time.

Too little, and the cake wouldn't set enough to hold its shape while rolling. Too much, and it would become dry and brittle.

What is the difference between a Swiss roll and a buche de Noel? ›

Is this the same as a swiss roll? The main difference between the two cakes is the way the cakes are decorated. The Yule log cake, or buche de noel, is made to look like the logs burned on Christmas eve, whereas the exterior of a swiss roll is decorated much more simply, such as with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

What cut of meat is buche? ›

(Buche is the term used for pork stomach; tripa is beef tripe.)

What is a traditional Yule log made of? ›

There are customs of 'Yule Logs' all over Europe and different kinds of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional; in Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it's Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit.

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