This Black Forest Yule Log is the ultimate festive showstopper that Gordon Ramsay called "delicious"! This cake (also known as Swiss Roll or Bouche de Noel) starts with a light and soft chocolate genoise sponge which is soaked in cherry syrup, filled with whipped cream and chopped cherries, and rolled into a beautiful swirl. The cake is finished with a silky chocolate ganache with ridges to resemble a wooden log, swirls of whipped cream, cherries and chocolate accents. Despite being fairly simple to make, this cake looks breathtaking on any dessert table, and tastes even better. It has the perfect balance of chocolate, cherries and cream, and just the right amount of sweetness.
Fun fact: this is the Black Forest Swiss Roll that Gordon Ramsay, Carla Hall and Candace Nelson called "delicious" and "the perfect slice"! I recently competed on Next Level Baker, a holiday baking special on FOX, and Gordon Ramsay's first ever baking competition. Our very first challenge was to create a chocolate showstopper in 60 minutes, and I whipped up this cake (with a few hiccups, of course). Not only did the judges love it, it earned me the top dish and a spot in the coveted top kitchen for the next challenge!
If you're up for a bit more work, I also have a recipe for a Vertical Black Forest Swiss Roll, which is like a larger version of a Yule log but assembled vertically so it looks like a round cake. And if you want something more beginner friendly, my Black Forest cupcakes are very easy and delicious!
Video tutorial
Here's a video tutorial to see this recipe in action that I highly recommend watching, as you will be able to visualizer the technical steps:
5 easy components of this cake
This Black Forest Yule log is made of 5 simple components:
- Chocolate genoise sponge. This is a soft and airy cake made by whipping eggs and sugar to incorporate a lot of air into the batter. It is the perfect type of cake to roll into a log because of how flexible and light it is
- Cherry syrup. Because genoise sponges can feel a bit dry on their own, the cake gets soaked in a cherry syrup. If you're using canned cherries, you can use the syrup from the can / jar to make this syrup. You can also make a fresh cherry simple syrup with cherries, sugar and water
- Cherries. Of course, a black forest cake is incomplete without cherries! You can use whatever you like: canned maraschino cherries, dark sweet cherries, or fresh cherries
- Chantilly whipped cream. The cake is filled with a simple whipped cream made from heavy cream, a small amount of sugar, and vanilla
- Chocolate ganache. Lastly, a decadent and silky chocolate ganache coats the outside of the cake
If you want, you can also add chocolate shavings on top of the cake to give it a finished look. I personally love making little chocolate trees by piping melted chocolate, but it is completely unnecessary!
How to achieve the perfect swirl in a Yule Log
There are a few steps to get the perfect roll in this Yule Log without any cracks! Here is how you will achieve it:
1. Make sure the cake is baked right
If you don't make the cake properly, it won't roll properly. It needs to be very light, airy, soft and flexible. Here are my best tips:
- Weigh all ingredients for accuracy using a kitchen scale (and don't add too much flour!)
- Properly whip the eggs and sugar - the mixture should nearly triple in volume and become very light in color and fluffy in texture. If you rush this step, there won't be enough air in the batter
- Sift the dry ingredients! This will aerate them and make them easier to mix
- Be very slow and gentle when folding in the dry ingredients. Take your time, don't knock out any air, and don't overdo it
- Bake immediately. If you let the batter sit, it will deflate
- Bake perfectly! I recommend doing a toothpick test once the cake looks done on the surface. If it comes out clean, take the cake out immediately. If it overbakes, it will become dry
2. Roll the cake when it's hot
First, we want to roll up the cake when it's fresh from the oven without any fillings. The cake is at its most flexible when warm, and rolling it at this point gives the cake "muscle memory" so it is much easier to roll it again with fillings without breaking. Here's how you do it:
- Prep in advance. While the cake is still baking, place a tea towel on the counter and dust it with icing sugar
- When the cake is done baking, use a spatula to separate the edges from the pan and carefully flip it onto the towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper
- Dust more icing sugar on top of the cake - this prevents it from sticking to itself or the tea towel
- Take the tea towel with the cake, and roll it up as tightly as you can without applying pressure
- Make sure you roll in the right direction! You will keep the short end of the cake facing you, and roll it along the length to maximize the swirl. This means if you use a 10x15" baking sheet to make the cake, the rolled up cake will be 10" long
Once rolled up, place the cake in the fridge to fully cool down.
3. Unroll and add fillings after cooling
Once the cake has fully cooled down, carefully unroll it. Brush it with syrup all over, spread on the whipped cream, and press in chopped cherries. You want a fairly thick layer of filling, but not so much that it oozes out when you roll again (this is definitely something that comes with practice!).
4. Roll it again with the fillings
Now, you can roll the cake again in the same direction as before, without the tea towel and with the fillings inside! Try to do this as tightly as you can without causing the filling to ooze out or the cake to crack.
5. Decorate to your heart's desires!
To achieve a Yule Log / Bouche de Noel look, cover the cake in a thick layer of ganache, and use a fork to create rough ridges that make it look like a tree bark. You can also apply ganache to the ends to cover the cake completely, but I like to leave the swirl exposed because it looks pretty. Now decorate however you want - for example, you can dust with icing sugar, piped whipped cream swirls, or top with cherries and chocolate garnish.
Want a proper Yule Log look with 2 branches? After rolling the cake with the fillings, divide the cake into 2 portions but don't make them equal (i.e., don't cut in the middle). Instead, cut about one-third of the way in, so one piece is longer than the other, and cut at a 45 degree angle. Then take the shorter piece, and place the cut side against the length of the longer piece. This will make it look like the shorter piece is a branch coming out of the longer piece. Now cover in ganache and proceed with decorations!
The Black Forest Yule Log Gordon Ramsay Loved!
- Total Time: 1 hour + cooling time
- Yield: 8-10 servings
Description
A showstopper Black Forest cake made with a soft and light chocolate génoise sponge swirled with whipped cream, cherries and ganache
Ingredients
Chocolate ganache:
- 200g semi sweet chocolate (or mix of dark + milk chocolate)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (160g)
Chocolate genoise cake:
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ cup all purpose flour (65g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp icing sugar to dust
Cherries and syrup:
*see notes if using fresh cherries
- 1 14oz jar including the cherries and the juice - maraschino and dark sweet cherries in syrup both work
Chantilly whipped cream:
- 1 ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, chilled (360g)
- 2 tbsp sugar (25g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Chocolate ganache:
- Add the chocolate and heavy cream to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate fully melts and a smooth ganache forms
- Let the ganache cool down fully at room temperature until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. This can take 60-90 minutes. During this time, you can work on the rest of the cake (see notes if you want to chill it faster)
Chocolate genoise cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional / no fan) and prepare a 10x15" baking sheet by placing parchment paper on the bottom. Do not add oil or butter
- Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to whisk on medium high speed for 5-7 minutes until the mixture becomes very pale in color, thick and fluffy in texture, and almost triples in volume. Do not rush this step!
- Now sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt
- Use a rubber spatula to very carefully, gently and slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Take your time and do not use an aggressive mixing motion because you don't want the air to be knocked out of the batter. Stop folding as soon as no more streaks of flour can be seen. You should have a very fluffy batter
- Carefully transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and spread it out evenly
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for ~10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not over bake!
- While the cake is still baking, lay out a tea towel on your counter (should be bigger than the cake) and dust it with icing sugar all over
- When the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and use a spatula / butter knife to carefully release the edges from the pan. Carefully flip the cake onto the tea towel while it is still hot, and peel off the parchment paper and dust more icing sugar on top of the cake
- Keep the short end of the cake facing you. Holding both the cake and the tea towel, slowly roll up the cake along its length as tightly as you can without applying pressure (meaning your roll at the end should be 10" long, not 15" long)
- Place the rolled up cake in the fridge until it fully cools down (about 30 minutes)
Cherries and syrup:
- Drain the canned cherries and reserve the liquid. Save a handful for decoration, and roughly chop the rest
- Place the liquid in a saucepan and cook on low heat for 5 minutes to reduce it slightly. Set the syrup aside
Chantilly whipped cream:
- Add the cold heavy cream, sugar, salt and vanilla to a bowl. Whisk on medium high speed for a few minutes until the cream reaches a medium stiff peak consistency. This means the cream should be able to hold shape but not be too firm or grainy
Assembly:
- Once the cake has cooled down, remove it from the fridge and carefully unroll it
- Use a pastry brush to brush a generous amount of the cherry syrup all over the cake. You can it well coated, but not soaking because that can cause the cake to break
- Spread a generous layer of the chantilly whipped cream on the cake as evenly as possible. You should use up at least ¾ of the cream, reserving the rest for decoration
- Spread the chopped cherries all over and gently press them into the cream
- Now carefully and slowly roll the cake in the same direction again, this time with the fillings and without the tea towel. Try to do this as tightly and neatly as you can without causing the filling to ooze out or the cake to break. It is totally fine if some filling oozes out
- At this point, you can wrap the cake in cling wrap and place it in the fridge again. If you're ready to decorate, you can move to the next step
- Carefully transfer the cake to a serving stand. Apply a generous coating of the ganache all over (you can cover up the sides too, but I like to keep them exposed so the swirl is visible). Use a fork to form ridges in the ganache to give the look of a tree bark
- Transfer the remaining cream to a piping bag with a star tip, and pipe swirls on top of the cake. Top each swirl with a cherry, and garnish with chocolate shavings / powdered sugar
- Keep cool, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Using fresh cherries instead of canned/jarred: If using fresh cherries, take 1 cup of cherries and remove their seeds. Add the cherries, 2 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoon sugar to a saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until a syrup forms. Reserve the syrup to soak the cake, and remove the cherries. Chop up the cherries for the filling inside the cake
- Chilling ganache in the fridge: I strongly recommend cooling down the ganache at room temperature as it will be very easy to work with. However, if you want to cool down your ganache quicker, you can transfer it to a wide plate / bowl, and put it in the fridge. Stir it gently every 5-10 minutes so it cools down evenly, and remove from the fridge as soon as it becomes spreadable
- Make ahead and storage: Genoise sponge cakes can dry out easily so I recommend decorating and serving this cake fresh. If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can assemble the cake until step 5 of the assembly, when it is rolled up with the fillings inside. At this point, wrap the cake tightly in cling wrap and keep it in the fridge. Then remove, frost and decorate when you want to serve. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Anu says
Hi Zoha, after watching you making this Yule log on next level baker, I decided to bake this one for Christmas. You were amazing there baking it for the second time to get it perfect . 🙂 As I wanted my cake to be perfect- quick question- do you think Dutch processed cocoa powder would work? This is all that most of stores here carry but if not I’ll have to make arrangements to get the Hershey's unsweetened one which I’ll do 🙂 . Thanks. Hope you can respond.
Rahna says
I have tried this swiss roll and all my family was fighting for it
And i love it😍
Tarunaben Kantilal Patel says
how did you make the christmas trees