Yule Log Cake Recipe & History of the Tradition

The history of eating log-shaped cakes for Christmas originally comes from a ritual of burning a log of wood in the fireplace.

Long ago, people used to place a massive log in the fireplace for winter solstice, the longest night of the year - This was a pagan custom that existed before Christians started to celebrate Christmas. The log was blessed to protect the house and its inhabitants, then burned for the occasion of Christmas Eve. The log had to be big enough to burn throughout the night, and until Epiphany Day (12 days later) in some regions!

Choosing the type of wood, the log itself, and who would place it in the fireplace was of the most importance. As was the choice of wood species - Wood from a fruit tree, a symbol of abundance, or from an oak or beech. Wood had to make good sparks: the higher the sparks were, the better the upcoming year would be.

The lighting of the log, sometimes placed on a bed of moss, blessed by being sprinkled with oil, cooked wine, saltwater, honey, olive oil, and many other offerings was made by the oldest and the youngest of the family, symbolizing the transmission. The firing of the log was an occasion for meditation in memory of the elders. It is said that ashes had virtues, fertilizing powers, and protection.

However, as most traditions go, this one varied from one region to another, and even from one family to another.

So, how did this fire log tradition evolve to an edible log?

Over the centuries lifestyle evolved and big cities appeared, fireplaces got smaller and smaller (some homes not having one at all), stoves allowed modern cooking to become the norm, and this tradition became quite difficult to continue. Smaller logs replaced the historical giant logs that burnt overnight.

Gradually, logs were placed in the middle of the table instead of the fireplace, as a dinner table centerpiece! Families would decorate the logs and hollow them out and garnish with candy, dried fruit, cookies, gingerbread, and sometimes even small toys.

Finally appeared cakes with the shape of a wood log!

Yule Log Recipe

via AllRecipes

Ingredients:

½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 large eggs, separated, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon lukewarm water
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt

Chocolate Buttercream:

3 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting, or as needed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a jelly roll pan. Line it with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
Beat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons flour, butter, lukewarm water, and baking powder; beat until well combined.
Beat egg whites and salt in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff. Transfer 1/3 of the whites to the cake batter and gently fold in. Repeat with remaining whites. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven until it springs back when pressed gently in the middle, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 3 minutes, before carefully turning the cake out onto a large piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment and cake from one short end to the other and let cool.
While the cake is cooling, place chocolate for buttercream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Beat softened butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Add powdered sugar in small increments, beating between each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat until well combined.
Carefully unroll the cooled sponge cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream across the top to the edges. Firmly roll back up, using parchment to help you, into a tight roll.
At one end of the roll, cut off a diagonal slice to represent a branch, about 2 inches in length at the longest side. Frost the entire roll with buttercream. Use a palette knife to create uneven ridges to represent tree bark. Position the branch somewhere near the center of the log and cover with buttercream.
Drag the tines of a fork lengthwise across the buttercream to create an extra bark effect. Dust the entire log with cocoa powder.