Mini Yule Logs

Buche De Noel is a fancy holiday dessert traditionally made from filled sponge cake, rolled and frosted to look like a Yule log. On Christmas Day in 2017, I tackled this beast of a dessert (see below) and made what I thought was a very beautiful and delicious Buche de Noel, complete with meringue mushrooms to mimic the forest floor. My children were delighted. I vowed never to repeat the endeavor.

Fast forward to the pandemic when we were all doing our best to stay sane, looking for anything that delivered delight with as little effort as possible. In a moment of clarity it occurred to me that with a few junk-food staples, I could create Mini Yule Logs, no baking or rolling required.

Mini Yule Logs are made using Little Debbie’s Swiss Cake Rolls, a can of vanilla frosting, and whatever seasonal candies you can find for embellishment (bonus points if they end up looking like mushrooms!).

For each Mini Yule Log, you will need two Swiss Cake Rolls. The first cake roll will be your main log, and it needs to stay intact. Slice the second one into three pieces, using a diagonal cut, and these will become little branch stumps attached to the main log. Don’t worry if the chocolate coating flakes off a bit when you cut it. No one will know.

Using a bit of frosting, adhere the cut pieces onto the main log. Don’t over think this step…there’s no right or wrong way to do this.

If you’re so inclined, at this point we want to add a bit of flair, trying our best to recreate the forest floor. In my example, I used Nutter Butters cut into squares and topped with some chocolate disk-shaped candies I found. I also used marshmallows. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun.

When you put it all together, it works. We aren’t going to win any pastry awards with our creation, but I guarantee you the little ones in your life are going to think this is pretty fantastic. If you’re feeling insecure about your finished product, give the entire situation a dusting of powdered sugar for a snowy effect that covers a multitude of imperfections.

While I think this dessert would be ideal to make to serve your family on Christmas Day, I also believe there is an opportunity to turn Mini Yule Logs into a group project if you’re up for it. Perhaps best suited to older elementary children (given the fine motor skills and cutting involved), it might be fun to create these together as a family. I also think these would make cute edible party decor, perhaps as part of a dessert tray.

However you choose to execute them, I think you will find Mini Yule Logs are an easy holiday win!