Big Bosh Yule Log — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Big Bosh Yule Log

The Yule Log is one of those showstopper desserts that genuinely gets everyone excited when it lands on the table at Christmas. We've been making this one for years and it never gets old. You've got a rich, fluffy chocolate sponge rolled around a creamy, indulgent filling, all wrapped up in that gorgeous chocolatey bark effect on the outside. It looks like it took all day but honestly the whole thing comes together in about 40 minutes. Make this for your Christmas gathering and watch it disappear.

Cook: 40 min
Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 190°C
  • Food processor
  • Sheet pan lined with baking paper
  • Skewer or fork

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 120g wholegrain self-raising flour
  • 120g self raising flour
  • 200g sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 80ml olive oil
  • 240ml almond milk
  • 550g plant-based butter
  • 190g icing sugar
  • 120g cocoa powder
  • 350g plant-based dark chocolate - melted

Method

1

Prepare the cake mixture

  • Pour the flours, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt into a food processor and whizz them together so everything is well blended
  • Add the oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond milk to the food processor and mix together to form a cake batter
2

Bake the cake

  • Pour the mixture into the prepared sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 190°C
  • Take the cake out of the oven (the cake should spring back to the original shape when pressed lightly in the middle) and let it cool to room temperature
3

Prepare the icing

  • Into another food processor add your dairy-free butter, icing sugar, cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate and whizz to combine for your icing
4

To finish

  • Cut the cake into 3 parts, one part should be slightly bigger to use as the base
  • Stack on top of each other and stick the slices together using the icing
  • Cut the edges of the cake until it starts to look 'log-shaped'
  • Coat with icing, use a skewer or a fork to create the look of bark
  • Dust with chocolate shavings, icing sugar and cocoa powder

Tips & Variations

  • Roll it warm: Don't wait for the sponge to cool before rolling it up. Roll it straight from the oven with a clean tea towel inside and leave it to cool in that shape. It'll remember the form and won't crack when you add the filling later.
  • Make it your own: We love adding a little peppermint extract to the filling for a mint chocolate vibe. Henry thinks it tastes like a posh After Eight and honestly, he's not wrong.
  • Get the bark effect right: When you spread the buttercream on the outside, drag a fork along it in long strokes to create those wood-grain lines. It takes about 30 seconds and makes the whole thing look incredibly impressive.

Why This Works

The trick with a rolled sponge is getting it out of the oven and rolling it while it's still warm. That's what stops it cracking. We also use a food processor for the batter which keeps it really smooth and means there's barely any washing up, which is always a win in our book.