A Pastry Chef Shares The Ideal Frosting For Your Holiday Yule Log

Nothing says Christmas like a traditional vanilla and chocolate bûche de Noël, or Christmas Yule log as it's commonly called. There's just something about that sponge cake, layered with cream, rolled up like a jelly roll, and covered with frosting or ganache. But frosting this festive cake isn't always easy and choosing that finishing touch can make or break this cake. That's why Daily Meal turned to Lasheeda Perry — an award-winning pastry chef who "Beat Bobby Flay" on The Food Network — for advice about the best frosting to use.

Perry, dubbed "The Queen of Flavor," told us in an interview that "the best frosting for your Christmas Yule log is definitely buttercream — preferably Swiss or Italian buttercream, in my opinion." She went on to explain that the "smooth, fluffy" texture of these options makes them preferable to an American buttercream which can be "chalky" and "gritty" on the tongue. But Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams are not only light and airy, they're also not as sweet as American buttercream, which ensures your Christmas Yule log isn't overwhelmingly sugary or heavy. 

What makes Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream special? These frostings are made by cooking egg whites and sugar on the stovetop on low heat until the sugar is dissolved before whipping the mixture into soft peaks with a mixer and adding butter. This technique gives both frostings their silky smooth nature. However, before you add either Swiss or Italian buttercream frosting to your bûche de Noël, make certain to chill your cake for two hours. If you skip this step, it doesn't matter what frosting you use, your cake will fall apart as you frost it. Once it's frosted, you can take Perry's further advice and make your yule log look professional with easy decorations.

When it comes to frostings to skip, Perry suggests saving the royal icing for other baking adventures. She said, "While it's great for cookies, it's just way too sweet and the texture doesn't mesh well with the sponge." So, save this sweet stuff to decorate your Christmas-themed sugar cookies. She also points out that while cream cheese frosting lightened up with some whipped cream would make an excellent filling, she would not use it to frost the outside of a Christmas Yule log. Perry described the taste as "too tangy," and noted, "...it doesn't have the right texture, and it won't hold up well." And keep the fondant in your baking cabinet because the pastry chef says it's "too sweet" and "too heavy."