The Best (And Worst) Fillings To Roll Into Your Christmas Yule Log

It's no secret that Christmas is the time for gobbling down tasty desserts. There are plates of cookies to be eaten, pies to be sliced, and perhaps even a traditional Yule Log to cut into. The latter, also known as a bûche de Noël, is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with cream or other fixings and decorated to look like (you guessed it) a log of firewood for your hearth.

Now, if you want to make one of these Yule logs as this year's Christmas cake, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind. Daily Meal spoke to Lasheeda Perry, dubbed "The Queen of Flavor," an award-winning pastry chef whose claim to fame is that she "Beat Bobby Flay" and got some exclusive insights into how to make the best Yule Log.

Perry explained that part of flawlessly executing this dessert lies in the fillings you choose. She notes, "You have so many options! It could be a mousse, a curd, a buttercream, whipped cream, or ice cream—you have so many options!" However, she also cautions that while there's plenty to choose from, you'll want to ensure the flavor creates balance in your dessert and that you get the texture right.

When it comes to choosing the perfect filling for your rolled buche de noel to avoid disaster, Lasheed Perry explains that "you want the flavor to be pretty pronounced because you're going to cover that Yule log with chocolate or buttercream, [and] you're going to add garnishes and what not." If you choose something too subtle, you can end up obscuring it with your other tasting notes.

For its part, buttercreams can range from 40% to 70% sugar, making that sweet layer on your cake the main flavor in your dessert. That's a lot of sweetness to compete with when choosing your filling. Then, of course, there's the chocolate. If you're using white chocolate, you'll have even more sugary, rich flavors, or if it's dark chocolate, the cocoa notes can be quite strong, too.

As you choose a filling, try to find punchy flavors that can pair well with these notes without being obscured. For instance, if you go with a mousse, perhaps a chocolate mousse can work well to play up the cocoa notes in your chocolate coating. Or, if you'd like to go with a curd, try a raspberry curd with strong, fruity, and sour notes that make themselves known against all that sugar. If you're using whipped cream, you could try infusing it with booze to add flavor and punchiness to the filling.

Once you've settled on a winning flavor combo, there's still texture to think about. Lasheeda Perry explains: "You don't want it too hard, you don't want it too runny." Of course, getting the texture right will vary slightly depending on what you're using as a filling.

If you're going with a mousse, Perry suggests you "make it ahead of time, and you should also stabilize it by adding some gelatin." The gelatin helps to stabilize the air bubbles in the mousse, preventing it from collapsing and becoming runny. Lasheeda also cautions against using a straight pastry cream. Instead, she says, "I would cut it with some whipped cream and gelatin to make like a diplomat cream." This pastry cream also often includes gelatin for a stabilizing effect to prevent runniness.

You could also focus on fillings that already have a sturdier texture. For instance, softened (but not melting!) ice cream can serve as a sturdy filling for your cake. Or, Perry offers to use a jam as a filling. Jams have a thick, gelatinous texture that holds up well without being overly tough. Experiment with different fillings, but make sure to find a balance of texture and flavor, and you'll soon have a winning yule log cake on your table!