This is THE BEST EVER Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log you’ll ever try! This traditional Christmas cake is decorated to resemble a log. It’s show-stopping, yet completely achievable in your home kitchen! Keep reading to learn how to make it!
Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log
Christmas is a time for tradition, right?! It’s not Christmas if a yule log isn’t served! I simply love the glorious swirl with white buttercream coated in rich and luxurious chocolate ganache or buttercream. Mouth drooling! My yule log features an amazing rich chocolate sponge, with a silky smooth and ultra creamy vanilla buttercream. I kept the yule log traditional with a rich chocolate buttercream. The buttercream has melted chocolate inside to make it even more delicious. I mean, it is Christmas… so why not go all out?!
I wanted this cake to have a woodland theme, so to decorate I made some mini hedgehog cookies, and aren’t they just adorable!? The cookies are only 5 simple ingredients, dipped in chocolate and added nuts for detail. NO-ONE will be able to tell this recipe is vegan and gluten-free!
What is a yule log?
A yule log, also known as Bûche De Noël in French, is a cake roll which is usually decorated to look like a tree trunk or rustic log. They are typically served throughout December, being popular for Christmas.
Why you’ll love this Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log:
- It’s vegan
- Gluten-free
- The cake is light and airy
- Easy to roll cake
- Minimal cracks
- It’s easy to make
- Looks effective
- Filling is creamy
- The chocolate buttercream is rich and delicious
- Great centre piece for a Christmas dinner table
- Show stopper for a Christmas party
- The hegehogs are easy to make and look super cute.
- Decoration is cute and fun
4 parts to this yule log
Chocolate sponge
- The cake part of this cake is absolutely delicious. I made it gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it. It features gluten-free self raising flour along with xanthan gum to help with binding, and a rich cocoa powder for the chocolate flavour. It makes for a really delicious gluten-free sponge.
Vanilla buttercream
- The filling of this yule log is a simple vanilla buttercream. I whipped some dairy-free butter and added in icing sugar and vanilla, then spread this all over the sponge and roll. You want it to be slightly thicker so when you roll it, it doesn’t all spill out the sides of the cake. I find a firm block butter also helps with this. My favourite vegan butter is Naturli Vegan Block.
Chocolate buttercream
- I decided to decorate the yule log with thick and decadent chocolate buttercream. It’s easy to make, and creates the perfect texture for the top of the log. Whip dairy-free butter in a bowl until creamy then add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add a splash of milk to get it to a smooth and spreadable consistency. Voila, you’re now ready to decorate!
Hedgehog cookies
- This yule log is absolutely delicious on it’s own but even more so when served with mini hedgehog cookies. I made sure to create vegan and gluten-free cookies to pair with the gluten-free bake. They are a simple 5 ingredient cookie tipped in dairy-free chocolate and coated in crushed hazelnuts. Simple but super effective. They really give the dessert a ‘woodland’ and ‘rustic’ look & vibe. Imagine it served up at a festive dinner party.
How to make a Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log
Full recipe and written instructions are listed in the recipe card, at the bottom of the page.
- Chocolate sponge
Make and bake the chocolate cake in a tray. Allow to cool then roll in a cocoa dusted towel, this will help the cake cool with a curve, so it’s ready for rolling.
- Vanilla buttercream
Mix butter, icing sugar and vanilla together with a splash of milk until its thick and creamy. Unroll the cake and spread over. Re-roll the cake with the buttercream into the middle. Chill in the fridge until the filling is firm to the touch.
- Chocolate buttercream
Whip up the chocolate buttercream in a stand mixer and spread over the entire log cake. You can even cut off a end of the log and attach it to the side of the cake to resemble a tree stump.
- Hedgehog cookies
These can be made in advance, or left out if you want a simple and classic yule log. Make the cookie dough, roll into balls, bake on a lined baking tray, then dip them in chocolate, coat in chopped nuts and pipe on the face details. So simple but effective!
Looking for more chocolate recipes? Check these out:
Melting Snowman Pop Tarts (vegan)
Coconut Snowman Sheet Cake (vegan)
Reindeer Vegan Cherry Bakewell Hand Pies
How to make a Giant Vegan Mince Pie
No-Bake Vegan White Chocolate Snowman Cheesecakes
‘Super popular’ Vegan Polar Bear Cupcakes
Easy Vegan Gingerbread man Cupcakes
No-Bake Gingerbread Man Truffles (vegan)
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram and Facebook!
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Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The BEST Vegan and Gluten-free Yule Log. It’s easy to make and no-one will be able to tell that it’s vegan, let alone gluten-free! A MUST MAKE for Christmas!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake
- 30g of cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons of hot water
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum
- 30g of almond flour
- 200ml of room temperature water
- 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- 130g of caster sugar
- 125g of gluten-free self raising flour
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Ingredients for the vanilla buttercream
- 100g of dairy-free butter
- 170g of icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Ingredients for the chocolate buttercream
- 180g of dairy-free butter
- 50g of cocoa powder
- 200g of icing sugar
- Dairy-free milk (see method)
Ingredients for the hedgehog cookies
- 100g of gluten-free plain flour
- 50g of coconut oil (melted)
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 100g of dairy-free dark chocolate
- 30g of hazelnuts (roughly chopped)
Instructions
Method (cake)
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C fan and line a 9 x 13 inch baking tray with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
- Add the cocoa and hot water into a small bowl, whisk to combine into a paste.
- In a separate bowl, sift in the baking powder, xanthan gum and almond flour. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the water and oil and mix with electric hand-whisk until smooth. You can even do this in a stand mixer fitted with balloon a whisk attachment. Add in the sugar and beat to combine.
- Pour in the cocoa paste and mix until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and add in the vanilla, stir to combine.
- Pour the cake batter into the lined tin and spread out with the back of a spoon or an off-set spatula. Make sure to get it as level as possible. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-28 minutes. Just before the cake is ready to come out the oven, lay a clean tea towel on your worktop and dust with cocoa powder.
- Remove the cake from the oven and invert the cake onto the cocoa dusted towel leaving the greaseproof paper on the cake. This helps to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Using the tea towel, roll the cake up the short end of the sponge to make a cylinder with the cloth and greaseproof paper inside.
- Leave the cake in the towel to cool down completely before frosting.
Method (vanilla buttercream)
- In a large mixing bowl add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the icing sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it. Add in the dairy-free milk and whip for a further 5 minutes on high speed to get it to a smooth consistency. You want it to be thick and creamy. If its too thick, add a few more chunks of butter to get it to a thick and creamy consistency.
- Gently unroll the cold sponge, remove the greaseproof paper and spread the filling evenly over the inside. If it cracks, don’t worry too much, these will be covered up with chocolate frosting.
- Once the vanilla buttercream is spread evenly, roll the sponge up (without the tea towel, but you can use the towel to help guide the roll into the shape you want) quite tightly from the short end, making sure the filling stays inside.
- Place into the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Method (chocolate buttercream)
- Once the log is firm and chilled, cut a thick slice off one end of the cake and put to one side. This is for the log shape. Transfer the larger piece of cake to a serving board or plate.
- In a large mixing bowl add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and icing sugar. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it. Add in a teaspoon of dairy-free milk at a time and whip for a further 5 minutes on high speed to get it to a smooth consistency. You want it to be thick and creamy. If its too thick, add a few more chunks of butter to get it to a thick and creamy consistency.
- Spread a little icing over cut side of the small piece of cake you have pout to one side and attach it to the large roll to make a stump (as seen in the photos).
- Spread the chocolate buttercream over the entire cake including the stump. Use a fork to create a tree trunk texture over the log.
- Serve with a dusting of icing sugar to resemble snow, or go all out with mini hedgehog cookie decorations.
Method (hedgehog cookies)
- Pre-heat oven to 180℃ fan, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, melted coconut oil and maple syrup.
- Bring together with your hands until a dough forms. Add more flour if too wet or coconut oil if too dry. You want it to be a smooth dough.
- Roll a tablespoon amount of cookie dough into your hands and shape into a teardrop-shape. Flatten the pointed side of each cookie to form the ‘face’. Arrange cookies on baking sheets. These cookies will not spread.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden in colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor/blender until roughly chopped. Place into a bowl.
- Fill a saucepan ¾ full with water and place a heatproof bowl on top to create a bain-marie. Place on a medium heat. Add the chocolate to the bowl and melt.
- Dip the top of each cookie in the melted chocolate, spreading to fully coat the ‘body’ of each hedgehog. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle over the chopped nuts forming the ‘spikes’. Place the hedgehogs on greaseproof paper and allow to set for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Transfer the remaining melted chocolate to a piping bag with a corner snipped off or use a really small round-tip nozzle. Pipe chocolate onto the pointed end of each cookie for eyes and a nose.
- Arrange the hedgehog cookies on top of the yule log and dust with icing sugar.
Notes
To store: Store the cake in a sealed container in the fridge, and allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Best enjoyed within 3 days of making.
What gluten-free to use? I used Doves Farm Gluten-free Self Raising Blend. I highly recommend it!
What dairy-free butter to use? My favourite vegan block butters to use are Naturli Vegan Block, Flora Plant Butter and Violife VioBlock. For the filling, I would definitely suggest a vegan block butter as opposed to a soft margarine.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-28 minutes
- Category: Cakes and layer cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Hello, what would you recommend to use instead of almond flour if someone has an allergy?
Cake looks beautiful. Can’t wait to try.
Thanks x
Author
Hello, I would suggest that you swap the 30g of almond flour, for 30g of gluten-free self raising flour. Happy baking xx
Hi I try make to Yule chocolat but I’m not a vegan person, what a opción for a normal recipe ??? With a egg ?
Author
Hello, As i am vegan, i am unable to say about a non vegan recipe as it hasn’t been recipe tested by me 🙂 xx
Hi – I would love to make this recipe for this Christmas but we don’t have (or I can’t find it) self-rising GF flour in the US, do you know how I could make an all-purpose 1:1 GF flour into a self-rising one?
Thank you!!
Hello,
This looks amazing! I was wondering how the pinecones are made? Thank you!
Author
Hello,
The pinecones are real, used for decoration in the photography only haha! xxx
Hi, I was just wondering if you don’t make the cake gluten free do you still have to use xanthan gum? Also what would be a good xanthan gum replacement as it’s hard to come by here! Thanks
I was wondering the same.
love your blog. great pictures and recipes .
thank you for sharing all of this.
shared my little hedgehogs on instagram. everyone loves them. ♥️
Author
Hello lovely, Aww 😀 I am OVER THE MOON you enjoyed, i saw and they’re adorable! Thank youuuu xxx
roughly how many cookies does this recipe make?
Author
Hello, it makes quite a few depending on the size. I would say around 8-12. If you went for larger, around 6-8 🙂 Hope this helps x
If you make in advance could you freeze it
Author
Hello, YES!! I like to freezer my yule log cake, then allow it to come to room temperature then ice it and serve. It makes it super fresh and delicious!!! Happy baking x
I’m going to make the cookies, could I sub GF flour for regular?
anyone tried the recipe using nom GF flour? did it work? thank you 🙂
Hi, could I use normal flour? instead of gluten free?
Hello! Just wondering what you used to make the little white mushrooms please?
Author
Hello, I used little vegan friendly meringues. I used the brand London Apron 🙂 x
Hi, I can’t find GF self rising flour how do I make a regular GF all purpose flour work here?
To make SR flour, just add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to every 100g of plain (all purpose) flour and mix together.
I made this for my early family Christmas last week. It was a hit. Even the non vegans loved it and they usually never want to try what I make because “it’s vegan”. I expected to have a lot left over to take to work the next day, but it was all gone. I’m making it again for Christmas day.
Author
Aww I am so happy you all enjoyed! thank youu xxx
To freeze it, do you put the buttercream filling in and roll and then freeze,? The defrost and put icing over the log once defrosted?
Made this for Christmas Day, probably the most amazing creamy vanilla filling I’ve ever tasted. Didn’t last long!
re hedgehog cookies. are they sturdy enough own there own. thinking of making a lunchbox treat.