Looking for a yule log that slices cleanly, with a chestnut cream that has real body and chocolate that stays deeply dark? This one is all about two textures: a thin cocoa sponge, rolled nice and tight, and two pastry creams, one chestnut and one chocolate.
On the outside, chocolate strips create the bark: simple and effective. It’s made in several components, but each one is straightforward when you tackle them step by step. This recipe rounds out the collection of gluten-free pastries.
What is a chestnut-chocolate yule log?
It’s a Christmas yule log made with a sheet of gluten-free chocolate sponge, filled with chestnut pastry cream and chocolate pastry cream, then finished with a dark chocolate bark. Here, everything is designed to be gluten-free and lactose-free, using plant-based milk and plant-based butter.
It has exactly the contrast you want at Christmas: cocoa in the sponge, the mellow sweetness of chestnut, and a chocolate cream made with 70% dark chocolate, so it never feels too rich. Visually, the chocolate strips laid over the cream instantly create that classic log effect, without the fuss of a complicated ganache.
The main ingredients
The base is a sheet of chocolate sponge: a blend of gluten-free flours (with xanthan or psyllium), cocoa, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, oat or soy milk, and meringue. The meringue gives it structure and enough flexibility to roll without cracking apart.
Both creams start with the same vanilla pastry cream: plant-based milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and then plant-based butter added off the heat. Divide it in two: one half becomes chestnut cream, using canned chestnut purée, and the other becomes chocolate cream, using 70% dark chocolate.
If you want to make it fully plant-based, chef Rommel Reyes suggests replacing the pastry cream with a vegan pastry cream, making double the amount and using it exactly the same way. For the sponge, switch to a vegan gluten-free chocolate sponge designed for this kind of assembly.
The decoration is simply melted dark chocolate spread into strips on acetate sheets or, if needed, on parchment paper. The little red chocolate mushrooms are a fun extra if you feel like making them, but they’re not essential, and you can skip them entirely if you prefer to keep things simple.
Technical notes and pitfalls to avoid
This recipe is designed by weight, in metric, for the most consistent results. If you cook with other units, use a converter rather than guessing, especially for the creams and the sponge sheet.
Chocolate sponge sheet
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line the baking tray with parchment paper, then spread the batter to about 0.5 cm thick so the sponge bakes quickly and rolls easily.
Before adding the wet ingredients, mix and sift all the dry ingredients to remove lumps and ensure an even batter. Separately, whip the egg whites with the sugar into a meringue, then fold it in in 3 additions, keeping as much air as possible.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let the sponge cool before using it, then trim away the dry edges; they’re the first to crack when you roll it. And yes, the sheet may break if you roll it dry; that’s normal for this type of sponge. It will be covered with cream anyway, so a few cracks aren’t a problem as long as the whole thing holds together.
Vanilla pastry cream, then two flavors
Start by whisking ⅓ of the lukewarm plant-based milk with the yolks, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch until smooth. Pour this mixture into the remaining lukewarm milk, then cook over low to medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened.
Remove from the heat and add the cold plant-based butter, cut into cubes. Then divide the pastry cream into two equal parts: one for the chestnut cream and one for the chocolate cream.
For the chocolate cream, pour the still-hot half of the pastry cream over the chocolate and whisk vigorously until melted and smooth. An immersion blender helps create an extra-silky texture. If the cream isn’t hot enough to melt the chocolate, melt the chocolate first, then mix until completely smooth. Cover directly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.
For the chestnut cream, blend the chestnut purée with the remaining half of the pastry cream using an immersion blender or food processor until completely smooth. Cover directly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.
Chestnut center and assembly
For the center, shape the chestnut cream into a cylinder by wrapping it in plastic wrap, making it 23 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter. Add chopped toasted walnuts if you’d like a little crunch. Freeze it just until firm enough to handle during assembly.
Before filling, trim the dry edges once more and aim for a sheet measuring 28 x 38 cm. Set it on parchment paper; this will help you roll it neatly. Pipe alternating lines of chestnut and chocolate cream over the entire surface, leaving a 1 cm border around the edges.
Place the frozen chestnut center along the starting edge. Roll, keeping tension on the paper to support the log along its full length. Use your fingers at the ends to set the first fold, then lift the paper up and forward to guide the roll.
The paper also helps you apply gentle pressure to keep the roll tight. Finish with the seam underneath.
Chill the rolled log for 30 minutes, still wrapped in the parchment paper, so it firms up. Then trim both ends to reveal a clean filling and transfer it to a serving platter. Pipe alternating lines of chestnut cream and chocolate cream over the entire surface.
Chocolate bark
The bark strips take a little time, but the technique is simple. Melt the dark chocolate, then spread it thinly over acetate or parchment-paper strips measuring 2.5 cm wide and 30 cm long.
Place the strips on a slightly curved surface, or leave them flat if you prefer, then let them firm up in the refrigerator or in a cool room. Once set, place them over the lines of cream to cover the whole log.
Just before serving or slicing, dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Organization
If you want assembly to go quickly, make the pastry cream the day before. It should be thoroughly chilled so it pipes easily when it’s time to assemble the log.
If you bake gluten-free every day, you’ll find everything gathered here.
Recipe developed by chef Rommel Reyes. Discover his work on Instagram, through his Substack newsletter, and on his YouTube channel.
Ingredients
- 1000 g oat or soy milk gluten-free
- 220 g egg yolks
- 150 g sugar
- 80 g cornstarch
- 1 whole vanilla bean, or 10 g vanilla extract
- 50 g vegan butter gluten-free and lactose-free
- 600 g vanilla pastry cream half the recipe
- 160 g 70% dark chocolate gluten-free and lactose-free
- 600 g vanilla pastry cream half the recipe
- 250 g canned chestnut purée gluten-free and lactose-free
- 400 g gluten-free flour with xanthan gum or psyllium
- 60 g cocoa powder
- 160 g almond flour
- 260 g sugar
- 30 g baking powder
- 560 g oat or soy milk gluten-free
- 100 g dairy-free butter gluten-free
- 250 g egg whites for the meringue
- 40 g sugar for the meringue
- 250 g gluten-free, lactose-free dark chocolate
Instructions
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Whisk one-third of the warm oat milk with the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch in a mixing bowl until smooth.
- Whisk the mixture into the remaining warm oat milk, then cook over low to medium heat, whisking constantly, until the pastry cream thickens.
- Remove from the heat and add the cold cubes of vegan butter. Divide the pastry cream in two: one half for the chestnut pastry cream and the other for the chocolate pastry cream.
Chocolate Pastry Cream
- Whisk half of the hot pastry cream with the chocolate chips until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Blend with an immersion blender for an extra-silky chocolate pastry cream.
- If the pastry cream is not hot enough, melt the chocolate first, then stir it into the pastry cream until smooth.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Chestnut Pastry Cream
- Blend the chestnut purée with the remaining pastry cream using an immersion blender until completely smooth. You can also use a food processor.
- Shape the chestnut cream into a log by wrapping it in plastic wrap and forming it into a cylinder 23 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter. If you like, add chopped toasted nuts for crunch.
- Freeze until firm enough to assemble the yule log. Cover the remaining chestnut cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Sponge
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Whip the egg whites with the sugar to make a meringue, then set aside.
- Add the oat milk to the dry ingredients and whisk by hand or with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in the meringue in 3 additions.
- Spread the batter in a layer about 1/2 cm thick on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Let the sponge cool completely. Trim away the dry edges before using.
Chocolate Bark
- Melt the dark chocolate and spread it in a thin layer over cake acetate strips or strips of parchment paper, each 2.5 cm wide and 30 cm long.
- Place the strips on a slightly curved or flat surface, then let the chocolate set in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature.
Yule Log Assembly
- Trim the dry edges from the sponge. The sponge should measure 28 cm wide and 38 cm long. Place it on parchment paper, then pipe alternating lines of chestnut and chocolate pastry cream over the surface, leaving a 1 cm border around the edges.
- Place the frozen chestnut log along the edge where you will start rolling.
- Start rolling, keeping gentle tension on the paper to support the roll all the way along, and use your fingers at the ends to make the first fold. Lift the parchment paper up and forward to roll the sponge, using the paper to press gently and keep the roll tight. Keep the seam underneath.
- Refrigerate the rolled yule log, still wrapped in the parchment paper, for 30 minutes.
- Trim both ends of the yule log to reveal an even filling. Transfer to a cake board or serving plate. Pipe alternating lines of chestnut and chocolate pastry cream over the entire surface.
- Arrange the chocolate bark strips over the pastry cream lines to completely cover the yule log. Dust lightly with icing sugar just before serving or slicing.
