Vanilla-Pecan-Caramel Yule Log
Hello food lovers,
This week we present our second yule log of 2024! :-)
You already know these flavours – you got to discover them last year in our little vanilla-pecan-caramel entremet cakes.
Many of you asked us for the recipe in yule log form, and this year, it's finally done!
We received this beautiful "Snowfall" yule log mould from Silikomart, understated and elegant – just the way we like it.
The yule log is made up of a vanilla Bavarian mousse, a caramel cremeux, a pecan praline, a pecan crunch and a Joconde sponge. All covered with a lovely white velvet spray. :-) Let's get started with the recipe!

To make this yule log for approximately 6 to 8 people, you will need:
- 20gr + 20gr sugar
- 165gr heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks (40gr)
- 2.3gr powdered gelatine
- 11gr water
- 2 eggs
- 80gr icing sugar
- 80gr pecan nuts
- 30gr flour
- 2 egg whites
- 20gr sugar
- 20gr butter
Go follow the blog recipe HERE
1x the praline recipe will be enough
- 25gr white chocolate
- 25gr pecan praline
- 25gr pecan nuts
- 3.5 gelatine leaves
- 3 egg yolks
- 75gr sugar
- 375gr heavy cream
- 3 vanilla pods
- 225gr heavy cream
- White velvet spray
Caramel Cremeux
Start by weighing 2.3gr of powdered gelatine into 11gr of cold water. Mix and let the gelatine bloom for approximately 10 minutes at room temperature.
To be precise with measurements, I always use a precision spoon scale for small quantities.

In a bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks (40gr) and 20gr of sugar until pale and fluffy. Set the mixture aside.
Keep the egg whites to one side – we will use them for the Joconde sponge.

Bring 165gr of heavy cream to a boil and set it aside while you prepare the dry caramel.
We are going to make a dry caramel with 20gr of sugar. In a saucepan, pour just a tiny bit of sugar – just enough to cover the bottom.
Heat the sugar at the bottom of the pan.

Once it starts to melt, add a small amount of sugar on top and wait again for it to melt. Continue in this way until all the sugar has been added and melted. This way, the sugar will melt evenly without burning.
As soon as you have a caramel with a beautiful colour, turn off the heat.
Then add the previously heated cream and mix well.

Pour the caramel/cream mixture over the egg yolks/sugar preparation while stirring constantly to prevent the yolks from cooking!

Transfer everything back to the saucepan and heat to 82°C while stirring constantly. If you don't stir, you'll end up with an omelette at the bottom of the pan. ;-)
Use the thermometer whisk for this step. This tool is brilliant as it frees up your hands and saves you from holding a thermometer while whisking. It also beeps once the temperature is reached. :-)
When the mixture reaches the right temperature, remove it from the heat.

Add the gelatine and mix until it dissolves completely.

For this yule log recipe, we chose to use the multiple insert on the larger side.
Place the insert on a perforated tray, pour the caramel cremeux into the mould and place everything in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

In the meantime, we will prepare the Joconde sponge.
Joconde Sponge
In a large bowl, crack 2 eggs and add 80gr of icing sugar. Whisk everything at maximum speed for approximately 10 minutes.

In the meantime, pour 80gr of pecan nuts into a food processor and blitz them to a powder.
Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-assisted.
Melt 20gr of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds at 600Watt.

Once the egg/sugar mixture has become light and fluffy, set it aside while we whip the egg whites.
Whip 2 egg whites and 20gr of sugar until you obtain a lovely, firm meringue.

Sift 30gr of flour into the egg and icing sugar preparation.
Add the 80gr of ground pecan powder blitzed earlier.
Mix everything together using a spatula.

Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the mixture in several additions using a spatula.
Finally, pour in the melted butter and mix one last time with the spatula.
There we go – our sponge batter is ready.

On a perforated tray, place a silicone mat. We love working with this type of mat. It gives you a nice, even sponge.
To ensure the sponge unmoulds cleanly, spray the mat with non-stick release spray.

Pour the batter onto the mat then spread it evenly using a large offset spatula.
Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Once baked, turn the Joconde sponge out onto a sheet of baking paper. Carefully remove the mat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Cut two rectangles: 20 x 4.5 cm for the insert and 24 x 5.5 cm for the yule log.
Set the sponges aside until assembly time. If you are not using them straight away, I recommend wrapping them in cling film to keep them nice and soft.

You will have sponge left over. You can either wrap it well and freeze it for future bakes, or eat it as is. Trust me, it won't last long! ;-)
Pecan Praline
To make the insert even more indulgent, you will need pecan praline.
The recipe with step-by-step photos is explained HERE. Follow the instructions carefully. For toasting the pecan nuts, it's 15-20 minutes at 170°C. ;-)
You can make 1x the recipe. You will have a little too much, but you can easily spread it on crêpes or make a homemade spread. Find our spread recipe HERE.
It's hard to reduce the quantity, but you won't be able to resist eating it for long! :-)

Pour 50gr of praline into a piping bag. To fill it neatly, place it in a jug.

Remove the insert from the freezer and pipe the pecan praline over the caramel cremeux.
Stick to the praline quantities – it's very tempting to add more, but praline doesn't set easily in the freezer. So the more you add, the harder it will be to unmould and the less your yule log will hold together.

Then place the sponge (the smaller one) that was cut just beforehand.

Place everything in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
We will now make the pecan crunch, which will give our yule log a lovely texture.
Pecan Crunch
Start by roughly chopping 25gr of pecan nuts. To do this, place the nuts in a freezer bag and crush them with a small rolling pin.
Keep the pieces chunky – we want texture.
In a bowl, melt 25gr of white chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute at 600Watt.
Mix your chocolate well.

Add 25gr of pecan praline and the chopped pecan nuts.
Using a spoon, coat the pecan nuts with the chocolate and praline.

Our crunch is ready. Pour it over the sponge (the larger one) then spread it evenly using a small offset spatula.
Place everything in the freezer so the crunch can set.

We can now make the vanilla mousse. It is very important to only carry out this step once the insert is fully frozen.
Vanilla Mousse
Start by softening 3.5 gelatine leaves in a jug of cold water.

In a bowl, whisk 3 egg yolks (60gr) with 75gr of sugar until the mixture turns pale. Set aside.

In a saucepan, pour 375gr of heavy cream.
Cut 3 vanilla pods lengthways and scrape them to collect the seeds. Place the seeds and pods into the cream.

Bring everything to a boil.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the egg yolks/sugar mixture while mixing well.
Pour everything back into the saucepan.
Heat the mixture to 82°C over medium heat while stirring well. Use the thermometer whisk – it's ideal! It allows you to stir and monitor the temperature at the same time.
Once the right temperature is reached, remove the saucepan from the heat and take out the vanilla pods.
Squeeze out the gelatine leaves and add them to the previous preparation.

Mix well so the gelatine melts into the preparation. Leave the cream to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally and monitoring the temperature. It should be between 27°C and 29°C.
In the meantime, pour 225gr of heavy cream into a large bowl and whip it to a firm but not over-whipped chantilly, so it incorporates well with the rest of the preparation.
Once ready, set it aside in the fridge.

When the cream/egg preparation is at the right temperature, you can add the whipped chantilly.
Add the chantilly cream in 3 additions, folding it in gently with a whisk.
Finish mixing with a spatula to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mousse.

Let's go – time to assemble!
We fell in love with this beautiful mould this year – understated and elegant. The "Snowfall" yule log mould from Silikomart.
Pour the vanilla mousse up to halfway. Using a small offset spatula, spread the mousse up the sides of the mould – this will prevent air bubbles from forming when unmoulding.
If your mousse is a little runny, I recommend placing your mould in the freezer for 5 minutes so the mousse starts to set.

Remove the insert from the freezer and unmould it carefully. It's normal that the praline won't be completely set. Praline contains a lot of sugar, which prevents it from freezing solid. But don't worry – it will unmould!

Place the insert in the centre of the mousse and press down gently so the vanilla mousse rises up the sides. Cover the insert with vanilla mousse and place the sponge on top with the crunch side facing down into the mousse.
Remove any excess mousse and place everything in the freezer for a minimum of 8 hours.

Decoration
As the mould is beautiful as it is, the decoration will be minimal. I suggest decorating this yule log with a white velvet spray.
Start by soaking the velvet spray in a jug of hot water (hot tap water is fine).
Leave the spray for approximately 10 minutes in hot water. This will allow the cocoa butter contained in the bottle to become more fluid and give a beautiful result once the pieces are sprayed.

On a turntable, place a sheet of baking paper, then unmould your yule log and place it on top.
To achieve a velvet finish, it is very important to spray onto a frozen piece!
The turntable will allow you to spray your yule log evenly without having to move it. Very practical! ;-)
Cocoa butter is very volatile. To avoid spraying it all over your kitchen, I recommend spraying the yule log inside a tall box.

For a fine and even result, hold your bottle approximately 20 to 25 cm away while spraying your yule log.
Once the yule log is decorated, move it onto a yule log board or a small plate. Use an offset spatula to avoid damaging it during the transfer.
The yule log is finished! :-)
Once decorated, allow 8 hours to defrost in the fridge before enjoying.
It will keep for 2 days in the fridge in a yule log box.
I recommend making this recipe over several days like this:
D-3: the caramel cremeux insert, the pecan praline, the Joconde sponge
D-2: the pecan crunch and the vanilla mousse
Day D: the decoration
I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Wishing you a lovely Sunday, food lovers!
Sophie
P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.

Leave a comment
Comments
Question de Marie
By: Marie M. On 2024-12-22Bonjour,
Cette bûche est une dinguerie…… c’était tellement bon!!!
Merci pour vos recettes et belles fêtes à toute l’équipe!
Marie
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-23
Question de Coralie
By: Coralie R. On 2024-12-20Bonjour! Tout d’abord merci pour vos recettes, j’en ai fait plusieurs sans jamais de ratés… je rencontre cependant un petit soucis cette fois…
J’ai fais le crémeux en respectant scrupuleusement la recette… mais je me retrouve avec vraiment beaucoup beaucoup de crémeux caramel, genre je pourrait presque en faire 2 inserts… (peut être ai-je trop fais monter en mousse les jaunes et le sucre???) mais du coup j’ai peur que cela ne fige pas vraiment… j’en ai garder un peu dehors et effectivement, une fois froid c’est plus une crème caramel qu’un flan si on veut… ai-je tord de m’inquiéter???
Merci d’avance pour votre réponse…
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-23
Question de Sarah
By: Sarah G. On 2024-12-16Bonjour,
Petite question, je veux en faire deux est ce qu'avec un pot de praliné ça joue ou est ce qu'il en faut plus ?
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-16
Replied by: Sarah G. On 2024-12-18
Question de Carole
By: Carole R. On 2024-12-15Bonjour, j’ai fait cette recette mais le praliné pécan pour mon insert n’a pas complètement durci. J’ai pourtant suivi la recette à la lettre ? Est -ce normal ?
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-16
Question de Maude
By: Maude Q. On 2024-12-12Bonjour!
Auriez-vous une suggestion d'alternative à la gélatine en poudre d'origine animale, pour que la bûche puisse aussi être dégustée par les personnes végétariennes? Merci!
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-12
Question de Anik
By: Anik R. On 2024-12-11Bonjour,
Déjà merci pour toutes les délicieuses recette je vais faire cette bûche et la bûche glacée tropical pour le 22 mais je vais les finir milieu de semaine prochaine
Pour le démoulage faut il les laisser dans le moule à bûche et les démouler I dernier moment ou les démouler et les remettre au congel dans une boîte
D avance merci pour votre réponse
Replied by: Anik R. On 2024-12-17
Replied by: Anik R. On 2024-12-19
Question de Anouk
By: Anouk G. On 2024-12-10Bonjour j ai le moule sapin
Les quantités sont ok?
Merci beaucoup
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-11
Replied by: Anouk G. On 2024-12-11
Replied by: Anouk G. On 2024-12-11
Question de Véronique
By: Véronique L. On 2024-12-03Bonjour, dans votre merveilleuse recette, lorsque vous mettez la température du four c'est pour un four conventionnel ? et si j'ai la fonction chaleur tournante, est-ce judicieux de l'utiliser pour ce genre de recette ? merci d'avance de votre réponse. Belle journée, Véronique
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-03
Replied by: Véronique L. On 2024-12-03
Replied by: Véronique L. On 2024-12-03
Question de Muriel
By: Muriel B. On 2024-12-01Bonjour, merci pour la recette. Bûche testée et dégustée ce week-end afin de préparer les fêtes… Elle est très bonne mais le crémeux est trop figée ce qui gâche son goût… je l’ai refait une 2ème fois avec 2x moins de gélatine/eau et là le crémeux est vraiment très onctueux, ça change tout!
Merci pour toutes vos recettes, belles fêtes!
Replied by: Karin On 2024-12-02
Replied by: Elodie V. On 2024-12-06
Replied by: Muriel B. On 2024-12-07
Replied by: Carole R. On 2024-12-15
Replied by: Muriel B. On 2024-12-15
Question de Marine
By: Marine L. On 2024-11-28Bonsoir, merci pour la recette qui sera celle de cette année :) Malheureusement le moule est en rupture. Je pensais la faire dans le moule à bûche silikomart avec tapis flocons 1200ml. Est-ce que les quantités sont identiques ?
Merci d'avance pour votre retour et belle fête à vous.
Replied by: Laura On 2024-11-29
Question de Chrisna
By: Chrisna M. On 2024-11-28bonjour, je réalise que je n ai pas de cuillere a pesée et je fais ma recette samedi apres midi. je vais essayer de la commander ce soir mais j imagine qu elle n arrivera pas samedi. auriez vous un conseil pour mesurer 2,3 gr de gelatine en poudre. merci d avance! chrisna
Replied by: Laura On 2024-11-29
Question de Anne-Christine
By: Anne-Christine G. On 2024-11-20Bonsoir, est-ce que la bûche se floconne juste avant la décongélation ou je peux la congeler totalement finie?
Replied by: Karin On 2024-11-21
Question de Nicole
By: Nicole D. On 2024-11-15Bonjour, j’aimerais faire cette bûche d’ici la fin du mois de novembre car après je suis opérée d’une épaule et ne pourrai pas le faire pour Noël. Puis-je la garder au congélateur 1 mois? Qu’en pensez-vous?
Replied by: Karin On 2024-11-18
Réponse
By: Sandra R. On 2024-11-15Bonjour.par quoi on peut remplacer les noix de pecan?merci
Replied by: Karin On 2024-11-15
Question de Muriel
By: Muriel B. On 2024-11-15Bonjour,
Je me réjouis de tester cette recette. Est-ce que les quantités de la recette sont suffisantes pour réaliser cette bûche dans le moule corallo?
Merci d'avance pour votre réponse, belle journée à vous!
Replied by: Laura On 2024-11-15
Question de Sabine
By: Sabine S. On 2024-11-10Miam, ça fait vraiment envie.... Est ce que si je fais dans le Moule à bûche et insert" en plastique, les quantités seront les mêmes???? MERCI pour votre réponse"