Christmas Keto Yule Log, Buche de Noel – Low Carb Recipe

This Buche de Noel also known as a Christmas Yule log was one of my more challenging recipes to develop. Getting the keto yule log to taste good was absolutely no problem, but getting the consistency of the flourless cake just right so that the keto yule log would roll easily was a bit more of a challenge. Finding a great keto dessert recipe during the holidays that also looks so festive is such a treat! I hope you’ll enjoy making this lovely keto Buche de Noel and sharing with your family and friends.

Buche de Noel is the French name for a special Christmas cake. The translation to English is “Christmas Log.” It’s traditionally shaped like a log and filled with whipped cream. It’s also traditionally full of sugar but this keto yule log is sugar-free, gluten-free and flourless!

This keto dessert is fun to decorate. Basically, you want your keto Buche de Noel to look like a gentle snow has rested on a log in the woods where pine needles have fallen to the ground. I also like adding some holly/mistletoe looking decorations to mine to simulate pine needles or holly.

Is Making a Buche de Noel Difficult?

The rolling of the cake is a bit fussy, but well worth the look you get in the end. The extra steps ensure that your cake stays moist and flexible enough to roll for this keto yule log. You still may end up with a few small cracks, but these are easily hidden by the cream filling and the frosting.

A Christmas keto yule log that is so much healthier yet still absolutely delicious may become your new Christmas tradition!

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Keto Yule Log Ingredients

For this Christmas keto yule log dessert recipe, you’ll need a few special items that you might not already have in your kitchen. The first is a small 9-inch by 13-inch jelly roll pan. This pan is more shallow and smaller than a traditional cookie sheet. It’s also the same size as a quarter sheet pan which would also work fine.

You absolutely need parchment paper. This will allow you to roll the cake and remove it easily without sticking to the pan.

Enhancing the Flavor of the Keto Yule Log

The other slightly unusual ingredient in this keto dessert recipe is espresso powder. You can order it or some grocery stores carry it in the baking section. Williams Sonoma also has it. If you can’t find espresso powder you can also use instant espresso which is nice anyway as a brewed coffee alternative.

Just make sure you grind it into a powder using a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle yet you should consider it. It’s a great kitchen tool! I use mine all the time for freshly grinding whole spices. You can also use it to get a nice chunky texture for guacamole.

As for the chocolate chips, I used ChocZero in this keto yule log although others may work. Since I had to make it a couple of times to get the cake just right I used both dark and milk chocolate chips. The dark chips make an absolutely decadent, rich flavored keto yule log. The milk chocolate chips made for a lighter but still rich cake experience.

If you choose to use ChocZero chips in this recipe, you can use code HEALNOURISHGROW at checkout for 10 percent off.

Keto Buche de Noel Process

To make a Christmas yule log, one of the most important things is the roll. As I said before, it’s a bit fussy. The easiest way to make sure you get the process is to watch the video. The main thing is to keep the cake moist with a damp paper towel as it cools. It’s also really useful to have TWO sturdy long spatulas on hand. Or if you happen to have an extra-long spatula like this one, that would be perfect.

Decorating the Keto Yule Log

There are a number of ways you could choose to decorate your Christmas yule log. Think of what a log out in the woods might look like in the winter around Christmas time. It might be snow-covered. It could have mushrooms growing on it. There could be pine cones littering the ground. Maybe some pine needles or holly have fallen on top of the log.

I chose to use rosemary sprigs and cranberries to decorate my buche de noel. However, pinecones would be great decoration around it and I’ve seen other keto yule logs decorated with mushrooms that look very festive. I’d definitely remove those before serving though unless you make them out of some tasty sugar free chocolate!