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★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
There’s something so cozy, festive, and inviting about a holiday yule log! Especially one made of cake.
Made with cake mix, this recipe is super easy!
This recipe starts with boxed cake mix, saving time and ingredients. This Swiss roll recipe also uses marshmallow frosting for the filling. You can buy this special, yummy frosting ready-made which is another big time-saver!
The process is easy to follow.
I'll give you step-by-step directions. I also have a 1-minute how-to video that shows the process, including rolling the cake as well as decorating it to look just like a beautiful log.
You can absolutely nail this on the first try! Even if baking isn't your thing. Just follow the steps.
Make it a Holiday Meal
Serve this easy cake mix yule log cake as dessert with my holiday cranberry-walnut stuffed pork, creamed spinach with water chestnuts, and a santa spritz cocktail.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
What ingredients are in this yule log cake?
This particular recipe is super simple. You start with cake mix then all you need is a handful of other ingredients to make this beautiful holiday log cake come to life.
Here's everything you need:
- Devil's Food chocolate cake mix. The devil's food cake flavor is rich which works well with the marshmallow filling. You can use chocolate cake mix too if you prefer something less rich.
- Water. Or you can use milk. Milk will add a rich and creamy flavor.
- Oil. Vegetable oil or any high-heat cooking oil works.
- Eggs. I prefer corn-fed free-range eggs. They have excellent flavor.
- Powdered sugar. This helps the cake not stick to itself when you roll it.
- Marshmallow frosting. This is the inside filling of the roll cake. You can use store-bought frosting that is specifically "marshmallow" flavor. It's not the same as marshmallow fluff. Or make your own marshmallow frosting.
- Chocolate frosting. This for the outside of the cake which we'll texture to look like bark! You can use store-bought, or I have a great, very simple homemade sea salt chocolate frosting recipe I like to use.
Finishing Touches
You can decorate this yule log cake however you'd like. An easy way to add a really beautiful touch is by garnishing with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and a few fresh cranberries.
Sugar these garnishes by simply dipping the rosemary and cranberries in water. Shake off any excess water, then roll each in table sugar for a crystalized "snow covered" look.
★ How to Make this Yule Log Cake ★
This recipe is easy enough for novice bakers but it might be helpful to see how to prep and roll the cake before you try it.
Here's a snapshot of the steps involved.
- Beat eggs then mix in cake mix, water (or milk), and oil.
- Spread batter onto lined baking sheet.
- Bake and let cool slightly.
- Roll cake and let set to take shape.
- Unroll and layer with marshmallow frosting.
- Roll up cake with filling.
- Frost the outside.
- Create a bark texture using a fork.
- Add sugared rosemary and cranberries.
You can also watch the how-to video underneath the recipe, below.
★ Tips ★
Success on the First Try
- Bake time may vary depending on how thick you spread the batter out and also your type of oven. Just be sure not to overcook the cake or you may have trouble rolling it. Recommended baking sheet size is 12" x 18" for best results.
- Keep an eye on the batter. As soon as all the shiny parts disappear, check the center with a toothpick. You don't want to over cook or it will be harder to roll.
- When rolling the cake, be sure to use plenty of powdered sugar to prevent it from sticking to the towel.
- Don't let the cake cool for more than 5 minutes or it will be difficult to roll and may crack.
- If the cake cracks, just smooth over the cracks with frosting
- Roll the cake tightly and while it's still warm. You'll need to compress the cake a bit to get a good roll.
Get creative with your presentation.
- You may choose to slice off the ends of the cake and leave it unfrosted. Some of the tradition recipes for yule logs I've seen do this. I've seen the slices stacked together and attached to the side of the log with frosting to look like a branch. Up to you if you want to try this! There's no right or wrong way to do this in my opinion. This is a fun dessert recipe that can be decorated and served according to your own style. So have fun with it!
- To save time or simply for a different look, try using woodland-themed cake toppers to decorate vs. cranberries and rosemary.
Use a Cake Stand
A nice cake stand goes a long way in elevating the look of this cake. I love the way a rustic wood cake stand looks.
Add Cake Toppers
If you want to add a touch of whimsy, look into a cake topper set with a woodland theme.
Check out these shop links to get inspired:
★ FAQs ★
If you’ve never seen or enjoyed a yule log cake, I'd say it's similar to a giant Ho Ho or chocolate Swiss roll cake. Except instead of a chocolate coating, it's covered with chocolate frosting.
The frosting is often made to look like the bark of a log. With this recipe, I'm going to show you how to do this to your yule log! (Don't worry, it's really easy, no professional bakery skills required.)
Actually in general, a yule log cake is incredibly easy to make if you start with a cake mix.
You might be curious about origin of the yule log dessert. Or you might not be. So I'll keep it short and sweet and you can do your own Googling if you need more info.
The yule log is a Nordic tradition that began with an actual log which was part of an entire tree burned a little bit each day during the 12 days of Christmas. (Read the full story here). Somewhere along the way, the idea of the yule log was transformed into a dessert. Brilliant.
I love recipes that are easy and delicious. I’m a big fan of boxed cake mixes because they're cheap, easy and now you can buy them organic.
There's also a special marshmallow frosting you can buy ready-made that's absolutely delicious as the filling, and obviously it's super easy since all you have to do is spread it. I have a marshmallow frosting recipe too if you prefer to make your own. You choose what works for you!
I do recommend making your own chocolate frosting if you have time.
Homemade chocolate buttercream frosting (click for my recipe) is pretty easy to whip up and it's so amazingly good.
If you want to save time though, store-bought whipped chocolate frosting works great too.
Save time and use store-bought frosting or make your own. Your choice!
The flavors that work best, in my opinion, are:
Marshmallow frosting: Get my homemade marshmallow frosting recipe here, or sometimes you can find this frosting in stores. The flavor is a little different plan plain vanilla frosting, but vanilla frosting works well too. Marshmallow Fluff also tastes great, but I find it to be too sticky and doesn't spread well, so I prefer Marshmallow frosting if you can find it, or just make your own.
Peppermint frosting is also delicious and super fun! You can find this frosting at stores around the holidays.
Vanilla frosting: This works great and is readily available. I find the whipped frosting easiest to spread.
All of these options are delicious so choose your favorite or just use whatever is handy. Remember, this is an easy and low stress cake! 😉
Yes, you can! It's actually very quick and easy to make your own. Check out my 5-minute, no-cook, Homemade Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting recipe.
★ More Holiday Recipes ★
Feeling the holiday spirit?
Try making some Christmas cookies too!
Typically this is a Christmas dessert so if you're reading this and Christmas is still pretty far away, pin this recipe for later!
This easy yule log cake recipe was featured on South Your Mouth!
Easy Yule Log Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 eggs
- 13.25 oz box chocolate cake mix
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Filling
- 12 oz can peppermint, vanilla or marshmallow frosting to make your own, see notes
Frosting
- 12 oz whipped chocolate frosting canned or homemade
Garnish
- fresh cranberries and rosemary for garnish to sugar, see notes
Easy-Order Groceries
- Add All Ingredients to Your Walmart Cart Adds everything with one click! You can edit items before you check out.
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Beat eggs. In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until frothy and pale yellow in color.
- Create batter. Add cake mix, water and oil and beat on low for 2 minutes.
- Prepare baking sheet. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicon liner, then coat liner with baking spray. Make sure to grease sides of the baking sheet as well.
- Add batter to baking sheet. Pour batter onto prepared 12x18 baking sheet and spread evenly.
- Bake. Bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool. As soon as toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes, not more than 10.
- Release cake from pan. While the cake is still warm, grab a linen dish towel. Sprinkle both sides of the towel with powdered sugar to prevent cake from sticking to it then lay it on top of the cake. Holding the towel and pan together, gently flip the pan upside down so the cake drops onto the towel. Tap to release if needed.
- Roll cake. Peel parchment paper or silicon liner off of the cake. Then tightly but gently roll the cake, keeping the towel in place to separate the layers. Place the rolled cake, seam-side down, on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Unroll and add filling. When cooled, gently unroll the cake and spread a layer of marshmallow frosting all the way to the edges. Gently but tightly roll cake back up to form a log. Place cake onto a serving dish, seam-side down. Make a branch. (Optional) If you'd like to make a "branch" cut away a slice of the cake, at an angle, and position at the side of the cake. Trim the angled end of the cake to be flat. This will leave you with a leftover slice so, as the chef, you can enjoy that if you'd like!Frost the entire outside of the log and branch with chocolate frosting.
- Add bark texture. Using a fork, create a bark-like pattern in the frosting.
- Garnish. Add fresh cranberries and rosemary or decorate your log. Or use your creativity to create a wintery scene using whatever decorative items you would like. Mushrooms and woodland creatures can be fun additions!
Video
Notes
- Recommended baking sheet size is 12″ x 18″ for best results.
- Because this cake is very thin, it is very easy to over bake.Be sure to spread batter evenly and remove from oven as soon as the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Ovens, pans, and altitudes vary. So for best results, and to avoid a dry cake, pull your cake out of the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Another way to tell if the cake is done is as soon as it no longer looks wet on top.
- To sugar your rosemary and cranberries, dip them in warm warm, shake off excess water, then roll in sugar. Let dry, then add to your cake.
- Make your own filling: marshmallow frosting recipe.
- Make your own frosting: chocolate buttercream frosting recipe.
Janell says
I'm going to try this! I see your recipe for the chocolate frosting is enough for 6 cupcakes. Is that enough for this Yule Log? Thank you.
Angela G. says
Hi Janell, my chocolate buttercream frosting recipe makes about 6oz of frosting so if you double it, that would be a perfect amount for the yule log cake (12oz). Thanks for asking!
Brenda says
I really want to make this but can i use butter to replace the oil?
Angela G. says
Hi Brenda, Yes. You can use butter as a direct substitute for the oil. 1:1 ratio so you can use the exact same amount. Thanks for asking!
Amber E. says
I had to make a swiss roll and cupcakes for a baby shower and this recipe was perfect! The cake sheet came out amazing with no cracks and rolled up beautifully. I made the cupcake batter using the same recipe to keep the consistency even throughout the dessert and the recipe worked absolutely fantastically and make exactly 24 beautifully domed cupcakes. I baked both shapes at 350 F for 12 minutes the cake came out great, the cupcakes wound up a little overbaked so I would cut the time down to 10 minutes for those. Highly recommend this as a multipurpose recipe!!
Rachel says
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! I have been wanting to try making a cake roll but I have been so intimidated. This looks so easy. I am going to give it a try. Can other flavors of cake mix be used instead of chocolate? I am going to use the chocolate, but if I am successful, I thought I might try some other cake mixes just to experiment.
Angela G. says
You're so welcome! The process is very simple. The hardest part is cooking the cake just right so that it tastes good and rolls. The two tricks are to pull it out of the oven as soon as it sets so it doesn't over bake. And also, don't overmix the batter. Stir just until everyone is combined.
Mary says
I made a dark chocolate peppermint version with vanilla frosting in the center with crushed peppermint candies and dark chocolate icing on top. The cake did come out dry so likely I overmixed it based on the other comments. Like the others I used extra icing to hide the cracks. It still tasted fine. I like the different versions that others are making. Thanks
Theresa says
First time and I am very happy. Cracked a little but covered it with frosting. I followed recipe exactly and made the homemade chocolate butter cream and the marshmallow butter cream. I even copied the sugared berries and rosemary. Turned out very pretty. Next year I will try to roll it tighter.
Bettina says
My nine year old son and I just made this. We used a butter pecan cake mix and a diabetic friendly icing made with dream whip and pudding mix. Mine was ready to come out of the oven after 12 minutes. I only got one small crack when I was unrolling it. I was pleasantly surprised with how simple it is. I won’t be paying the crazy prices to buy one anymore.
Jennifer Carterman says
I’m using this recipe and turning it into a black Forrest gateau with kirsch syrup, cherries and cream!!!
Debra says
This worked well with rolling and icing and looked great. The cake part was dry though. I made sure it was not overbaked. I don't know why it was dry.
Angela G. says
You can try not mixing the cake as long. Sometimes when you overmix cake, it can change the texture and seem dry.
Mickie says
Hi. What is fluffy marshmallow frosting?
Angela G. says
Hi Nickie, see the above post for an image of the frosting container. You can find it at most grocery stores or buy it on Amazon.
Lynn says
Making now!
But you neglected to include size of the baking sheet!
And do we pour all the batter into the baking pan?
Tks!
Angela G. says
Yes, all of the batter. The sized I recommended (in the notes) is: 12″ x 18″ for best results. Happy baking!
Karen says
@Angela G., I agree with another comment--even though you recommended "in the notes" section, I too missed the size of the pan. It would be great if you could update the size directly into the recipe which is what I printed. I'm sure many of us would do the same thing 🙂
Angela G. says
Thank you, Karen. I added the baking sheet size to the instructions as well so it prints with the recipe. 🙂
PD says
@Lynn, No it states on here 12x18....Yes you pour all the cake batter on the 12x18 baking sheet!!!
Jackie says
Super easy and delicious! I loved the idea of marshmallow frosting, but I double it. Because that's how I "roll". 😛
Angela G. says
Ha ha thanks for the tip! Glad you enjoyed it!
Teri says
I made this cake and it turned out great with the whole mix. It seemed pretty thick, but turned out great. I was able to roll it and it did not crack. I have not had good luck with homemade recipes, but this worked out great. I filled it with raspberry filling and coconut, whipped topping and topped with whipped topping. Family loved it. Thank you for the recipe. A keeper.
Lisa says
Love this recipe would definitely make it again. The chocolate frosting was also a winner
Angela G. says
Hi Lisa, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Cheryl Coogen says
SO VERY DISAPPOINTED! Followed directions but cake split so much it was actually in pieces. I couldn't 'glue' them together at all. TOTAL DISASTER. So much for Christmas dessert.
Angela G. says
Hi Cheryl,
I’m sorry you had a bad experience with this. If you want help figuring out what went wrong, let me know what questions you have.
It sounds like maybe you didn’t use enough eggs. The extra eggs (more than the box calls for) are what makes the cake bendable and able to roll without cracking. Maybe you accidentally followed the box directions? Or the cake may have cooked too long.
If you still have the crumbled cake, you could take the crumbs and mix them with the marshmallow filling, then roll it into a big ball or form it into a log. Then frost the ball or log. Kind of like making a giant cake pop. It won’t have the roll effect but it will still taste good!