Oat Chocolate Yule Log

Layers of tasty chocolate oat cake, decadent chocolate mousse, and a rich chocolate buttercream make this flourless Oat Chocolate Yule Log hard to resist. A spin on the traditional Christmas yule log, this oat chocolate Bûche De Noël is made without any flour and is actually quite easy to make.

For the past 10 years, I have been making this Oat Chocolate Yule Log for the holidays. This one is always such a hit with everyone who tries it.

Of course, when I mention that this Yule log is made with oats, people look at me and the Yule log, with trepidation. But, after a bit of cajoling, they decide to try a sliver, and I usually find them cutting another, thicker sliver, shortly afterward.

Recently, when I made this Oat Chocolate Yule Log and handed my boyfriend a small forkful to try, he proceeded to ask for a whole slice to eat, after the forkful.

I love that this Yule log is so well enjoyed by all who try it. And I hope you give this recipe a try as well and enjoy it as much as we do.

Why oats?

There are a lot of gluten-free chocolate yule log recipes, but not a lot of chocolate Yule logs that are made with oats.

If you happen to be wondering why oats?

Well, it is quite simple really. I love rolled oats and could eat them in the form of cookies, pancakes, bars, and risotto at pretty much every meal. So, I decided to use oats to make this delicious holiday treat. Besides, subconsciously, knowing this has oats in it, somehow (to me) justifies enjoying that second, or third, slice!

This Yule log cake is light and so tasty. It is gluten-free and a great way to incorporate a bit of wholesome oats into my holiday dessert table.

What are the ingredients needed to make this Oat Chocolate Yule Log?

For the chocolate sponge cake, you’ll need the following 7 ingredients:

1. Large eggs
2. Caster sugar
3. Pure vanilla extract
4. Salt
5. Rolled Oats
6. Cocoa powder
7. Strong (brewed or instant) coffee

For the filling:

1. Semi-sweet chocolate
2. Whipped topping (Dairy-free)

For the chocolate buttercream:

1. Butter
2. Cocoa powder
3. Powdered sugar or icing sugar
4. Almond milk
5. Pure vanilla extract

Variations

Cake: Instead of rolled oats, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend.

Filling: There are several options for the chocolate filling. There have been times I have used a chocolate cashew cream filling. The very same chocolate cashew cream I used to make this chocolate pudding. This option usually takes a bit of time as it involves soaking cashews and blending them with almond milk, coconut oil, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and vanilla.

There are other times I have used this 3-ingredient chocolate mousse, made with Cool Whip.

And, there have been other times when I made a 2 ingredient chocolate filling with dairy-free whipped topping and chocolate chips and used that as I did in the pictures seen here. This chocolate filling is quick and so easy.

Chocolate buttercream: A glorious chocolate buttercream is not the only option to use as the “bark” of this Yule log. Last year I made a chocolate ganache to slather over this oat chocolate yule log.

There have been other times when I have made a mocha icing to pour on this log.

Decorations: Once frosted with a bark coating, this oat chocolate log can be decorated with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. This log can be jazzed up even more and topped with any combination of raspberries, cranberries, meringue mushrooms, and rosemary leaves.

A little story behind this oat chocolate log…

Ten years ago when I first made this oat chocolate log, I was having a lively “when I was your age…” discussion with my daughter because she thought our non-existent maid was going to clean up after her.

As it sometimes happened, those “when I was your age…” discussions ended up being a walk down memory lane, with us discussing Christmas dinners when I was a young girl, growing up in Sri Lanka.

Back then, our main meal consisted of fancy rice pilaf or “yellow rice” or “rice biryani”, with at least a half dozen amazing curries my mom had labored over for hours.

The Desserts that followed consisted of Sri Lankan Christmas Cake (a boozy, one-of-a-kind fruit and nut cake like these cupcakes), one of my mom’s famous chocolate cakes, and a Yule Log my dad would pick up from a local bakery. I would sneak pieces of that Yule log, hide under the table, and devour those pieces! No lie!

That discussion led to me making this Oat Chocolate Yule Log, which has become a staple at our holiday dessert table ever since.

The first time I made this, my daughter and I concluded that since this was made with rolled oats, we could enjoy eating slices of this yule log for breakfast over the next couple of days. And, I recall her polishing off the last slice and telling me that “when SHE is MY age…” she will remember that desserts should NOT be consumed – in hiding – under tables!!

It’s a good thing I didn’t tell her that under the table wasn’t the only place I hid and ate stolen desserts – there was also the bathroom!

Anyhoot… getting back to the steps to making this…

How do you make a chocolate yule log with oats?

Most rolled cakes call for making a light sponge. Then, as soon as that sponge cake is taken out of the oven, it is rolled, usually with a napkin, and left to cool. Then, it is unrolled, filled, and decorated,

Well, making this chocolate yule log does NOT require the handling and rolling of a hot sponge cake.

But, let’s start at the beginning…

• First, gather all the ingredients together.
• Then, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Add the rolled oats to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until the oats resemble a flour-like consistency.
• Then, grab a large bowl. Crack the eggs, adding the egg yolks and the egg whites into the large bowl.
• Also, add the vanilla extract and sugar to the bowl.
• Then, using a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer, blend the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract for 10 minutes, until the mixture has almost doubled in quantity.
• Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients (the blended oats, cocoa powder, and salt) into the egg, sugar, and vanilla mixture.
• When this is well-mixed, pour this oat chocolate yule log batter into the parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 9 minutes exactly.
• Remove this from the oven, and, immediately, cover the baking tray with foil. I like to fold the foil over the sides of the baking tray with a kitchen towel and I usually just leave the kitchen towel over the foil. Let this cake cool down completely.
• When the cake is cool, make some strong coffee. Then, remove the towel and foil from the baking tray and brush with the coffee.
• Place some plastic wrap over the cake, then grab another baking tray that is similar in size, and place it on top of the plastic. Then flip the cake over and brush the side that was on the parchment, with coffee too.
• Now, let’s make the filling. Melt some chocolate and mix it with some whipped topping. Then, add this to the cake and spread it so it covers the cake.
• Using the plastic to guide the cake, slowly and gently roll the cake on one edge. Roll until the cake rolls up. Then, place it in the freezer while making the chocolate buttercream.
• When the buttercream is ready, remove the yule log from the freezer and slather on the buttercream. Use a fork or knife to make the buttercream look like it has a bark texture.
• Sprinkle on some powdered sugar so it looks like snow. If you want to, add meringue mushrooms, raspberries, rosemary, etc to make this oat chocolate yule log look festive.

Once decorated, this yule log can be served immediately.

How long can this Yule log be stored?

If you want to make this yule log ahead of time, you can make this about 4-5 days before you need to serve it for your get-together.

However, if you have leftovers of this yule log, the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge. This log should stay tasty for 3 days. Though to be honest, leftovers get eaten in 3 days in our home, so I do not know if this would stay fresh longer.

Can this oat chocolate log be frozen?

Yes, this can be frozen. Once frosted with buttercream, wrap this oat chocolate yule log in plastic. Then, place the plastic-wrapped yule log in a large freezer bag, and place in the freezer. This yule log can be frozen for about a month. When ready to eat, remove this from the freezer, remove the plastic covering, and let it sit on a serving tray for a couple of hours so it comes to room temperature.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!

Looking for more Holiday/Christmas cookies and/or desserts? Then, check out this pistachio cake, this love cake, and these 45 treats. And, if you are looking to add a few more side dishes to your holiday meal, check out these 31 healthier holiday sides!