Here we are, just a few days before Christmas–and technically a few days past Yule, which was December 21st (the winter solstice). So far in this holiday-themed “fun fact” series, we’ve talked about Yule’s origins, wassailing, and mistletoe. Today we’ll round things out by discussing my favorite of the four: the Yule log!
Now, those of you who followed along with my “Topsy Turvy” story over on Instagram will remember that Red and her friends spent a lot of time talking about a Yule log. In their tradition, they meant an actual log, one which was used to fuel the fire during the Yule feast. Centuries ago, a Yule log might actually have been an entire tree. It was brought inside and lit as a celebration of light in dark times–and a nice practical way to stay warm, too. All across Europe, the Yule log continued to be a popular Christmas tradition. Sometimes, rather than a fire, people would opt to use the log as a candle holder (less warm, but it still gets the point across!).
But of course, actual logs aren’t tasty. And while many of us these days don’t have a hearth for burning wood, we can enjoy a baked treat! The Yule log cake, also known as la Bûche de Noël, is a chocolate sponge cake wrapped around a cream filling and iced so that it looks, appropriately, like a log. Of course, these days you can get all kinds of varieties and twists on this theme. The actual origins of the cake are a bit obscure–most likely French, sometime during the 1800s. Since then, the cake has replaced the actual log in popularity. And really, is anyone surprised? 😉
If you have some cake and are looking for a short story to enjoy along with it, don’t forget that my holiday short story “Twelve Sleuths A-Searching” is free! You can download it here. Happy holidays!
Selected Sources
I quite enjoyed this article from ManyEats.com, which includes everything from Yule’s origins to rumors about Napoleon. There’s also a much more straightforward entry on WhyChristmas.com. And if you have Netflix, check out The Great British Baking Show past episodes, where contestants have made Yule Log cakes!
