This gluten free yule log is hands down one of my proudest bakes and is a dessert I have been working on for a long time. Chocolate sponge swirled with homemade salted caramel sauce and mascarpone cream, then frosted with whipped chocolate ganache – I absolutely love it.

My gluten free yule log is rich and chocolately, without being sickly sweet. I had tried other recipes in the past and they always ended up too sickly due to the buttercream frosting. Using whipped chocolate ganache gives the same effect, but is much more delicious and is very easy to make.

Gosh and of course, there’s that salted caramel sauce! You can omit it if you want a regular chocolate yule log, but I love the richness it adds. When paired with a mascarpone cream (which is almost like a cheesecake filling), it will make your tastebuds sing. Can you tell how happy I am with this recipe yet :D.

gluten free yule log

What Should I Use if I Can’t Find Mascarpone?

If you cannot find mascarpone, use cream cheese instead. They are very similar and the recipe will work well with both. That can be a good sub if you are wanting to make a lactose free version of this yule log, as lactose free cream cheese is readily available in UK supermarkets.

Can I Skip the Salted Caramel?

Absolutely – if you want to make a regular chocolate gluten free yule log then simply omit the caramel and make the recipe as per the method.

You could even flavour the mascarpone cream if you want, adding things such as strained cherries in kirsch or flavour with alcohol. Note these will make the cream slightly runnier, so you may wish to chill it before constructing the gluten free yule log.

Can I Make this Gluten Free Yule Log Dairy Free or Lactose Free?

Lactose free would definitely work for this recipe. Simply switch the mascarpone for lactose free cream cheese, use lactose free cream and butter for the caramel, dark chocolate instead of milk and lactose free cream instead of double cream.

I have not tried a dairy free version of this recipe, but I do know my salted caramel sauce works with dairy free substitutions. If you do try a dairy free version please let me know, as I would love to see the results! However, if you are not a confident dairy free baker, then check out Gluten Free Alice as she has a dairy free yule log recipe.

gluten free chocolate yule log

Gluten Free Yule Log Recipe

I am so excited to share this recipe with you all and I hope you love it as much as me. Please do review the recipe on the card below if you do :), and feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have – laura@mygfguide.com. Ooh, also send photos of your yule log creations!

You’ll find my gluten free yule log method below, with plenty of pictures to help guide you.

Enjoy and have a wonderful festive season!

Laura xxx

Salted Caramel Gluten Free Yule Log
Yield: Serves 8

Salted Caramel Gluten Free Yule Log

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the sponge:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 20ml milk
  • 45g cocoa powder (ensure gluten free)
  • 30g gluten free self raising flour (I used FREEE flour - self raising is ideal but it you don't have any plain flour will work well too)
  • 0.25 tsp xanthan gum

For the salted caramel (for homemade, or if using shop bought you'll need 175g salted caramel):

  • 40g salted butter
  • 25g light brown sugar
  • 25g caster sugar
  • 25ml golden syrup
  • 60ml double cream
  • 0.5 tsp Maldon salt

For the mascarpone cream:

  • 250g mascarpone
  • 125g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 125 ml double cream

For the whipped chocolate ganache:

  • 250g chocolate (ensure gluten free - I used 150g milk and 100g 70% dark)
  • 250ml double cream

Instructions

  1. First, make the salted caramel sauce. Melt the butter, light brown sugar, caster sugar and golden syrup together in a small non-stick pan over a low heat. Cook very gently for 10 minutes or until it is simmering gently. Swirl the pan to mix the ingredients. Add the cream and the salt to the pan, swirling to ensure fully mixed, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Set aside to cool.
  2. Now onto the sponge! Preheat the oven to 180C (fan). Separate the eggs, place the whites in a large mixing bowl and the yolks in a second mixing bowl. Set the yolks aside.
  3. Use an electric hand whisk to beat the whites until they form peaks. Add the caster sugar to the beaten egg whites and whisk again for 3-5 minutes until you have soft peaks.
  4. Beat the yolks together with the milk, until frothy, then add to the egg whites and sugar before whisking them together for a couple of minutes.
  5. Sift the cocoa, flour and xanthan gum over the frothy mixture. Now use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, without knocking out all the air. Fold and scrape at a slow pace, until fully incorporated. The mixture should still be quite mousse-like and full of air.
  6. Line a rectangular baking tray (mine is 32cm x 22cm) with greaseproof paper, so that the base and sides are covered. Pour the cake mixture onto the tray and gently spread to the sides and corners using a small palette knife. Bake at 180C for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through - it cooks very quickly.
  7. Allow to cool for 2 minutes, then lift out of the tray and onto your work surface. Ease the baking paper away from the sides, to loosen, then on one of the shorter sides of the sponge, fold the excess baking paper over the end of the sponge. This will stop it sticking to itself when rolled. Time to roll! Start from the short end and roll the sponge into a log shape, so the baking paper is on outside of the sponge. Set aside to cool completely, still rolled up (see image below).
  8. While the sponge cools, make the chocolate ganache frosting. Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof mixing bowl (medium sized or large). Heat the cream in a pan until gently steaming, but do NOT let it boil. Then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Leave it to set for 5 minutes, then whisk with a fork until you have a lovely, glossy ganache. Transfer to the fridge to cool for 30 minutes (stir after 15 minutes).
  9. After chilling, the ganache should have thickened up a lot but not solidified (if it is has gone solid, warm it until you can beat it with a fork). Beat it with an electric whisk until it has fluffed up and doubled in volume. It should have the consistency of thick buttercream (if too runny, pop it back in the fridge). Transfer into a piping bag and set aside for a moment.
  10. Finally, we'll make the mascarpone cream and then we can assemble the yule log. Simply mix the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla with whisk until smooth. Now add the double cream and beat for about a minute until you have a thick, stiff cream mixture.
  11. Time to assemble the yule log! Carefully unroll the cooled sponge, then spread the mascarpone cream all over the inside. Make little gullies using a teaspoon and pour the salted caramel into the gullies using the spoon, in stripes (see image below). Now roll the sponge up quite tightly, until you have a lovely swirl of chocolate sponge and cream, studded with pockets of caramel. Trim the edges to neaten slightly - then the perk of being the cook is that you get to eat these bits as a treat :).
  12. Transfer to your serving board and pipe the whipped chocolate ganache onto the yule log. If you don't have a piping bag just use a knife or spatula to spread it. Cover the whole yule log - covering the ends is optional, I like to leave them uncovered to display the swirl, but it's up to you :). Use a fork to create a bark effect in the chocolate ganache (I heat the fork in hot water, then dry, to create nice clear lines), dust with icing sugar, add your decorations and serve!

If you are making the yule log in advance, store it in the fridge to keep it chilled. Same with any leftovers, they should be refrigerated to keep the log at its best.

Egg whites whisked
Egg whites and sugar whisked
Egg yolks and milk whisked
Combined!
Dry ingredients folded into the egg mixture – final cake batter
Batter in tray ready for baking
Baked and ready to be rolled
Rolled and left to cool
Chopped chocolate for ganache
Hot cream on chocolate pieces
The ganache
Whipped ganache frosting, after being whisked
Mascarpone cream
Ready to assemble :)
Unrolled sponge – don’t worry about these little surface cracks inside
Cream added, with gullies for caramel
Caramel stripes
Rolled
gluten free salted caramel yule log
Frosted and ready for eating!

I really love my gluten free yule log and I hope you all enjoy eating it too! For more festives recipes, do check out my collection while you are here:

Have a wonderful Christmas! Laura xxx